6th Florence Rail Forum. The Technical Pillar of the 4th Railway Package: Challenges for Standardisation and Interoperability

The 4^th Railway Package is another step towards the European Commission’s vision of a Single European Railway Area and as such will contribute to reshaping the European railway sector. The 6^th Florence Rail Forum will analyse and discuss one of the 4^th Railway Package’s pillars, namely the technical pillar.

The lack of standardisation, highly specified rolling stock, resulting investment costs, but also the costs of entering and exiting the market, remain very high. Authorization procedures are long, and fees for safety certificates are costly. But if the domestic passenger market is to be opened to competition significant measures have to be taken towards interoperability. One of these measures is transforming the European Rail Authority (ERA) to become the central body for standardization and interoperability.

Stakeholders are invited discuss the challenges stemming from the implementation of the technical pillar of the proposed 4^th Railway Package. The discussions will be centred on the following guiding questions:

• What are the major issues in implementing the technical pillar of the 4^th Railway Package?
• What is and should be the role for the European railway Agency when implementing the technical pillar of the 4^th Railway Package?
• What are the implications of the of the proposed interoperability measures for the different stakeholders?
• Future outlook: Are the safety and interoperability measures sufficient to create an internal railway market? Which are the opportunities and threats?

For more information please contact  FSR.transport@eui.eu

EUROPEAN TRANSPORT REGULATION OBSERVER

Summary of the presentations

RELATED PRESENTATIONS

Introduction to the 6th Florence Rail Forum – MATTHIAS FINGER

A view from the Cabinet of the Transport Commissioner – KEIR FITCH

Deutsche Bahn on the Implementation of the Technical Pillar – JOHANN METZNER

SNCF on the Technical Pillar – PIERRE MESSULAM

The German Federal Railway Authority on the Technical Pillar – RALF SCHWEINSBERG

ERA’s view on the Technical Pillar – CHRISTOPHER CARR

The French National Safety Authority on the Implementation of the Technical Pillar – DENIS HUNEAU

SBB’s view on the Technical Pillar and the ERA – DÖLF EGLOFF; MICHAEL SÜNDER

ÖBB’s view on the implications of the Technical Pillar – MARK TOPAL-GOEKCLI

UNIFE’s view on the implications of the Technical Pillar – ALICE POLO

The International Union of Wagon Keepers on the Technical Pillar – GILLES PETERHANS

FSI’s view on Technical Pillar – ALBERTO MAZZOLA

An Academic View on Interoperability – LAURENT GUIHÉRY