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Infrastructure: Analysis : Railways in Romania face unprecedented challenges
The railway transport system in Romania is facing unprecedented challenges, in the context of applying the Fourth Railway Package by mid June 2019. If the package is not efficiently managed in the years to come, competition risks to be massively lost at European level, as it will be almost impossible to compete in the new conditions against present and new future players in the market, very powerful from the economic point of view, according to experts in the field of railway safety.
The main purpose of the respective package is to create a single European railway space, which supposes reform in the EU railway sector by encouraging competition and innovation in the domestic railway transport area. The final result of this action is reaching higher safety levels for railway transport with a view to increasing modal competitiveness, Sorin Catalin Hanci explains.
Viorel Lucaci, state inspector at the Romanian Railway Safety Authority (ASFR), points out legislative provisions which should appear with the liberalization of railway transport and must be seriously considered by decision makers in the railway field in Romania.
At European level there are extensive changes in the way in which railway networks of member states are considered. These changes are not recent, they were initiated following community strategies elaborated in the early 1990s, taking into account competition with road, naval and air transport.
Desiderata concerning railways were carried out especially in western EU countries, where there are no operational borders, especially for high speed passenger trains. The only talks still open are in the field of goods train operation.
In other words, Europe wanted to have a unitary railway network, devoid of barriers specific of different member states. The concept of inoperability in the railway field appeared. Although important steps were made as of 1991, towards uniformity, not all barriers inherited from railway administrations of the 20th century, characterised by national monopolies and high number of operational, technical or legislative specifications, could be removed. These problems are connected to the still, heterogeneous character of the railway network in Europe.
European Railway Agency (ERA) is a European institution subordinated to the European Commission, whose main purpose is to promote the creation of European railway spare without borders and to contribute to revitalizing the railway sector in Europe, by consolidating essential safety advantages presented by this transport system. ERA has attributions and responsibilities mainly in the railway safety field, of inoperability and of applying EU laws that have in view improving the competitive position of the railway sector.
As of June 2019, the role of this institution will be significantly consolidated by the new attributions conferred by the provisions of the Technical Pillar of Railway Package IV.