WRITTEN QUESTION E-1875/98

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(16 June 1998)

Subject: Commission responsibility for backwardness of Greek railways

The White Paper on a strategy for revitalizing the Community's railways states that "the railways should play a much greater role in tackling... transport challenges" and "the goal should be to make rail as attractive to use as other means of transport".

Why, when the Commission has decided to revitalize the railways, has it not helped to:

1. modernize the rail network in Greece, particularly in the Peloponnese,

2. supply modern rolling-stock to enhance its competitiveness and standard of services,

3. optimize the use of funds from the Community Support framework, with the result that Greece has the most antiquated rail system in the Union?

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission

(30 July 1998)

The Commission fails to comprehend the Honourable Member's question, given that one of the priority objectives of the various Community support frameworks (CSFs) for Greece as also of the Cohesion Fund operations in that Member State has been to improve railway infrastructures and promote rail transport.

For the period 1989-93 the CSF has spent ECU 328,9 million on railway projects and so far, for the period 1994-99, it has allocated ECU 639,67 million for the same purpose.

With regard to 1989-93, 90 % of the CSF appropriations went to projects relating to the Athens-Thessaloniki line, the balance remaining being used for the purchase of modern rolling stock.

The overall budget of ECU 639,67 million from the CSF for the 1994-99 period is broken down as follows:

>TABLE>

As part of the modernisation of OSE, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) part-financed the drawing up of a work plan by a consortium of consultants led by Systra (subsidiary of French railways). Provision has also been made for the ERDF to part-finance assistance schemes for implementing the work plan.

Negotiations will take place between the Greek Government and the Commission with a view to preparing the CSF for the period 2000-06. At this stage the Commission can confirm the importance it will attach during the negotiations to pursuing and completing the effort to modernise the Greek rail system.

In the period 1993-99, the Commission is also part-financing, under the Cohesion Fund, the following projects to improve the rail network in Greece: electric traction on tracks from Piraeus to Athens-Thessaloniki, renewal and doubling of the Paleofarsala-Kalabaka track, renewal and doubling of the Thessaloniki-Alexandroupolis track, renewal and doubling of the Evangelismos-Leptokarya track, a new Elepris-Thriassio-Corinth track, a marshalling yard at Thriassio and a study on linking the Port of Piraeus (Ikonio II) to the railway network at Thriassio station.

These projects taken together represent a total investment estimated at ECU 904,8 million, with Community assistance amounting to ECU 567,5 million. The Elepris-Thriassio-Corinth line in the Peloponnese is the most important project, totalling ECU 280 million.

Moreover, as part of the financing of trans-European networks in transport and projects of common interest in terms of transport infrastructure, the Commission has granted financial assistance amounting to ECU 52 million for railway projects in Greece for the period 1985-97.