The Second Railway Package is a group of
European Union legislation which promote common standards and
open access
Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...
, working towards an integrated European railway area.
History
For much of the 20th century,
rail transport in Europe
Rail transport in Europe has diverse technological standards, operating concepts, and infrastructures. Common features are the widespread use of Standard-gauge railway, standard-gauge rail, high operational safety and a high proportion of rail ...
was dominated by national monopolies; these effectively excluded competitors from their networks. Starting in 1991, the EU developed legislation to open railways up to competition, which would help them regain
modal share
A modal share (also called mode split, mode-share, or modal split) is the percentage of travelers using a particular type of transportation or number of trips using said type. In freight transportation, this may be measured in mass.
Modal share ...
from road and air transport.
Legislation
Directive 2004/49/EC
2004/49/EC is the Railway Safety Directive; it has since been amended by Directive 2008/110/EC. It harmonised safety principles, including procedures for granting safety approval to railway operators and infrastructure owners.
Directive 2004/50/EC
Directive 2004/50/EC harmonised interoperability requirements, particularly for high-speed rail. It amended Directives 96/48 and 2001/16; it has since been updated by 2008/57/EC.
Directive 2004/51/EC
Directive 2004/51/EC allowed open access for freight services, nationally and internationally, starting in January 2007
Regulation (EC) 881/2004
Regulation 881/2004 created the
European Railway Agency, to coordinate safety and interoperability efforts.
See also
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EU Directive 91/440: The First Railway Package
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ERTMS - A pan-European signalling system being promoted by the EU.
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European Railway Agency
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Rail transport in Europe
Rail transport in Europe has diverse technological standards, operating concepts, and infrastructures. Common features are the widespread use of Standard-gauge railway, standard-gauge rail, high operational safety and a high proportion of rail ...
*
Third railway package
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Fourth railway package
References
{{reflist
External links
European Commission webpage on the second railway packageEuropean Railway Agency
Rail transport in Europe
European Union transport law
2004 in law
2004 in rail transport
International rail transport
Railway02