The fourth railway package is a set of changes to

rail transport Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

regulation in the

European Union law European Union law is a system of Supranational union, supranational Law, laws operating within the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). It has grown over time since the 1952 founding of the European Coal and Steel Community, to promote ...

. It covers standards and authorisation for rolling stock; workforce skills; independent management of infrastructure; and the liberalisation of domestic passenger services in an attempt to reduce European rail subsidies.

Background

The fourth railway package attempts to reform railways companies (whether private or public) that are able to raise prices if they dominate both tracks and the trains. Because of scepticism in most countries about the value of liberalisation, the package permits tracks and trains to be owned by a single holding company. The "compliance verification clause" could allow regulators to place sanctions on parts of a vertically integrated rail business which place obstacles in the way of competitors trying to provide services on their network; this would improve competition. Responsibility for authorising rolling stock to use a network would be shifted away from network owners and towards the

European Railway Agency The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) that sets mandatory requirements for European railways and manufacturers in the form of Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI), which apply to the ...

. This is expected to be faster and cheaper. In 2015, the technical and political pillars of the package were accepted by EU transport ministers and currently the European Commission, Parliament and Council are negotiating to reach an agreement on the text of the regulations. The technical pillar of the fourth railway package has been adopted by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

and approved by the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

in April 2016.

Legislation

The package created or updated six main pieces of EU railway legislation, on the

European Union Agency for Railways The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) that sets mandatory requirements for European railways and manufacturers in the form of Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI), which apply to the ...

, the main

Single European Railway Directive 2012 The Single European Railway Directive 20122012/34/EU is an EU Directive that regulates railway networks in European Union law. This recast the First Railway Directive 91/440/EEC and consolidates legislation from each of the first to the fourth "P ...

, and directives on safety, interoperability, and procurement rules. The package is as follows: #updates to the

/34/EU by Directive (EU) 2016/2370 #updates to the

in Regulation (EU) 2016/796, repealing Regulation (EC) No 881/200 #a new Interoperability Directive 2016/797 on the interoperability of the rail system with harmonised technical specifications #a new Railway Safety Directive 2016/798/EU #updates to the Rail Service Contracts Regulation 2007, (EC) No 1370/2007, on procurement and tendering processes, by Regulation (EU) 2016/2338 on opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail1370/2007
#a recast Rail Accounts Regulation (EU) 2016/2337, repealing Regulation (EEC) No 1192/69, a minor amending law, now expired.

Notes

{{reflist European Union transport law Rail transport in Europe European Union regulations 2013 in law 2013 in rail transport International rail transport Railway04

Background

Legislation

See also

Notes