Discussing the 4th railway package : which role for markets in domestic rail passenger transport?

Although the 4th Railway Package was proposed by the European Commission in 2013, a consensus has not yet been reached. Recently, however, significant steps forward have been taken. Various stakeholders and prominent academics in the field gathered at the 9th Florence Rail Forum to reflect upon the latest developments in the legislative process. Discussion at the Forum focused on the opening of competition in rail passenger transport and the changing role of the regulators at all levels. According to the provisions listed in the 4th Railway Package, the tasks of the national regulatory authorities are likely to increase, and, inevitably, new challenges will arise. Regulators will play a crucial role when it comes to resolving two major issues: on the one hand, how to harmonise the openness of the market of commercial lines so as to guarantee fair and open access to the network in all EU countries for all operators; on the other hand, how to deal with the provision of services under Public Service Obligations (PSO) and how to differentiate between directly awarded contracts and competitive tendering for PSO lines.