UNIFE welcomes the adoption of Shift2Rail

The European Rail Industry Association (UNIFE) has welcomed the publication of the European Commission’s proposal for a Council regulation establishing the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking (JU).

According to UNIFE, the initiative will make rail transport more attractive to millions of European passengers and freight users and boost the competitiveness of the most sustainable transport mode. In doing so, the research and development outputs of Shift2Rail will help solve the societal transport challenges outlined in Horizon 2020 and realise the key objectives of the Commission’s 2011 white paper on transport.

Philippe Citroën, director general of UNIFE, said: “Shift2Rail will bring together on a large scale for the first time in our history, industry, railway undertakings, urban operators, infrastructure managers, SMEs and research centres/academia from all over the European Union to solve our collective transport challenges.”

Shift2Rail will encompass research, innovation and demonstration activities in all aspects of the rail system, amounting to nearly €1bn, co-financed by the EU and the private sector under the Horizon 2020 budget between 2014-2020. The European Rail Research Advisory Council will be involved in the initiative.

Shift2Rail is an unprecedented joint effort by the European rail sector and the EU to create a step change in rail technology in order to meet three major targets: enhancing the capacity of the European rail system to cope with increased user demand; increasing the reliability and quality of rail services; and significantly reducing the life cycle cost of the overall system.

UNIFE and the promoters of Shift2Rail have called on the European Parliament, the Transport Committee of the Council of the European Union, and the Commission to work together to approve the regulation during the Greek Council Presidency so the JU can start begin its activities at the start of 2015.