Antonio Tajani: „ We can never afford to be complacent about railway safety”09-11-2009 12:42  The European Commission has published, on September 8th, a report on the implementation of the Community rail safety and interoperability directives which, together with legislation on market access, form the legal framework for a truly integrated European Railway Area. The Commission is globally satisfied with the quality of harmonisation of technical requirements but finds that the speed of implementation of harmonised rules is still slow. This is also due to the long life cycle of some parts of the rail systems, such as infrastructure and rolling stock.
Vice-President Antonio Tajani, the commissioner responsible for transport, said: "The European Railway Agency and the National Safety Authorities have only been established a few years ago, but they have already proved to be instrumental in building an integrated European Railway Area. It is my intention to strengthen the role of the agency even further".
The communication describes the stage reached so far in implementing the Railway Safety Directive and in achieving interoperability of the European rail system since the first report adopted by the Commission in November 2006. This Communication follows a study commissioned by the European Commission analysing the degree of implementation of rail interoperability and safety legislation and progress in the field, and carried out a public consultation.
The progress in railway safety and interoperability that the Community regulatory framework has made possible has promoted in turn a further development of the internal rail market, helping new businesses to establish themselves, cutting entry costs and, ultimately, promoting the competitiveness of rail vis-à-vis other modes of transport.
Joining European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani at today's conference are the Italian Transport and Infrastructure Minister Altero Matteoli; Brian Simpson, Chairman of the Transport and Tourism Committee of the European Parliament. The conference was convened in the aftermath of the accident which had occurred in Viareggio, Italy, on 29 June, when a freight train derailed and a wagon exploded, leaving a high number of victims .
Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for transport said: "Although the overall level of railway safety in the European Union is high, the tragedy in Viareggio reminds us that we can never afford to be complacent about safety." I am personally convinced that we could further improve our safety levels by introducing two important elements. Firstly we should move towards a system that also includes distance-based controls for train wagons. Secondly we need to strengthen the powers of the European Railway Agency by allowing it for instance to take part in national investigations of accidents".
Current practice shares the use of the same railway infrastructure for both freight and passenger services, for both practical and economic reasons. Mixed traffic needs to be managed in the safest possible way, and infrastructure and rolling stock must be properly maintained.
Elena Ilie
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