Europe -- The European Rail Freight Association (ERFA) is likely to be cautiously optimistic after considering all the details of the proposed revision of the Ten-T guidelines to be published by the European Commission in December 2021.

The ERFA is aware of how infrastructure development will affect rail freight's ability to meet its 2030 and 2050 growth targets, and while the proposal goes some way towards addressing this issue, the ERFA says the text remains incomplete and needs further clarification and elaboration in key areas. Critically, it is essential that rail freight be able to operate effectively over the next 8-10 years in order to meet the 2030 growth target.

While strongly supporting the proposed infrastructure parameters and believing that the development of standardised corridors is essential for the long-term development of rail freight, ERFA believes that the regulation must introduce provisions to ensure that rail freight can continue to function as efficiently as possible in the face of the high intensity of construction work expected to be carried out.

This will involve a high degree of coordination across the corridor, with a particular focus on international planning, strong communication with rail freight operators, professional execution and good infrastructure management. There is no doubt that ERFA is not far behind the Rastatt tunnel collapse of 2017, a rail freight equivalent of suez. Conor Fagan, ERFA secretary General, said:

"The Ten-T guidelines play a key role in infrastructure development. It should not be forgotten that they also have a role to play in ensuring that these developments are carried out in a coordinated manner. For rail freight, it is vital that we finally move from national development plans to a coordinated international approach, taking into account the capacity needs of the sector. This also includes the necessary development and implementation of a space allocation system to ensure the safety of rail freight routes."

ERFA said the opportunity should not be missed to reflect on the current issues facing ERTMS and ETCS deployment. The financial pressure on rail companies to deploy ETCS is intense and it is doubtful that they will reap operational benefits until 2030 at the earliest. The deployment and subsequent financing of ETCS must also be a priority for infrastructure development.

In the short term, it is important that railway companies do not face specific state obligations requiring additional software changes, which are costly and may further limit locomotives' use. ERFA President Dirk Starr summed it up:

"Within ERFA, we have looked at the Commission's proposals in detail and believe that while there are many good provisions in the regulation, further work is needed. The critical period for achieving the Green Deal's goals and paradigm shifts is before 2030. Therefore, the infrastructure development and implementation plan of the RAIL Transport Management System must be reliable and consistent with the operational needs of the rail freight business in the coming years."