European Rail Corridors: Where Should the Money Go?
 

When accepting a new mandate as President of the European Commission last year, José Manuel Barroso put the decarbonisation of transport on top of his political agenda. As far as freight transport is concerned, one of the most promising avenues to achieving this objective goes via the development of rail transport based on a backbone of trans-European rail freight corridors. Last year, the European Union adopted a regulation encouraging the creation of such corridors (reg. 913/2010).
 
In parallel, the European Commission is funding research aiming at developing the concept of “Green Corridors”. On the customer side, a growing number of shippers and forwarders, are now, themselves, recognising the need to invest in rail infrastructure, notably to accommodate longer trains (of up to 1,500m). 
 
Is such declared and widespread enthusiasm really followed by actions? In Central and Eastern Europe, governments consistently prioritize investments in road infrastructure. The beginning of the budget discussions on Trans-European Networks (TEN-T) for the period 2014 – 2020 provides an opportunity to set the financial agenda back in line with decarbonisation objectives and sustainable transport in Europe.
 
- Can Central and Eastern Europe afford to become a rail freight desert?
- Longer trains? Does size really matter?
- How can infrastructure investments be both green and market-relevant?
- Relieve bottlenecks on the existing network or build new dedicated freight lines?

Transport Logistic 2011 - CER Forum

Tuesday, 10 May 2011 - 13.00-14.30
New Munich Trade Fair Center, Forum Hall B3 - 81823 Munich
 

Panel discussion:

 
Welcome Remarks: Johannes Ludewig, CER Executive Director

 
Keynote Speech: Michael Harting, Director-General Land Transport, Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung, Bonn/Berlin
 
Panel members: 
 
• Karel Vinck, ERTMS Coordinator, European Commission
• Alexander Hedderich, Managing Director, DB Schenker Rail
• Edward Burkhardt, President, Rail World Inc.
• Nicolas Perrin, CEO, SBB Cargo
• Jürgen Müller, Partner, Mc Kinsey
• Michael Holzhey, Partner, KCW

 
Moderator: Jan Sundling, Chairman of the Board, ASTOC


Closing Remarks: Johannes Ludewig, CER Executive Director