Rail freight transport: European Union relies on climate -friendly future!

Rail freight transport: European Union relies on climate -friendly future!

As part of the social partnership dialogue in the railway sector, the community of European lanes and infrastructure companies (CER) and the European Transport worker Federation (ETF) signed a significant joint explanation yesterday in Brussels. This explanation focuses on the central role of rail freight transport as the most sustainable and most efficient transport system. Gerhard Tauchner, who has negotiated the Agreement for Austria, supports the ambitious goals of the European Commission to double rail freight transport by 2050 in order to achieve important climate goals. "However, the implementation of these goals requires urgent measures, in particular a fair truth between the street and rail," emphasizes Tauchner.

Another central point is the need for state aid for financially challenging single car charging and combined traffic. Dauchner emphasizes that around 30 percent of the goods are currently being transported by train in Austria, while the EU average is only 17 percent. However, the trend is declining, and small orders on short routes are becoming increasingly unprofitable for companies. Without funding programs, these transport methods in particular face major challenges. The expansion of the rail network and digital investments are also essential for the achievement of the climate neutrality goals and the improvement of working conditions, which should also be supported by the widening of the European traffic control system (ERTMS).

social dialogue in the railway sector

The activities of the CER and ETF are part of a larger project to strengthen the social dialogue in the railway sector, which, according to the report of the European Academy for Environmental -oriented traffic (EVA), also looks at fundamental concerns in the countries of the West Balkans. This initiative aims to increase the visibility of the social partners and to intensify the dialogue between the member states and the EU. In this context, it is emphasized that a functioning social dialogue in the EU is essential to improve the conditions of employment and to react to the challenges in the transport industry. Divingner concluded: "We need investments and strong cooperations to successfully master the progress and successfully master future challenges," said Tauchner, as was underlined in a publication of the EVA.

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