The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) are asking for EU institutions to strengthen the interface between ports and railways. Their main requests revolve around simplified regulatory frameworks, closer cooperation between port and rail ecosystems and proper financing.
When it comes to the regulatory framework, CER and ESPO highlighted that railway operations at ports are much different than traditional journeys on the network. For example, freight trains are the vast majority, speeds are much lower and shunting operations are prevalent.
“As a result, the port-rail area has different operational and infrastructural needs, which should be reflected in the legal regime applicable to the port-rail interface”, the two associations highlighted in a joint paper. What they are asking is to assess, together with EU legislators, to what extent the current regulatory framework of the port-rail interface can be simplified without hampering safety and interoperability.
Better port-rail coordination
Concerning the cooperation between ports and railways, CER and ESPO underlined how fragmentation continues to be a challenge. The main issues they identified are “fragmented planning, complex interfaces between actors, different IT-systems, limited data exchange and last-mile cost challenges”. According to them, port authorities, railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and terminal operators all need to ramp up their commitment. They should prioritise the standardisation of IT systems and data exchange as well as planning and investments.
It’s all about the money, money, money
The last issue brought up in the joint paper published by CER and ESPO is adequate funding. Despite acknowledging the importance of mechanisms such as the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and the implementation of the TEN-T corridors, they pointed out the need for more. For example, the two associations are asking to increase the CEF package for 2028-2034 to 100 billion euros, compared to the current 81 and change.
They are not alone in this quest, as the same request was recently brought forward by the European Economic and Social Committee. “Adequate EU grants remain indispensable to address infrastructure gaps, strengthen dual-use readiness and support projects with high European added value”, the CEF and ESPO’s joint paper stressed. The cries for help continue to be many, coming from all sides of the logistics and supply chain industry, but managing to be listened to remains the most significant obstacle.
European Cargo Experience
The synergies between ports, terminals and railways will be one of the focal points of the upcoming European Cargo Experience. This brand new event, organised jointly by RailFreight.com and our sister publications World Cargo News and ProjectCargo Journal, will take place in Gdansk on 6 and 7 May 2025.
By gathering players from various sectors, the European Cargo Experience will be the perfect opportunity to have meaningful discussions about the current situation and how it can be improved. Find out more about the programme here and register for the event here, the Early Bird discount only lasts two more days.