The Commission has set out proposals “to save Europe’s railways from extinction”. Included are proposals to liberalise the freight market. The White Paper proposes to speed up modification of the existing legislation (Directive 91/440/EC) so as to extend the rights to railway infrastructure for freight and for international passenger services. Existing legislation will be modified to require the separation of infrastructure management and transport operations into distinct business units, with separate management and balance sheets. Further study will be made of the principles for infrastructure charging and capacity allocation prior to making fresh proposals. They have also recommended the establishment of a European Railway Authority. (NB European Commission White Paper ‘A Strategy for Revitalising the Community’s Railways – COM (96) 421 final).
