WRITTEN QUESTION E-3894/02

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(14 January 2003)

Subject: Cutting-off of the Netherlands from long-distance rail connections due to removal from the timetable of direct connections to the German night train network

1. Is the Commission aware that, since 15 December 2002, the use of the cross-border railway line between Hengelo (NL) and Bad Bentheim (D) has been reduced to four day-time trains running between Amsterdam and Berlin via Amersfoort, Osnabrück and Hanover, and vice versa, and that on this route there are now no longer any night trains to Berlin or direct trains to Prague, Warsaw and Copenhagen, so that connecting services to and from the Netherlands with early trains, late trains and all night trains to the east and north now entail a long detour via Duisburg in Germany, which is much further south and where it is also possible to connect with the replacements for the night trains which are no longer timetabled from the Netherlands to Austria and Italy?

2. Is the Commission aware that, since 15 December 2002, the waiting time for passengers changing from the DB night trains from Copenhagen, Berlin and Prague in Duisburg (arrival 6.04 a.m.) in order to travel to Amsterdam has increased from 23 minutes to 2 hours and 51 minutes (departure 8.55 a.m.) and that the waiting time in the opposite direction (arrival 9.05 p.m., departure 11.18 p.m.) has increased from 26 minutes to 2 hours and 13 minutes?

3. Is the Commission furthermore aware that, as indicated in the Dutch railway timetable and confirmed by the absence of any listing in the timetables posted at stations in Germany, it is no longer permitted for passengers who wish to travel between the Netherlands and Duisburg to use the only night train which still crosses the border between the Netherlands and Germany since the deletion from the timetable of the services to Austria and Italy, namely the City Night Line No 306/307 from and to Munich and Zurich (arrival 11.56 p.m., departure 6.57 a.m.), and that although between 6.20 a.m. and 12.20 a.m. there are trains nearly every half-hour from Duisburg to Emmerich, near the Dutch border, there is no longer any connection between them and the Dutch railway network?

4. How can the Commission help to restore access to the trains of DB-Nachtzug and CNL and the Polish Jan Kiepura service in Germany and beyond by means of reinstatement of appropriate cross-border services from and to the Netherlands, for example by reinstatement and extension of the services via Bad Bentheim, the provision of slow-train services between Emmerich and the Netherlands or permitting the use of train pair CNL 306/307 by passengers wishing to change trains in Duisburg?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-3894/02 and E-3895/02given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(28 February 2003)

The Commission is generally aware of the changes in time-tabling for international rail passenger services. The time-table change of 15 December 2002 has been the occasion to discontinue a number of long-distance international rail passenger services.

The Commission regrets the lowering of service levels. However, at present there is not a complete picture available about development of the number of international railway services.

There are different market segments relevant for international passenger services. The market segment of high speed services has the best chances of growing as a profitable business and will benefit from a major extension of the network between now and 2010. The conventional long-distance services segment is vulnerable at present due to low profitability, competition from low cost air services and due to inaccurate co-operation between railway undertakings. For short distance cross border services, the situation is mixed and very much dependent on whether public service contracts have been awarded by public authorities at both sides of the border. Finding a good model for cross-border co-operation between public authorities is a difficult issue at present.

The Commission is working on a number of initiatives aimed at improving in the short to medium term the current situation in international rail passenger services:

- it has already adopted an amended proposal on public service contracts(1) which includes the possibility to extent the public services cross-border and this extension can only be rejected with reasons (Article 4a 1);

- in its work program for 2003, the Commission has planned to table a proposal for a regulation on passengers' rights and obligations in international rail services for which the Commission services have already published a consultation document in October 2002. This initiative should impact on the service quality level and the connections between services. Introduction of consultation of passenger organisations on such time-table changes may be part of this process(2);

- furthermore, the Commission will propose a directive regarding the opening of the international rail passenger market. This should improve the competitiveness of the sector and make it more customer minded.

(1) Amended proposal for a Regulation of the Parliament and of the Council on action by Member States concerning public service requirements and the award of public service contracts in passenger transport by rail, road and inland waterway, 21.2.2002, COM(2002) 107 final.

(2) The Commission published a consultation document on this issue, see website http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/rail/library/consultation.pdf.