WRITTEN QUESTION E-1738/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(15 June 2001)

Subject: Persistent lack of coordination of rail freight transport and obstruction of express transport services between Amsterdam and Milan

1. Is the Commission aware that the Overnight Express from Amsterdam to Milan, which has been operating since 2000, carrying both passengers and goods on a nightly basis, is functioning poorly because of the disparate wishes and regulations of the States through which the trains pass, so that it has been necessary to replace the converted German mail coaches with slower container wagons which make it necessary to limit the train's speed to 120 km per hour, that between 16 and 26 March it was impossible for any freight at all to be carried and that in Italy two drivers are required per engine?

2. Is the Commission also aware that the rail capacity on the German section of the route, particularly between Cologne and Emmerich on the Dutch-German border, is so limited that unless it is increased, a serious shortage of capacity is expected to arise from 2015? Can it confirm that the Warnemünde Agreement of 1993 between Germany and the Netherlands has not so far resulted in the preparation of German investment to alter this situation?

3. The operator, Deutsche Bahn-Netz, uses a system of awarding slots, under which businesses with the longest-standing rights have priority. What are the consequences of this system for transport companies other than Railion, a joint subsidiary of the German and

Dutch railways, for example for the French company SNCF, which has hundreds of locomotives capable of using a different voltage, and for large shipping lines such as Maersk and P & O-NedLloyd, which say that they wish to start carrying goods by rail themselves?

4. How does the situation referred to at 3 above relate to the railways package adopted by the European Parliament at third reading on 1 February 2001 following the Jarzembowski and Swoboda reports?

5. Under the present circumstances, how many years will it be before the rail link between the Netherlands and Italy accords with the forecasts of required capacity? What will the Commission do to reduce this period if possible?

Sources:De Volkskrant (Dutch newspaper) of 21 May 2001 and Op de Rails (Dutch periodical), 2001 No 4.

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(3 September 2001)

1. The Commission, which is supporting the Overnight Express rail service financially through the PACT programme, is well aware of the difficulties which this service has been experiencing. It has, moreover, asked the parties to find a solution to the problems encountered last March.

As regards the use of container wagons, the Commission does not agree with the explanation put forward in the question. It was in fact a free decision on the part of the operator Railion to replace the mail coaches with container wagons in order to be able to use containers, which were more appropriate to the goods being transported.

It is correct that Italy still requires two drivers per engine until 2003.

2. The Commission is aware of the rail capacity problems between Cologne and Emmerich. The Warnemünde Agreement between the Netherlands and Germany provides for investments by the two parties to increase capacity (e.g. the Betuwe Lijn and renovation of the Emmerich-Oberhausen line). Work is well under way on the Netherlands side (completion scheduled for 2005/2006) and on the German side there is a commitment to carry out the necessary works once the Betuwe Lijn has been completed.

3. and 4. Directive 2001/14/EC(1), adopted in the framework of the railways package, provides a clear framework for the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity. This Directive will have to be transposed by the Member States before 15 March 2003.

Directive 2001/14/EC provides for a yearly review of all network capacity and a fair and non-discriminatory distribution among all the operators. It will no longer be possible to favour certain enterprises on the basis of their size or long-held rights. All European railway undertakings will be put on an equal footing and will be able to request capacity in other Member States in order to provide international freight services.

5. The Community is giving financial support to projects aimed at removing bottlenecks, as is proposed in the framework of appropriations to Trans-European Networks. It is also important to improve utilisation of the present rail network by better management of infrastructure capacity, which is why the new Directive 2001/14/EC provides a clear and transparent framework for capacity allocation and for finding solutions to the bottlenecks which can impede the process. It also requires cooperation between the infrastructure managers concerned and should lead to better coordination of investment in international corridors like the one mentioned by the Honourable Member.

(1) Directive 2001/14/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2001 on the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and the levying of charges for the use of railway infrastructure and safety certification (OJ L 75, 15.3.2001).