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Opening Session : 6 June

The common part on 6 June began with an in-depth look at current developments in European law and COTIF legislation for international rail transport. The two layers – the supranational EU and international COTIF – are very important for the work of CIT in respect of the CIT products providing legal security and reducing the cost of transport.

EU Commission representative Keir Fitch, Head of Unit at DG MOVE, informed participants about the upcoming working agenda for the new term 2025-2029. The Commission will focus on the full implementation of the 4th Railway Package with the slower than expected opening of PSO contracts to competition and the progressive liberalisation of high speed, but without the emergence so far of pan-European operators. The next Commission will review the Train Drivers Directive, work on the Telematics and DAC TSIs and on ATO. MDMS will be further examined internally to ensure that the proposal addresses the real problems.

CER Executive Director Alberto Mazzola presented the CER Manifesto “On Track For Europe” focused on establishing a proper level playing field, ensuring the necessary funding for rail investments, deploying the digital enablers ERTMS, DCM and DAC, and balancing competition policy with cooperation among operators.

François Davenne, Director-General of the International Union of Railways (UIC) presented recent developments and the outlook for rail at global level. Core to the expected performance will be keeping trains running over longer distances without disruption. The enablers are better communication between rail carriers and infrastructure managers using 5G and minimising unplanned or unscheduled maintenance interventions.

Wolfgang Küpper, Secretary-General of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) and Peter Füglistaler, Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) provided their respective perspectives on the interaction between the international and national layers and the associated challenges for rail transport. The People’s Republic of China’s associate membership of COTIF delivers a new global extension of OTIF. Peter Füglistaler underlined the singularity of the Swiss rail system in parallel with the continuing access to the market of the European Union.  

The afternoon part was divided into two sessions, one dedicated to freight transport (CIM session) and the other to passenger traffic (CIV session).