The European Rail Freight Association (ERFA) has a new president. Dirk Stahl symbolically handed over the presidency to Maciej Gładyga at the annual ERFA event on 6 May. The official handover took place earlier.
Outgoing president Dirk Stahl, who also acted as CEO of BLS Cargo during his tenure at ERFA, worked to reinforce the association’s position as a leading stakeholder and advocate for competitive and market-driven rail freight in Europe, says ERFA.
“It has been a pleasure and an honor to lead ERFA over the last 6 years”, Dirk Stahl commented. “This period has been marked on the one hand by major global disruptions such as [the] coronavirus pandemic and [the] Russian invasion of Ukraine with major impact on rail freight and on the other hand by significant discussions and decisions of EU Regulations on rail freight.”
“I am proud that ERFA has played a decisive role in shaping key decisions regarding track access charges, state aid, TEN-T Corridors and [the] Capacity Regulation”, Stahl continued. I will give full support to my successor Maciej Gładyga, who also has a long experience in the ERFA Board.”
Newly installed president Gładyga is the Managing Director of the Land Transport Chamber of Commerce in Poland. In this capacity, he has been overseeing all core activities of the organisation for the past decade. “Maciej brings extensive knowledge and experience in European affairs, rail sector governance and strategy development in both national and international coordination.”
Who is Maciej Gładyga?
Gładyga, who has been ERFA’s Vice President since 2019, also has a history at the Polish transport ministry as Deputy Director of the Department of European Funds and Deputy Director of the Department of Rail Transport. He has been involved with freight corridors in Poland and negotiating the Fourth Railway Package.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dirk for his outstanding leadership over the past six years”, Gładyga stated. “Taking over the baton in this presidential relay is both a great honor and a responsibility, and I am deeply grateful to the Board for their trust. We are operating in increasingly complex and turbulent times. Geopolitical tensions and shifting economic conditions are reshaping the environment in which rail operates.”
At the same time, long-standing structural issues within the sector remain unresolved and require urgent decisive action. ERFA must continue to be a strong, forward-looking and cooperative voice”, the news ERFA president added. “I am committed to ensuring that the energy, expertise and innovative capacity of our members are effectively represented and translated into tangible impact across all European and national forums in which we are engaged.”