Rail capacity and traffic management

Key points

The EESC: 

• welcomes the ambitious goals for rail transport, which is the backbone of a sustainable transport system. More efficiently allocating infrastructure capacity can create much-needed additional capacity in the short term and improve planning for long-term needs;
• calls on the Commission to promote an active EU policy focused on investment in building new infrastructure and maintaining existing infrastructure, focusing not only on international and high-speed long-distance lines but also on local and regional lines;
• calls to come up with a coherent strategy to promote green freight transport in the long term. The proposed Greening Freight Package threatens to lead to a reverse modal shift from rail to road by facilitating cross-border operations for fossil fuel-powered gigaliners;
• urges the European Commission to put in place all necessary measures, not only to make rail transport more attractive, accessible to people with disabilities and affordable for the public but also to invest in the sector's employees and improve their working conditions, skills and competencies.