Governance of competition in the Swiss and European railway sector

The Florence School of Regulation Transport Area carried out, in co-operation with the Chair of Management of Network Industries (EPFL), a study on the Governance of Competition in six European countries financed by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS). This research project aimed at identifying and analysing the possible institutional answers to the European Commission’s pressure to implement further competition in the Swiss railway system. On the basis of the already existing European practices, as well as in light of the Swiss specifies, the research project highlights important prerequisites that need to be met to ensure performance and to respond to the different types of challenges independent from the institutional arrangements. This report looks at the railway systems in selected European countries (France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland) with a focus on passenger services with the aim to understand whether the institutional approaches to governing those systems may be typified and whether the approaches or the types may be related to some measure of systemic performance. Overall, this research aims at drawing lessons of general use from the situations examined. This research is based on three sets of information. First, an in-depth account of the current state of railway systems in the countries examined is provided. This has been carried out with a particular focus on regulatory arrangements, Public Service Obligations (PSOs) and overall evolution of railway-related institutions over the years since 1988. The main purpose of such a portrait is to observe and characterise the types of institutional arrangements. Then publicly available performance indicators (PIs) have been collected and contrasted with the institutional evolutions, seeking a causal link. Finally, a set of interviews with stakeholders has been carried out in all countries except Switzerland to investigate the existence of a systemic approach, as well as the stakeholders’ understanding of performance.