International Transport Forum
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Mr Ludewig, Mr Leuenberger, ladies and gentlemen,
Yesterday, Minister Leuenberger and I were in Genoa, together with, among others, Vice-President Tajani of the European Commission, my Italian colleague Altero Matteoli and Staatssekretär Achim Grossmann. We were taking part in a conference on the strengthening of rail corridors in Europe, particularly the Rotterdam-Genoa corridor.
In concrete terms, we agreed that in 2015 the entire route – some 1500 kilometres – will be equipped with a single safety system: ERTMS. An important step towards harmonising national rail systems.
The call for harmonisation is becoming increasingly louder. Mr Ludewig, as national governments we are naturally listening closely to the signal being sent out by European rail freight companies. Due to the economic crisis, your sector is under great pressure. It is of crucial importance that, precisely in these times, we do our utmost to offer new opportunities to the rail sector. Through investments in infrastructure. But also by the better use of already existing infrastructure through intensive international harmonisation. Only in that way can we create competitive, safe and sustainable freight transport by rail.
According to the International Union of Combined Road-Rail Transport Companies, only 60 percent of freight trains arrive on time. One in five trains is delayed by over three hours. National borders still form a barrier to the smooth flow of rail traffic. This is bad for our competitive position on the rail network. And bad for the environment. A more efficient transport chain is virtually always a more sustainable transport chain.
I am therefore very pleased about the efforts of European Commissioner Tajani to boost the transport of goods by rail in Europe. The new regulation proposed by the European Commission is an important step along the path to the truly free passage of goods by rail.
Train drivers and materiel need to be mutually recognised. Hauliers need free access to the network and terminals. We need coordination between customs authorities and oversight bodies. And I could go on.
A great deal has already been achieved for the corridor to and from Rotterdam, Duisburg, Basel and Genoa. In many ways, this corridor is a model for what we wish to achieve in Europe. It is due to the collective commitment of the countries involved, infrastructure managers and hauliers. I am proud of the fact that last year, the number of freight trains that crossed the border between the Netherlands and Germany at Emmerich rose by thirty percent.
Rail transport has a future. A precondition is that we create a network of well aligned corridors. Only in that way can we ensure that trains run on time, that there is sufficient capacity and that entrepreneurs will dare to invest in rail transport.
Together with all of you, the Netherlands would like to effect a link between the large rail corridors of Europe. In this respect, we would also like to emphasise the importance of the East-West connection between Warsaw and Duisburg. We would like to extend the latter through to Rotterdam and Antwerp.
Next year, at a major conference in Rotterdam, we would like to make agreements about the realization of these ambitions.
And in that regard, let us not forget that the world is bigger than the European Union. The excellent cooperation with Switzerland proves that it is also possible to make good agreements with non-EU partners. It is for good reason that my colleague Moritz Leuenberger is present here today.
Last year, I exchanged views with my Russian colleague about an efficient rail connection for transporting goods to Moscow. This would be of benefit not only to the Netherlands, but also to Russia’s other European trading partners.
Here too, step by step, we are recording progress at the international level. For example, the development of a common consignment note is an important improvement. A single consignment note from Rotterdam to Moscow. That is a concrete strengthening of the competitive position of the rail network.
Ladies and gentlemen, rail corridors work. Last year, for the first time in history, more than one million containers were transported by rail from the port of Rotterdam. The shift in the modal split was relatively strong: rail transport won 2 percent from road transport.
The main reason? The success of the Betuweroute, the northernmost section of the Rotterdam-Genoa corridor. The good connection we have created stimulates commercial elan within the rail sector and among shipping companies and agents.
This is exactly what we need in these difficult economic times. I hope that at this conference we can take new steps along the road towards a strong, safe and reliable European network of rail corridors. The Netherlands would like to work towards this with heart and soul, together with our European partners and the European Commission.