WRITTEN QUESTION E-1737/01 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Unviable investments and persistent shortages of rail freight transport capacity between the Netherlands and Italy.
Date: 2001-06-15
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, Netherlands, carriage of goods, common transport policy, rail transport, trans-European network, transport network

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Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

14.2.2002

(2002/C 40 E/095)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1737/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(15 June 2001)

Subject: Unviable investments and persistent shortages of rail

freight

transport capacity between the

Netherlands and Italy

Is the Commission aware that the Netherlands is currently investing very heavily in the construction
1.
of a large-capacity crossing-free long-distance freight railway line, namely the Betuwe line which will
provide an east-west link between the port of Rotterdam and Zevenaar on the Dutch-German border, at a
cost of € 4,4 billion?

2.
Is the Commission aware that Switzerland is likewise investing very heavily in the construction of
large-capacity crossing-free long-distance freight railway lines, namely the Gotthard base tunnel for the
north-south route between Zurich and Chiasso, which, together with parallel rail tunnels through the Alps,
will cost € 19 billion?

Is the Commission furthermore aware that,

3.
in making these investments, the Netherlands and
Switzerland are assuming that rail freight transport will grow rapidly between 2006 and 2010 on the
already heavily used route Rotterdam-Cologne-Basle-Milan-Genoa as part of a trans-European freight
network, a route much of which therefore runs through the territory of Germany, while a smaller section
runs through Italy?

4.
Does the Commission agree that relatively little use is likely to be made of the new Dutch and Swiss
lines in relation to the amount of investment required if and for so long as capacity on the intermediate
lines remains inadequate, different regulations in each country impede the swift and smooth movement of
freight trains, road haulage capacity is increased and tax cuts are used to cushion road haulage against the
rising fuel prices charged by oil companies?

5.
Under these circumstances, is it desirable for Dutch investment to be reduced or German investment
to be increased, so that the infrastructures are better tailored to each other? What contribution could the
Commission make to this?

Source: De Volkskrant (Dutch newspaper) of 21 May 2001

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(6 September 2001)

1.
For a number of years, the Community has played an active role, via the trans-European transport
network budget, in funding the Betuwe line, which is one of the 14 priority projects identified in Annex III
to the guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network (Decision No 1692/96/EC
of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23/07/96). This sustained funding will continue under
the 2001-2006 financial perspective.

2., 3. and 5.
The Commission is closely monitoring progress on the new rail crossings in Switzerland,
which, when operational, will significantly increase the capacity of the North/South rail links in Europe.
Part of the funds in the 2001-2006 trans-European network budget intended for the elimination of rail
bottlenecks is therefore being spent on a number of important projects in Germany and Italy aimed at
improving the capacity of the lines linking up to these new Swiss rail
including the
Offenburg (D) (cid:129) Basle (CH) section and lines around Milan.

infrastructures,

At the beginning of June 2001, the Domodossola (cid:129) Novara line (cofunded under the trans-European
transport network budget) was brought back into service after major modernisation work. This line, which
forms part of the extension of the Simplon route, now allows freight trains, including combined transport
operations, to link Switzerland with the port of Genoa, avoiding the Milan intersection and cutting journey
times significantly.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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Indeed, when these new Alpine crossings and Betuwe line are completed, the capacity of the infrastructures
on the entire Netherlands/Italy route will have been increased considerably, which will allow an improved
rail service, including freight.

it should be pointed out that among the other priority projects listed in Annex III of the
Moreover,
abovementioned decision are two new Alpine crossings, one between France and Italy (Mont Cenis) and
the other between Austria and Italy (Brenner), which by 2015 will further increase the capacity of the
North/South routes. This is in line with the wishes expressed by the European Council, meeting in
Gothenburg in June 2001, which called on the Community institutions to give priority to investments
particularly in the railways, in order to promote sustainable development.

In this connection, in addition to infrastructure funding, the Commission has identified a whole range of
measures, the first package of which was adopted by the Council in December 2000, aimed at making rail
more competitive and attractive in the context of the opening up of the rail freight market.

4.
freight
The Commission shares the view that optimum conditions for the competitiveness of
transport by rail do not exist at present. The juxtaposition of technical and safety rules at national level
the railway companies to find satisfactory common solutions have severely
and the inability of
handicapped rail freight.

For this reason, the Directive on the interoperability of conventional rail systems (1) established the
framework for drawing up technical specifications for interoperability. This work, which began this year,
gives priority to rail freight. The objective is to establish a European rail area without technical or legal
frontiers enabling freight to develop on a competitive basis.

As regards the conditions governing competition between rail and road, the Commission considers it
necessary to review the tariff bases for the various modes, taking account of external costs, in order to
restore the balance in favour of the most environmentally friendly modes such as rail, waterways or short
sea shipping.

(1) OJ L 110, 20.4.2001.

(2002/C 40 E/096)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1738/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(15 June 2001)

Subject: Persistent lack of coordination of rail
services between Amsterdam and Milan

freight transport and obstruction of express transport

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(cid:146)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 Warnem(cid:252)nde
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