Call for railway support

Following the first video conference on 5 May 2020, Karima Delli, the chairwoman of the 'transport and tourism' committee of the European Parliament, together with the Executive Director of the ERA and CEOs of European rail freight transport companies, most of them members of the Rail Freight Forward initiative, have decided to set up a new coalition of rail freight. "While rail freight lies within the cleanest transport modes when it comes to transport of goods, fostering modal shift across the EU appears to be a matter of top priority. It is one of the solutions to comply with the ambitions of the Green Deal as well as our climate goals," said Delli.

The stakeholders have identified four working issues in which they draw attention, among others, to the need to conclude the discussion on the Eurocharging directive. To overcome the current crisis, they are calling for stimulation of the sector, for example in the form of a reduction of track access charges for rail freight undertakings. They also draw attention to the need to invest in infrastructure and technologies to achieve the highest possible efficiency and ecology of rail transport.

The declaration sent to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and 3 Commissioners was signed not only by the mentioned representatives of the EP and ERA, but also by the management of UIC, CER, ERFA and 16 key European carriers, including CD Cargo.

Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/rail-barge/09062020/call-for-railway-support/