TRAN CHAIR CALLS FOR INCREASING MODAL SHIFT TO RAIL
On the 29 March, MEP Karima Delli, chairwoman of the Transport and Tourism committee (TRAN) of the European Parliament, presented a joint declaration also signed by ERA, CER and ERFA to call policymakers to implement policies that will support the transport of goods by train. The declaration highlighted the urgent need to address the climate emergency and emphasized the critical role that rail freight can play in achieving this goal.
The statement called for a modal shift to increase the modal share of rail freight to 30% by 2030 and provided recommendations to facilitate this transition. These included addressing track access charges, implementing the European rail traffic management system, reviewing the governance regime of rail freight corridors, and providing relevant state aids regimes. On top of that, the signatories emphasized the economic and environmental benefits of rail freight, which emits 9 times less CO2 emissions than road freight. They also noted that shifting from long-distance road to rail for distances over 700 km could save 40 million tonnes of CO2 per year and increase rail's modal share for freight to 36% in the EU.
The signatories highlighted the importance of infrastructure and the need for ‘’appropriate decisions on TEN-T’’, also calling for “energy consumption” to become a default criterion in all policy initiatives, including the upcoming “Greening Freight Package”.
The full declaration can be found here.