Rail infrastructure and rolling stock : investments, asset renewal and regulation

At the 8th Florence Rail Forum regulators, operators and network managers came together to discuss investments in railway infrastructure and rolling stock. In light of frequently pointed out investment backlogs in the rail sector the central question was how regulation on the European and national level can provide the necessary incentives for more investment. Investments in rail infrastructure and rolling stock require clear, stable and predictable rules because of their very long-term nature. With the 4th Railway package there are several proposals to improve conditions for investments such as strengthening the role of the infrastructure manager to allow a more sustainable investment planning and harmonizing technical standards to improve interoperability. The European Union also plays an increasingly important role in investment financing through Regional Funds, the Connecting Europe Facility and the shift2rail initiative. There are however different views among the stakeholders in the rail sector on the right strategy and right priorities on the European level which were discussed at the Forum.