CER fact sheet on CEF noise cofunding rate

In order to meet EU objectives on curbing noise emissions from freight, the rail sector is currently facing huge costs to retrofit freight wagons with noise-reducing brakes before the end of their natural lifespans. Furthermore, there is not a consistent approach in dealing with noise, which means that other transport modes are not facing similar levels of costs.

In the context of the current discussions on the Connecting European Facility (CEF) proposal, CER wishes to stress the importance of addressing this issue of funding for rail freight noise reduction projects as a top priority and therefore would like to:   

• point to the need for consistency across modes: funding for rail freight wagon retrofitting must originate from outside the rail system unless and until similar noise charging is imposed on the road sector, in order to avoid any distortion to competition; 
• reiterate its support for the 20% co-funding rate proposed by the Commission; 
• stress that such a co-funding rate should be further increased to 30% to stimulate retrofitting.