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EIM/EFRTC Working Together for Improved Market-Access. Jean-Marie BERTRAND EIM Chairman RFF, Director General www.eimrail.org. EIM Membership. = EU independent infrastructure managers Denmark Finland France The Netherlands Portugal Slovenia Spain Sweden United Kingdom Norway
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EIM/EFRTC Working Together for Improved Market-Access Jean-Marie BERTRAND EIM Chairman RFF, Director General www.eimrail.org
EIM Membership = EU independent infrastructure managers • Denmark • Finland • France • The Netherlands • Portugal • Slovenia • Spain • Sweden • United Kingdom • Norway Our membership constitutes:43% of the entire EU-25 rail network49% of passenger traffic 32% of freight traffic
Our Objectives As European Infrastructure Managers • Promoting international rail-freight transport & a high -performance European network for passengers • Establishing a Trans-European Rail Network (TEN), accessible and simple to use • Operating under affordable economic conditions, without jeopardising the economic balance of rail services • Cost control remains a critical issue
Growing Costs: an Economic Challenge for the Rail Sector • Infrastructure costs form a major part of European railway expenditure • Reasons for this include: • Environmental constraints (eg, noise reduction) • Speed • Safety • New Technology (ETCS-GSM-R …)- shorter life cycles- require highly skilled maintenance personnel- weak systems- duplication of systems • Specificity of rail infrastructure standards
Outsourcing and Cost Control: Feedback from UK and SwedenDiscussed in the EIM/EFRTC Conference 2005 • Outsourcing requires a clear contractual arrangement between IMs and contractors. • When outsourcing, the company must retain sufficient skills, and sufficient knowledge about the condition of its assets, to set clear specifications for what it wants to buy. • It is important to align objectives and create financial incentives for lasting partnership. • Appropriate contractual frameworks can ensure that objectives start and remain aligned.
Working Jointly to Reduce Costs and Improve Value: a Win-Win Situation • Two main objectives: • Encouraging competition and creating new opportunities for suppliers • Denationalizing markets and standardising products:lowering national barriers. • Possible approaches for implementation: • making optimal use of technology • benchmarking • harmonisation of procurement processes • harmonisation of contractor qualifications
1st Step of our cooperation: collecting and sharing information • RIMARE joint project • RIMARE is expected to be financed by the European Commission via the funds for “general studies”. • RIMARE is addressing supply-chain optimisation, contracting strategies, open standards and market access, supply-chain management processes and work-practice efficiency.
What could the 2nd step be? • Should we wait for the outcome of RIMARE and address in an integrated manner those items that show greatest economic potential? • Should we work on common technical specifications? • This raises a number of questions that need to be addressed and reflected upon: should we set up a specific working group?
Thank you for your attention &your feedback on our proposals.