This report, by the European Union Agency for Railways, assesses how the further removal of technical and operational barriers at European cross-border sections would contribute to the attractiveness and competitiveness of rail transport.

Four case studies were selected, two for freight and two for passenger rail transport. The analyses present an in-depth view of the literature and collected data. The cases on cross-border passenger transport build primarily on qualitative inputs, including observations on international high-speed rail connections. The two case studies focusing on freight provide a quantitative evaluation of the impacts of technical and operational barriers on travel time, adversely affecting rail volumes and the modal split.

Based on the findings, and after highlighting the study’s limitations and possible follow-up analyses, the report emphasises the need for further cleaning of national rules. Moreover, the Technical Specifications for Interoperability can contribute to lowering some barriers by closing open points and reducing, where appropriate, specific cases.

Doing so would improve the prospects of international rail transport.

👉👉 You can read the full report here