final report of the expert group 2 - integration of …...hence, transport infrastructure policy is...

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Final report of the expert group 2 - Integration of Transport Policy into TEN-T Planning

19 April 2010

List of chapters

1. Foreword ....................................................................................................................................3

2. Rationale for the work of the group ............................................................................................3

3. The situation now and drivers of change.....................................................................................5

3.1. Shortcomings of the current transport system......................................................................6

3.2. Shortcomings of the current Guidelines................................................................................7

3.3. The forecast evolution of the transport system ....................................................................8

4. Overall Transport policy objectives..............................................................................................9

5. The Conceptual pillar of the TEN-T Core network ......................................................................11

5.1. Horizontal criteria for the Conceptual pillar........................................................................11

A. Core Network Performance..............................................................................................12

B. Network Integration.........................................................................................................13

C. Technology, innovation and soft infrastructure................................................................14

5.2. Vertical and specific criteria for the conceptual pillar .........................................................14

5.2.1. Rail transport ..................................................................................................................15

5.2.2. Road transport ................................................................................................................16

5.2.3. Air Transport ...................................................................................................................17

5.2.4. Waterborne transport .....................................................................................................18

5.2.5. Co-modal transport .........................................................................................................20

5.2.6. Connections of long distance to urban/local transport.....................................................21

6. Future operation and mechanisms for the conceptual pillar......................................................22

6.1. TEN-T network coordination...............................................................................................22

6.2. TEN-T network planning and governance ...........................................................................22

6.2.1. A European network planning and governance function..................................................23

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6.2.2. Network performance management scheme...................................................................23

6.2.3. Data needs and a Transport Observatory.........................................................................24

6.3. Substantiating the conceptual pillar ...................................................................................24

6.4. Funding and implementing structures ................................................................................24

6.5. Closing legislative gaps .......................................................................................................24

ANNEX: Relevant Policy and ensuing infrastructure needs ............................................................26

A1. Transport Policies .......................................................................................................................26

A1.1. Co-modal transport .................................................................................................................26

A1.2. Rail transport...........................................................................................................................27

A1.3. Road transport.........................................................................................................................31

A1.4. Air Transport ...........................................................................................................................33

A1.5. Waterborne transport .............................................................................................................34

A1.6. Connections of long distance to urban/local transport.............................................................40

A.2 Requirements from other EU policies .........................................................................................41

A.2.1. Climate policy .........................................................................................................................41

A.2.2. Environmental Policy ..............................................................................................................41

A.2.3. Energy policy ..........................................................................................................................42

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1. Foreword The Group was created to review the objectives for Trans-European Networks (TEN-T) set out in the Guidelines1 agreed in 1996. The Group should examine to what extent the Guidelines need to be revised to better serve the needs of the current and future European transport policy. The Group was also asked to concentrate upon the substantiation of the ‘conceptual pillar’ referred to in the recent TEN-T Green paper2.This Group was one of six created by the Commission to review options for the revision of TEN-T. To examine these questions the Group held five meetings and examined contributions from many members and Commission staff acting in a personal capacity. The Group noted with particular appreciation the progress that had been made in the aviation sector towards the creation of an European aviation network. Although the Group recognises that all transport sectors have their particular characteristics it considers that the approach adopted in the aviation sector merits attention as a guide to how progress can be made generally. The group was led by Hugh Rees (moderator) and was composed of the following experts: Simons Jan, Anvroin Patrick, Niemeier Hans-Martin, Ojala Lauri, Sorlie Svein, Rathery Alain, O' Connell Gerry, Berkeley Tony, Vaahsen Joachim, de Schepper Karin, Bangen Markus, Rode Hans, Laveyne Luc, Legzdins Vigo, Nylander Annelie. This report sets out the results of the Group’s findings. The Group would like to express its thanks to the Moderator, to the Secretariat and to the representative of the Commission services who provided input on relevant policies. 2. Rationale for the work of the group The EU Treaty, in its chapter on TENs, sets out the key objectives of this policy:

• supporting the functioning of the internal market,

• contributing to social and economic cohesion,

• cooperating, as appropriate, with third countries to identify projects of mutual interest.

For this purpose, the Community may establish Guidelines which, inter alia, allow the identification of projects of common interest and the granting of financial aid to these projects. Although the chapter of the Treaty on TEN-T (art. 170) does not make explicit reference to the ‘Common Transport Policy’ (CTP), set out in Arts. 90-100 of the Treaty, it is obvious that the transport infrastructure also serves as a base for transport services covered by the CTP. Hence, transport infrastructure policy is and has to be influenced by the requirements resulting from overall transport policy. 1 Decision 1692/96 , 9 Sept 1996 OJ L 228. 2 COM (2009) 44. The ‘conceptual pillar’ is defined as being the development of a performance and planning perspective for the TEN-T Core network.

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Since the launching of the TENs' policy, in 1993, the implementation of the two Treaty chapters (TENs and Transport) has progressed relatively independently of each other. Many projects of common interest covered by TEN-T policy have nevertheless matched with the needs of transport policy but there are a number of areas where this is not the case (e.g. rail freight corridors). Transport policy has developed enormously over the last decade, with progressive liberalisation of services and resulting quality and efficiency improvements. The major goal of the CTP is to facilitate the free movement of persons and goods. To that end its prime objectives are:

• to complete the internal market for transport,

• ensure sustainable development, provide incentives through funding programmes and for infrastructure planning,

• improve safety and develop international cooperation.

Achieving these objectives has led, and will continue to lead, to new infrastructural requirements which need to be covered under the TEN-T Guidelines in an appropriate and systematic way. The Group noted that the specific expert group dealing with legal issues is likely to propose that in future TEN-T policy is explicitly linked with the CTP, thereby ensuring that the infrastructure measures called for to achieve the objectives of the CTP are fully addressed within TEN-T policy. Furthermore, the adoption of a core network approach as reflected in the TEN-T policy Green paper3 would allow these CTP objectives to be included in the strategically most important part of the TEN-T and therefore concentrate efforts in support of their implementation, in the same way as existing, traditional TEN-T priorities. New infrastructure projects resulting from CTP objectives may not be concretely identifiable at the outset of the revised TEN-T planning. They may well evolve over time in accordance with the agreed policy objectives. The development of co-modality policy is a new and potentially important policy objective that has important implications for infrastructure. The identification of projects may be based on existing or future legislation or other policy objectives, in combination with a set of specific criteria. These criteria should be reflected in the "conceptual pillar" (as referred to in the TEN-T Green Paper) which complements the geographical part of the TEN-T Core network4. This “conceptual pillar” addresses the criteria for the infrastructure-related measures (physical, technological, informational etc.) resulting from those objectives, with the necessary degree of completeness (so as to avoid a too broad coverage) and flexibility (so as to leave sufficient room for development of project over time and for adaptation to future policy developments).

3 COM (2009) 44. 4 The group is concerned that the term "conceptual pillar” is difficult to understand and may lead to confusion in the application of the TEN-T methodologies and systems that need to be implemented. Suggestions for an alternative term could be "TEN-T core infrastructure criteria"

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Definitions/scope setting Transport infrastructure in the context of TEN-T denotes capital assets that serve the function of transporting, moving or managing vehicles, vessels and aircraft or transport-related information- in the form of a network composed of links and nodes at the service of TEN-T objectives of accessibility, interconnection, interoperability and standardisation. TEN-T infrastructure is open to all users on a non-discriminatory basis. It combines both hard and soft infrastructure to form so-called ’smart’ infrastructure that comprises the following: - fixed infrastructure and equipment, - the control systems and software required to operate, manage and monitor the transport systems (see the report of EG3), - the interfaces for communication between fixed infrastructure and aircraft/vessels/vehicles, - the structures, procedures and processes for planning, coordination and monitoring of network capacities, use and impact on the economy and for the management of network development at the European level. Certain assets or facilities which are essential for the efficient operation of the network may also be considered as part of the infrastructure, such as plants, ancillary buildings and interchange terminals. Other assets, although they cannot be considered infrastructure by their nature, may play the same role as fixed infrastructure when they have a public use: they therefore become part of the infrastructure system and are subject to the same treatment as infrastructure. Under some specific circumstances this may be the case for certain types of mobile assets also. The core transport network denotes the part of the transport network that is strategic for the functioning of the transport network as a whole and for the achievement of the TEN-T objectives and its conceptual pillar corresponds to the criteria for the TEN-T core infrastructure set out in this document. Green corridors5 denote an integrated freight transport concept where all surface transport modes complement each other to reduce the environmental impact and improve energy efficiency from transport. All TEN-T links belonging to the core network shall strive to become green corridors according to the criteria and indicators to be developed in due course. 3. The situation now and drivers of change

Our economy and society are undergoing profound changes which have become increasingly clear through the impact of the global economic downturn. Current policies are not always sufficiently forward looking and may therefore insufficiently address emerging economic and

5 See also Annex A1.1. Co-modal transport

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societal needs. However, current policies do provide lessons to be learned but the new TEN-T Guidelines will specifically need to address future needs. Taking into account the long life-time span of infrastructure, the time horizon is 2020 and beyond.

3.1. Shortcomings of the current transport system The main weaknesses of the current European transport system6 in dealing with future challenges are the following:

• Internal market in transport is not completed

• Insufficient ability to deal with climate change and efficient use of resources, including carbon taxation/trading

o Not adapted to the perspective of the rising cost of fuel/ the use of low-carbon fuels

o Un-balanced use of modes, especially those with a low external cost and carbon footprint, linked to differing levels of competitiveness, efficiency and infrastructure availability and quality

o Infrastructure charging does not reflect all external costs and charging systems are often inefficient and not harmonised

o Insufficient investment in infrastructure in certain areas

o Insufficient capacity in all modes to enable increased loading7

• Uncoordinated and insufficient transport infrastructure planning and management

o Uncoordinated and sometimes insufficient maintenance activities having an impact on network efficiency

o Lack of prioritisation for infrastructure with the highest demand for transport and with a largest network effect

o Bottlenecks in urban, nodal and border regions preventing efficient transport flow within and across modes

o Inadequate checkpoints and border controls

o Safety and security deficiencies

o Inefficient organization of international rail transport operations

• Insufficient ability to deal with innovation, new technologies

o Inability to implement new transport infrastructure to effectively exploit new technologies and innovation

6 Note that the term ‘European‘ has replaced "Common" in relation to transport policy

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o Insufficient network traffic management systems within and across modes

3.2. Shortcomings of the current Guidelines The current Guidelines initiated an important process in Europe geared towards progressive harmonisation not only of technical standards for infrastructure but also represent a first approach to transport infrastructure planning across and beyond national borders. However, important problems embedded in the current TEN-T guidelines prevent the TEN-T policy from yielding the advances necessary for Europe’s transportation system to face the challenges of the 21st century:

• With the exception of the identification of most priority projects, which are clearly focussed, the Guidelines are too broad in scope, the criteria to identify priorities are mainly qualitative and provide little guidance in terms of what is of European importance.

• The concept of common/European interest as expressed in the Guidelines is vague and not operational and does not sufficiently emphasise European added value.

• The current network is mainly identified in a bottom-up approach. In addition, projects also lack focus which leads to dilution of resources, this in turn results in a failure to achieve a “network” perspective. There is also a lack of visibility of the results of the TEN-T programme and a deficit in terms of ‘steering’ other funding instruments towards the support the EU transport policy. In addition, TEN-T projects are not always focussing on areas with the highest transport demand and are not always based upon reliable traffic forecasts.

• The Guidelines treat transport policy on a mode per mode basis and do not significantly contribute to the objective of co-modality; indeed, both the geographical references (comprehensive network and the priority projects) and the qualitative criteria (sections 2 to 9 of the Guidelines) are to a large extent single mode based.

• The function of seaports and hinterland hubs as nodal points for all the modes of transports is not addressed. In the absence of a common infrastructure concept for these nodes across modes, they have no policy basis and have to be integrated through a mode-by-mode policy approach.

• The different approaches and level of detail in the current Guidelines with respect to each transport mode do not contribute to a coherent approach to deal with transport infrastructure across the TEN-T transport network as a whole.

• As the lion's share of investment (73% between 2007-2013) has to come from national budgets or private financing, public budget restrictions and inappropriate prioritisation lead to project delays and sub-optimal investments.

7 For example, freight trains up to 750m long

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• The TEN-T Guidelines have shown in practise to provide little help in prioritising TEN-T investments. Their added value is even further reduced as they are not effectively used in mechanism such as regional and cohesion funds to implement European transport infrastructure projects.

• The Guidelines do not provide sufficient flexibility to reflect changes/evolution of transport policy; there is also no provision for establishing common datasets for the monitoring and evaluation of the TEN-T network, negatively affecting policy formulation and the setting of priorities.

• The current Guidelines are unable to focus on chronic bottlenecks in cross-border areas, which prevents network optimisation.

In view of the preceding assessment and the changing policy context, particular weight should be given in the process of the revision of the Guidelines to the following aspects:

Ø the environment and in particular climate change ,

Ø the support to the economic growth and to the employment,

Ø the integration of the EU in a global economy,

Ø the financial and budgetary constraints,

Ø a ‘top-down’ view in order to give more strategic coherence, currently there is too much emphasis on the bottom-up approach,

Ø Development of an 'integrated' transport approach for system-wide efficiency

3.3. The forecast evolution of the transport system

The recent development of the Union has been characterised by a quick acceleration of its economic integration due to the different enlargement waves, the creation of the Euro and the considerable progress towards the internal market. Economic integration has also been taking place at global level with the emerging economies. In both cases integration is expected to continue and may be an important factor leading to the recovery from the economic crisis. Intercontinental traffic is expected to grow much more than intra-EU one or than domestic traffic, both for freight and passengers.

Globalisation will put pressure on ports and airports which are the gateways of Europe as well as on their access infrastructure which is often today not up to the task. At the same time airports and seaports will have to become much more efficient to support the increasingly challenged competitiveness of European industry. In parallel, the number of people living in cities will keep on increasing; this, together with urbanisation rates, is expected to further increase urban congestion and the external costs of transport, making the introduction of

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pricing schemes more necessary. At the same time, the age of constantly reducing transport costs seems to be over and if transport wants to maintain its current cost level new avenues to promote efficiency will have to be pursued.

There will be an increasingly difficult interaction between urban and interurban transport. An ageing society with low demographic growth is expected to keep passenger transport increases subdued and lower than those of freight transport which is forecast to keep in line with or even outpace GDP. An ageing society will also require high quality passenger transport and much more, and easily accessible, modal choice.

Climate change and energy sourcing will increase social and political preferences for low-carbon modes and for low-carbon combinations of modes (involving in particular rail and waterborne transport modes) which will have to be much better integrated than nowadays. Research and development of low or no-carbon fuel sources will have to be tailored for timely deployment, creating a policy aspect which has been little developed up to now.

Little can be foreseen about the ways in which transport will benefit from the exponential growth of information technology (IT). However, for the time being some modes of transport are not yet profiting as they should from state of the art IT, even when EU policies have been put in place. The Group discussed the current use of concept of transport infrastructure and believes that this should be enlarged in some areas. The Group believes that the definition (see p. 5 above) would serve this purpose.

4. Overall Transport policy objectives The European Transport Policy and by consequence the TEN-T policy are at the service of the general objectives of the Union, in particular concerning the internal market, social and territorial cohesion and sustainable development. The latter has to be achieved through a well-balanced progress in its economic, social and environmental aspects which respectively involve issues such as the recovery from the current crisis, job creation and the fight against climate change. The impact of all individual measures and programmes should be assessed to ensure their positive effects on the three sustainable development pillars and any financial support should apply the principles of sound financial management. There is a number of basic principles specific to the European Transport Policy which also implicitly apply to TEN-T policy: in particular, the non discrimination of operators, the freedom of access to the networks and markets according to EU regulations, the pursuit of safety and security objectives, as well as the integration of the environment notably with the internalisation of external costs and the environmental assessment of projects and plans and programmes. The development of the European Transport Policy has been carried forward through two White Papers of 1992 and 2001 and the mid-term review of the latter in 2006. The Commission has started preparing the ground for the future White Paper due to be adopted by end 2010 with a number of studies and consultations which gave rise to the Communication on "A Sustainable Future for Transport" adopted by the Commission in June 2009. This Communication provides the most updated vision of the current general priorities of the European Transport Policy.

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Furthermore, in his Policy Guidelines President Barroso set out a key objective for transport policy: the decarbonisation of transport. Following these Guidelines, the new Commission will have to develop a coherent EU strategy to develop a pathway to a decarbonised transport sector by 2050, contributing to the goals set for Europe's climate policy. This will be one of the key issues of the transport White Paper to be adopted in 2010. According to the Communication of June 2009, the policy priorities which will allow the Union to reach a sustainable transport system while satisfying the rising accessibility needs of society are: 1) the integration of modes and networks, 2) the provision of economic incentives for more environmental sustainability by setting the right price signals (internalisation of external costs) 3) the development and deployment of innovative energy and information technologies and 4) the development of the social dimension of the transport policy, taking care of the needs and rights of transport users and workers. These policy priorities should also be applied to the TEN-T as follows: First, all modes should be integrated into a single, well maintained and bottleneck free network. Second, this network should be upgraded to allow the development of modes with lower external costs and the deployment of clean and smart technologies. Finally, the network should also be reliable and user-friendly providing easy accessibility to all citizens and above all being safe and secure. Suitable means to meet these objectives in the field of TEN-T policy and the related transport policy include amongst others:

• the development of efficient intermodal freight platforms and of user-friendly and accessible passenger interchanges;

• the introduction of smart pricing to ensure the efficient use of the infrastructure supporting the internalisation of external costs and to provide finance for further investments;

• the upgrading of the TEN to foster the use of interoperable ITS and low-carbon energy technologies as well as the availability of IT systems facilitating efficient freight logistics and passenger travel across modes and nodes.

The table below summarises the situation.

EU general policies Transport policy

priorities TEN-T priorities Means to achieve it

Sustainable growth Integration of modes and network

All modes integrated into a single, well-maintained and bottleneck-free network

Development of efficient multi-modal freight platforms and user-friendly and accessible passenger interchanges; Sustainability criteria; Introduction of smart prices based

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on standardized calculation methods; Green corridors; Application of the principles of co-modality

Smart growth Development and deployment of innovative energy; efficient vehicles (nanotech) and information technologies

Network upgraded to allow deployment of clean and smart technologies

Technology, innovation and soft infrastructure criteria

Socially inclusive growth

Taking care of needs and rights of all transport users and workers

Reliable, safe, secure and user-friendly network providing easy accessibility to all citizens

Deployment based on benefit for society and individuals. Reducing road accidents. Social Dialogue Forums and relevant Community Industry Consultation Bodies. User/employee consultation in infrastructure planning

5. The Conceptual pillar of the TEN-T Core network Turning objectives into solutions requires concrete criteria to identify the nature and scope of the TEN-T core network beyond its geographical dimension (corridors on the map), identified in accordance with the methodologies set out in the report of expert groups 1 and 4. The Group considers certain criteria to be important and they are set out in this section, differentiated according to whether they are mode-specific or cut- across transport modes. They form, together with the criteria for ITS and innovation set out in the report of expert group 3, the criteria for the conceptual pillar of the core network identified by this Group. The instruments, methods and structures that will use these criteria for bringing about the core network are referred to in section 6 and further developed in the report of TEN-T Expert group 6. The Group wishes to give particular prominence to the concept of Community or European Interest. In contrast to national interest Community interest represents the economic, environmental and social benefits of projects to the whole Community. The failure to identify and prioritise Community interest is considered to be a major shortcoming of the existing Guidelines which the planned revision has to rectify if it is to be successful. 5.1. Horizontal criteria for the Conceptual pillar

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From a horizontal perspective, the achievement of the core network should be based on A) specific performance objectives for the network as a whole, B) the integration of the different modes to provide an efficient multi-modal network and C) the exploitation of supporting technologies, such as ITS, new technologies and 'e-Policies'. A. Core Network Performance

5.1.1 The overall objective of the core network is that its capacity shall match projected traffic demand, identified on the basis of a context where external costs are internalised and where the capacity of all the relevant modes is considered at network corridor level. Traffic demand projections shall make use of existing (where available) common and shared datasets and development assumptions. New forecasts and studies should only be undertaken when needed. Capacity upgrades shall be decided after a full socio-economic appraisal considering the complete lifecycle approach and considering increased use of ITS, together with standardisation in and where possible across modes in order to optimise capacity usage at network corridor level. 5.1.2 The core network shall achieve appropriate standards for infrastructure in the following areas: economic, technical, environmental, safety and security. These standards shall facilitate the unhindered and seamless use of the network for free and efficient flow of passengers and goods within and across modes. These standards are further developed in the paragraphs below. ð Economic performance: the core network shall be the basis for a European-wide barrier-

free mobility of persons and goods

ð Technical infrastructure standards: interoperability within and between transport modes shall be ensured, standards for information exchange shall be developed and adhered to.

ð Environmental criteria: the core network shall contribute to achieving climate change goals and targets; environmental impacts from transport infrastructure building and use (GHG, air pollutant and noise emissions, land use, habitat disruption, sustainable and efficient use of resources) shall be assessed, considered and monitored in accordance with applicable legislation.

ð Safety –safety standards should be maintained at a high level across the core-network, including support for modal shift to safer modes, investments for safety should be justified by a cost-effectiveness assessment taking into account safety risk levels.

ð Security – security problems shall be monitored and security risks shall be identified.

5.1.3 Accessibility and cohesion –Hub nodes of the core network shall provide access to peripheral and ultra-peripheral regions. 5.1.4 The core network shall be well maintained and free of infrastructural and administrative bottlenecks.

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5.1.5 Nodes (ports, airports and terminals) and open access logistic centres of the core network shall be efficient multi-modal transfer points, offer good multi modal connections with sufficient capacities and support seamless transport flows underpinned by standardised seamless information flows. 5.1.6 Restrictions of access to the market for terminal operations, inter alia, in ports and marshalling yards, can have repercussions to the customers of these facilities. Fair and non-discriminatory access to corridors and transhipment facilities and the related essential services to any user is a key characteristic of the core network. Open and non-discriminatory access for operators and customers of these facilities should be ensured in accordance with the rules of the Treaty. 5.1.7 Capital investments in infrastructure to support pilot projects to foster the take-up of renewable energy solutions for transport An example of pilot projects is the concept of Green Corridors which aim to offer inter alia alternative energy fuel stations along major transport corridors. B. Network Integration

The integration of the constituent elements of the TEN-T core network is pre-requisite for the development of a truly co-modal approach to satisfying transport demand in the most cost effective and environmentally sustainable way. This integration requires the following: 5.1.8 The core network shall include key strategic multi-modal nodes for passenger and freight, allowing efficient transfer between the various modes of transport. 5.1.9 There is a need to establish a clear set of requirements with respect to accessibility to the hinterland for nodes that are part of the core network e.g. criteria such as smooth traffic flows, compatibility with technical requirements of the core network. 5.1.10 The core network shall include transport nodes8 for efficient and smart transhipment of freight and exchange of passengers from the long distance transport network to end in main economic centres (including urban) and – vice versa – from the latter onto the long-distance transport network, contributing to putting the co-modality principle into practice. 5.1.11 The core network shall ensure the interconnection of national transport networks and their infrastructures by focussing on the cross-border sections and on access to neighbouring countries for each EU Member country, taking into account macro-regional strategies where appropriate. 5.1.12 Standardised, reliable information on infrastructure, transport flows and services shall be available and can be exchanged across the network, irrespective of transport modes.

8 Transport nodes. Transportation primarily links locations, often characterised as nodes. They serve as access points to a distribution system or as transhipment / intermediary locations within a transport network. This function is mainly serviced by transport terminals where flows originate, end or are being transhipped from one mode to the other.

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5.1.13 Standardised dynamic information on nodal accessibility, capacity, availability of nodal services (e.g. warehousing, stripping and stuffing of containers) and multi-modal//re-grouping possibilities should be available to users from distance. 5.1.14 Enhanced cooperation between authorities and freight transport logistics operators as exemplified in the concept of green corridors. 5.1.15 Harmonised benchmarking and quality labelling for the infrastructure at nodes and terminals could be considered across the core network, both from the perspective of the adequacy of infrastructure and from the perspective of capacity utilisation. C. Technology, innovation and soft infrastructure To maximise the efficiency of the core network, an effective development and implementation of 'soft (ICT) infrastructure, and the ability to facilitate the introduction of innovative new operational solutions and technologies, is necessary: 5.1.16 For the purposes referred to in 5.1.13 and 5.1.14 above the core network shall ensure interoperability of ITS solutions for transport equipment and infrastructure as reflected in e-policies. 5.1.17 The soft infrastructure of the core network shall include:

• traffic management tools and tracking and tracing of vehicles/vessels/aircrafts in situations where traffic conditions warrant their deployment in view of economic, safety and security concerns.

• common standards for tracking and tracing of goods and of vehicles/vessels/aircrafts consistent with the e-freight initiative,

• administrative one stop shops (e.g. for customs, tax and inspection authorities)

• communication platforms between ports, vessels and administrations as defined in the framework of the e-maritime initiative

• any other facilities or assets necessary for the efficient operation of transport.

5.1.18 The core network shall include the development and pilot deployment of new operational concepts and technological systems that contribute to the decarbonisation of transport. 5.2. Vertical and specific criteria for the conceptual pillar

For the core network to function effectively as an integrated multi-modal transport system, maximizing efficiency and minimizing negative effects (environment, safety etc), each of the constituent parts must be able to contribute to its maximum capability. Consequently, apart from the horizontal criteria which address all transport modes and sectors, it is appropriate to consider also the criteria which are specific to each transport mode.

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5.2.1. Rail transport An increased share of transport by rail is one way of reducing road congestion but it also contributes to the achievement of environmental and climate goals. A well-functioning rail sector can also contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of the business sector and to the realisation of the internal market. Rail market opening and non-discriminatory access to infrastructure and essential facilities, as well as efficient organisation of rail transport operations between networks across a whole corridor are crucial to improve the quality of services and choice for customers. It will make railways more efficient and will improve their ability to compete with other modes. The key components of the conceptual pillar of the core network with respect to rail transport are the following: a) improving the quality of the service provided by infrastructure to the railway undertakings on the geographical core network, so as to constitute the backbone of the Trans-European transport network with regard to international rail and passenger freight; b) improving access to rail and its integration in multimodal transport chains considering hubs in passenger and in freight transport, for the latter particularly last mile solutions; c) providing quality and cost-effective infrastructure capacity; d) increasing the capacity in the core network considering the highest demand of international traffic (e.g. rail port hinterland traffic); e) reducing delays by removing bottlenecks; f) integrating the Regulation on a European rail network for competitive freight (expected to be adopted in Summer 2010) consisting of international freight corridors which include open access terminals to develop the cooperation between the infrastructure managers specially for operations and investments concerning:

• cooperation and harmonisation between infrastructure managers and Member States for investments and the operational management of the infrastructure;

• setting up governance structures, coordination between network and terminals including ports;

• identification of physical and administrative bottlenecks and measures for capacity increase;

• harmonisation of the technical characteristics of a line, such as train length, loading gauge, axle load…;

• implementation of transparent procedures and better coordination of infrastructure managers in order to improve cross border operations;

• cooperation between regulatory bodies at corridor level;

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• development of interoperability and safety requirements, particularly on the development of ERTMS and deploying it in a coordinated fashion on the core network and equip all rolling stock for international rail traffic as soon as possible.

g) reporting through Railway Market Monitoring System on performance of network and services, attributed to Infrastructure Managers and all Railway Undertakings.

h) integrating infrastructure-related aspects of new legislative measures aiming at improving the current regulatory framework, in particular concerning financing and charging of rail infrastructures, transparency of market conditions and non-discriminatory access to rail related service facilities, and reinforcement of the regulatory bodies.

i) further development of a European wide high speed passenger network on the core geographical network 5.2.2. Road transport Road transport is the mode with the highest share in volume and performance, for both passengers and goods. At the same time it is the mode with the highest accident rates and the highest share in harmful emissions, in particular of CO2. In this context, the TEN-T core network shall pay particular attention to effective measures to enhance safety and environmental performance of road transport.

In order to take account of noise, polluting and greenhouse gas emissions from road transport, a significant focus in needed in the conceptual pillar of TEN-T on the infrastructure needed for the provision of alternatives to internal combustion engine-driven road transportation.

Refuelling infrastructure for Alternative Motor Fuels is expected to play an increasingly bigger role and to display an increasingly diversified nature over the coming decades. In the EU, (1) market (e.g. fossil fuel increasingly high prices), (2) regulatory (e.g. 10% alternative transport fuel objective by 2020, fuel quality specifications, security of supply policy), and (3) societal (e.g. diffused environmental awareness) drivers characterise the expected evolution.

Issues to consider with regard to refuelling infrastructure for alternative motor fuels are:

• fuel transportation;

• distribution;

• refuelling, and;

• safety.

Each alternative fuel has its specific challenges. Beyond fuel- and powertrain-specific RTD aspects, such challenges systematically include the lack of fuelling infrastructure as a major

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barrier to mass market phase, remarkably for fuel alternatives which are already available on the market today.

Safety aspects have to be considered across the entire life-cycle of the road infrastructure, starting at the planning stage and by applying appropriate technical parameters for design and endowment of TEN-T roads and road tunnels. Road maintenance schemes shall consider in particular road safety concerns.

The roads of the TEN-T core network should be subject to road safety audits and a list of TEN-T road safety hotspots shall be drawn up and regularly reviewed along with an action plan of measures to address these hotspots. Possible actions include the provision of necessary roadside equipment, such as kerbs, guardrails, fixed obstacles at the roadside, traffic-signs etc. shall be designed and located to minimize danger to infrastructure users. Safety can also be enhanced by signalling, as well as by appropriate ITS equipment.

Sufficient parking areas shall be provided at reasonable distances, which should where appropriate also be equipped for enhanced security.

5.2.3. Air Transport

In order to achieve coherence and European network effects, and to overcome the existing fragmentation of infrastructure, systems and services in the air transport, the TEN-T conceptual pillar should comprise, in accordance with the single sky policy, the elements that are essential for applying a network approach to air transport.

These elements can be described as following:

à Setting up integrated governance structures and mechanisms at European level for the implementation of the Single European Sky policy, in particular:

Ø for coordinating the achievement of high safety standards across the entire aviation chain;

Ø for the coordination and synchronisation of ATM infrastructure development, in line with the European ATM Master Plan, across national networks and stakeholders;

Ø for the establishment of the ATM performance scheme and targets, including network management, monitoring and incentive mechanisms.

à The planning and implementation of common elements of SESAR which are of

importance for the wider network as identified in the European ATM Master Plan, including system-wide information tools for the realisation of the gate-to-gate approach.

à Procedures, systems and software for the integration of airport nodes in an e-freight

concept.

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à Airports provide vital links from the outside world to the European intermodal transport

system and one of their targets is to promote intermodality. Airports are recognized as key elements in both society and the transport environment. They are essential components in the Trans European transport network. Airport capacity problems cannot be solved by shifting traffic artificially from one airport to the other. Airport capacity must be created or expanded according to demand, market forces and free choice for the customer. (see also horizontal criteria for hubs in section 5.1).

5.2.4. Waterborne transport INLAND WATERWAYS, INLAND PORTS and RIVER INFORMATION SERVICES Inland waterway transport is the transport mode with the highest available free capacity. At the same time it is the mode with the lowest accident rates and the lowest share in harmful emissions, in particular of CO2. In this context, the TEN-T core network shall pay particular attention to remove all waterway bottlenecks and to fully integrate inland waterways in the entire transport network via ports and ITS. In order to achieve coherence and European network effects, the TEN-T conceptual pillar should comprise the elements that are essential for applying a network approach to waterway transport. These elements can be described as following:

1. Bottleneck-free and quality waterway infrastructure: o Establishing stable fairway conditions on defined sections of the core

network (class IV and higher) for the continuous passage of vessels and pushed convoys throughout the year according to the relevant waterway class;

o Upgrading/enlargement/increase of capacity/modernisation of locks on the core network in order to allow an easy passage of vessels and pushed convoys (class IV and higher);

o Increase of under bridge-clearance (height under bridge), on the core network in order to allow an unhindered continuous passage of containerships with up to 4 layers of containers according to the relevant waterway class;

o For waterways located on the core network or linking major production or consumption areas to the core network with a significant shift potential to reduce external costs (congestion, pollution, carbon, accidents, noise e.g. solving urban bottlenecks), the fairway, locks and bridge-clearances should be improved to the highest relevant class in order to safeguard free-flowing, safe and sustainable transport.

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2.Multi-modal and accessible inland ports

o located on core network waterways and in economic clusters of the core network (criteria on clusters to be defined in TEN-T expert group 1); and/or

o providing quality and cost-effective access to waterway transport and hinterland connections (multi-modal interface);

o providing quality and cost-effective transshipment capacity;

o providing a strong reduction potential of external costs, in particular by optimising the link between interregional and last mile transport in urban; areas to relieve urban bottlenecks and by consolidating freight flow.

3.River information Services

o Further development and full deployment of RIS traffic management systems;

o Development of transport and logistics management system (procedures, systems and software for the integration of inland waterway transport and inland ports in an e-freight concept);

o Development of procedures, systems and software for the integration into an open co-modal traffic and transport information exchange platform.;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

MARITIME TRANSPORT AND PORTS In recent years the Commission has been and intends to continue promoting the use of Short Sea Shipping. If Short Sea Shipping is to continue developing, the sea/land interface constituted by ports needs to receive special attention.

Crucial issues for ports, and in particular for the ports of the core network, are therefore related to adequate capacity to handle present and future maritime traffic volumes, safe and secure year-round maritime access, as well as reliable and sustainable hinterland connections via rail, inland waterways and road (see also Motorways of the Sea in Section 5.2.5).

The conceptual pillar in relation to sea ports and maritime transport cover various aspects. There is the ICT component in the form of E-maritime, there are environment and energy efficiency aspects in the form of shore-side electricity and the use of LNG, and there are capacity issues related to ICT applications for terminal management.

Ports (including their hinterland connections) that in their capacity of hub ports contribute significantly (e.g. with > 20% of port throughput) to the role of the port (clusters) in the geographical core network should also be part of the core network. E-Maritime

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- interoperable Single Window solutions and port community systems for all ports of the comprehensive network; - interoperable tools for e-training of port community people and knowledge sharing with other ports; - interoperable information services facilitating the best possible use of the complete port infrastructure and to provide transport users with information on available infrastructure and how to use it; - interoperable information services for compliance and collaboration with authorities on security management. Environment and efficiency: emissions - Standardised shore-side electricity technology deployment in ports which draws electricity from renewable energy sources;

- infrastructure for abatement of emissions of ships at berth in area's that are prone to exceeding the air quality limits established in EU legislation.

Environment and efficiency: fuel - infrastructure for developing LNG bunker logistics.

Capacity issues: ICT applications to terminal management - applications for terminal management in ports to make an optimal use of existing capacities. Places of refuge - facilities for assistance, salvage and pollution response for places of refuge (a port, the part of a port or another protective berth or anchorage or any other sheltered area identified by a Member State for accommodating ships in distress in accordance with Directive 2002/59/EC.

VESSEL TRAFFIC MONITORING - further development and deployment of the SafeSeaNet as Community-wide vessel traffic information exchange platform; - further development of infrastructure and facilities related to maritime traffic monitoring, ship routing and reporting systems. 5.2.5. Co-modal transport Seen from a supply chain management perspective (from raw materials producers to end customers), most transport chains are multimodal. Globalisation and increasing sourcing from third countries emphasise the need to view transport systems and infrastructure development in a considerably more integrated manner than in the past. Physical transfer points between transport modes, such as terminals and ports, as well as communication technologies linking modes serve as preconditions for making co-modality work in practice. Increasing the efficiency of transport operations in and across the modes by avoiding freight losses and erroneous routings, reducing delays and improve traffic management requires efficient and up to date information flows. For the TEN-T conceptual pillar, this implies the development and implementation of a co-modal transport information exchange platform that links up the information systems established for individual transport modes (SafeSeaNet, RIS,

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e-Maritime, TAF/TSI, ITS, IATA) and which connects them with other cross-sector initiatives (such as eCustoms) in an interoperable manner. The co-modal transport information exchange platform focuses in particular on infrastructure capacity monitoring and management, traffic management, reporting and standards for tracking and tracing of fleet and cargo. Co-modal transport also implies barrier-free transport within and between modes, as the impact of individual barriers across the chain has a multiplication effect rendering co-modal transport a hard-to-achieve target. Therefore, technical and administrative barriers across the whole TEN-T network with a network effect should be tackled as part of the TEN-T conceptual pillar. Differences in standards in particular with respect to transport infrastructure and services, security, telematics, transport documents and liability regimes in intermodal transport are hampering the objectives of co-modality. The conceptual pillar therefore should include the setting up of governance mechanisms for fostering standardisation in these areas. From a TEN-T perspective, green corridors organised in cooperation between authorities and freight transport logistics operators with a view to ensure that infrastructure is smart and adequate for sustainable transportation contributing to the decarbonisation of transport and to the reduction of external costs of transport are very important. The development of green corridors on the core network should be strongly encouraged. Motorways of the Sea shall be further developed as part of the TEN-T core network both through the geographical pillar in the form of strategic links representing sea-based connections of key nodes and through the conceptual pillar for sea-based transport links that are integrated in the door-to-door transport chain and which contribute to the internalisation of external costs of transport. As such, Motorways of the Sea can become part of green corridors when complying with the criteria laid down for green corridors. 5.2.6. Connections of long distance to urban/local transport

Contribution to the performance of the core network/EU added value could be measured by: • The time spent on the last leg of international journeys in order to reach the final

destination in urban centres and the emissions per person or tonne/km on that leg.

• Improvement in freight travel time (especially by creating IT solutions to ease bureaucracy and improve access to connections and terminals) – Need to identify quantitative criteria;

• Improving the quality (access, user-friendliness speed, frequency, reliability, emissions per tonne/person km) on transport corridors linking international hubs serving urban centres and the urban centres serviced. This includes also soft infrastructures such as ticketing and information provision;

• Provision of logistics centres in urban areas that are optimally integrated into both the TEN-T and unban transport networks.

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6. Future operation and mechanisms for the conceptual pillar Chapter 5 sets out the scope (constituent parts, criteria) for the conceptual pillar of the TEN-T core network. This chapter provides some pointers on how to integrate the conceptual pillar into the TEN-T network. The legal aspects of these implementation mechanisms need to be addressed by EG 6. The Group notes that the remarkable progress in the air transport sector in terms of transport governance and that this may offer an interesting reference for the way forward in the other transport sectors. 6.1. TEN-T network coordination TEN-T network coordination can take place at various levels. First, many "soft infrastructure" components based on existing systems need to be coordinated at European level. Appropriate coordination structures for identifiable soft infrastructure components (e.g. for mode–specific and for inter-modal ITS systems) need to be established. Coordination structures may also be set up for geographically defined macro-regions of the TEN-T network. For instance, the Baltic Sea and the Danube regions are developing or implementing regional strategies, focusing on the region's strengths and addressing what are perceived as common challenges. Finally, coordination may also be organised at corridor level, akin to the coordination at corridor level for investment planning in the Regulation on rail freight where the relevant Member States participate in the board steering the corridor. However, under the revised TEN-T such coordination should cover the corridors in a multimodal perspective. The role of the current TEN-T coordinators for one specific transport mode should be extended to all the relevant transport modes so as to allow them to consider transport corridors from a multimodal perspective and encourage modally oriented administrations to identify and plan multi-modal and cross-border projects. 6.2. TEN-T network planning and governance The TEN-T core network encompasses a coordinated European approach to transport network governance and planning9. It should be multimodal in nature and consistent across all the modes; its regulatory basis should be established in the revised TEN-T guidelines and should be complementary to measures already developed for the various modes. In addition, specific governance models should be promoted:

o for infrastructure planning (e.g. joint planning for infrastructure across Member States – for example: the regulation on a European rail network for competitive freight;

o for infrastructure financing the agreement of Multi Annual Contracts between Member States and infrastructure managers;

9 Defined as a set of actions, methods, measures and tools for the planning, implementation and monitoring of networked systems

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o for private sector involvement through public/private partnerships in project implementation;

o at local level making better use of disused rail lines, waterways and port facilities and promoting door-to-door freight transport schemes in order to promote environmental friendly fine-distribution of freight within the cities, especially in the eastern Member States.

6.2.1. A European network planning and governance function A network governance function is needed at EU level. This includes traffic and core network needs identification, capacity management (demand and supply balance), monitoring, standardisation, maintenance coordination, policies for incentivising the efficient use of infrastructure, technology and innovation. It should be the repository of data and robust analytical capacity so as to act as the most trustworthy reference interface to national network planning and management authorities. Such network governance function needs to develop common methodologies and datasets for demand and traffic forecasts taking into account scenarios of fundamental change, network planning and monitoring and impact assessment and should coordinate all industry actors. 6.2.2. Network performance management scheme The coordinated European approach to transport network management and planning should establish a performance framework with time-evolving targets that integrate, in addition to cost-efficiency, objectives in relation to safety, security, sustainability. This performance framework should:

a) be legally based, applying to all the modes and nodes and fit international schemes where available (e.g. the ICAO's Global Performance of the Air Navigation System – Document 9883)) b) include a target setting mechanism together with incentives for service providers to meet the network targets

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6.2.3. Data needs and a Transport Observatory

Monitoring of the network existing and projected capacity is needed at European level through the establishment of a Transport Observatory. Current and future network capacity needs are to be forecast and network planning and monitoring would be amongst the core activities of the conceptual pillar. Available and relevant comparable data from all modes should be used whenever possible.

6.3. Substantiating the conceptual pillar

The initial criteria of the conceptual pillar as set out in this report need to be refined and substantiated with concrete targets and indicators to measure progress and performance. They do also need to be periodically adapted to the evolving policy context. For this reason, it is recommended to pursue such refinement in the framework of the preparation of the TEN-T Guidelines and also to allow refinement and substantiation of criteria in the TEN-T guidelines where appropriate through the procedures set out in article 290 /291 of the Treaty.

It is also recommended to allow for a periodic revision of the criteria.

6.4. Funding and implementing structures

EG5 will set out the funding and implementation structures for the revised TEN-T guidelines, including for its conceptual pillar. The pace of implementation of the conceptual pillar of the network may be enhanced by:

a) providing subsidies for the implementation of the conceptual pillar with varying co-funding rates reflecting the European added value of the investments and the financing deficit, b) adopting of legally binding implementation commitments, c) extending the use of Public/Private Partnerships, at the European level when necessary, to ensure financing and management of common projects with clear network benefits and a positive business case, d) leveraging national funds with TEN-T funds but without losing sight of the network and corridor dimensions.

6.5. Closing legislative gaps Legislative initiatives may be needed to close legislation gaps for certain (sub)sectors or modes of transport (e.g. in relation to multi-modal ITS or performance schemes). Such legislation may rely on the legal basis established in the new TEN-T legal instrument either

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though the application of articles 290 and 291 of the Treaty, or by the adoption of "daughter legislation". A key success factor will be the ownership taken by sectoral policy makers to close the legislative gaps.

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ANNEX: Relevant Policy and ensuing infrastructure needs A1. Transport Policies The following annexes are intended to present in more detail than the main report the policies being pursued at EU level. They are for reference purposes and are not intended to be read in the same way as the report itself. The first subsection A1.1 addresses some generic aspects of co-modal transport, whereas the subsequent sections A1.2. to A1.6. address aspects pertaining to individual transport modes.

A1.1. Co-modal transport The freight transport logistics action plan defines comodality as to improve the efficiency of each transport mode and to overcome interoperability obstacles between modes in order to help mobilise capacity reserves in Europe's transport systems and put these on a path towards sustainable growth. Relevant policy measures for TEN-T. a) Directive 92/106/EEC on common rules for certain types of combined transport of goods between Member States (a revision of this Directive and an Impact Assessment study are planned) b) Directive 96/53/EC on vehicles weight and dimensions (the Commission’s latest study on these issues began in January 2010 and is set to run till the end of this year – the most controversial issue is about longer and heavier vehicles, LHVs) c) Directive 99/62/EC on the charging of heavy goods vehicles (amendments of this Directive are planned as regards the Eurovignette concept) d) Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for access to the international road haulage market (recast) [COD2007/0099] e) Communication from the Commission Community guidelines on State aid for railway undertakings10 Freight Transport Logistics Action Plan (LAP) The Freight Logistics Action Plan (LAP), launched in October 2007, identifies a range of activities to improve the performance of the logistics industry while stimulating an evolution towards co-modality and greener operations. The main actions related to infrastructure in LAP are the e-Freight initiative, "green corridors" and combined transport. Intermodal (combined) transport

Combined transport is an effective and efficient combination of the specific advantages of otherwise competitive modes of freight transport and provides a seamless transport solution which is improving the productivity of the entire chain. Framework conditions fostering the development of combined transport are already in place such as the liberalisation of the

10 Official Journal of the European Union C 184/13, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2008:184:0013:0031:EN:PDF

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railways, interoperability, fair market access for all modes and their combinations, state aids rules. E-freight E-Freight has an immense potential to improve the utilisation of European infrastructure, in particular in the old Member States. Exchange of information between shippers, transport operators, authorities and infrastructure managers could increase the efficiency of transport operations by avoiding errors, reducing delays and improve traffic management. This presumes that a co-modal information exchange platform is developed that links up the information systems established for individual modes (RIS, e-Maritime, TAF/TSI, ITS, IATA) as well as connects them with other initiatives (such as eCustoms). E-Freight makes the promise of establishing such an intermodal platform by 2013. "Green" transport corridors for freight The concept of transport corridors is flowing from the concentration of freight traffic between major hubs and characterised by relatively long distances of transport. Along these corridors industry will be encouraged to rely on co-modality including the use of advanced technology to accommodate rising traffic volumes whilst promoting environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. Green transport corridors will reflect an integrated transport concept where short sea shipping, rail, inland waterways and road complement each other to encourage the choice of environmentally friendly means of transport. Green transport corridors therefore need amongst others to feature adequate transhipment facilities at strategic locations (such as seaports, inland ports, marshalling yards and other relevant logistics terminals and installations) and need to be equipped with supply points for fuels allowing the use of green propulsion technology. Green corridors could furthermore be used as platforms to experiment with innovative environmentally-friendly forms of transportation and with the use of advanced ITS applications. Weights and dimensions In addition LAP covers the directive 96/53/EC on weights and dimensions of vehicles in international road transport. One issue discussed is whether the current limits of 40 tonnes / 16.5m-18.75m for articulated vehicles11-road trains12 should be increased. The Commission continues to examine the issues. What infrastructure needs result from these areas Both physical and soft infrastructure at intermodal terminals needs to be improved in order to make connections between transport modes more efficient. Intermodal terminals are not included in the TEN-T network today but could be subject to financial aid in the future. Demonstration projects for "green corridors" require directed funding in order to test and to implement innovative technologies, such as new fuels, propulsion systems, and traffic management and communication tools that can improve the environmental performance and energy efficiency in transport corridors.

A1.2. Rail transport Relevant policy measures for TEN-T.

11 tractor+semi-trailer 12 truck+trailer

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ECONOMIC / MARKET ACCESS LEGISLATION

- Proposal for a Regulation on the creation of a European network for a competitive rail freight13

This proposal is aimed at creating a European rail network for competitive freight consisting of international corridors providing operators with an efficient, high-quality freight transport infrastructure. As a result, rail operators should be able to offer an efficient, high-quality service and be more competitive on the goods transport market. To that end, the proposal sets out the rules for the creation and the modification of freight corridors, their organisation and governance, and measures for implementing freight corridors, investment planning, and capacity and traffic management.

These corridors will allow freight to benefit from high quality train paths to offer an improved quality of service (punctuality, journey time). Additional capacities for rail freight movement, which had returned to growth before the current economic crisis, should be identified.

• This regulation is based on four principal guidelines for the realization of these corridors,

• more cooperation and harmonisation between infrastructure managers and Member States both for the operational management of the infrastructures and for investments, including the cross border issues,

• increased coordination between network and terminals; clear priority for freight on a number of main axes; exemplary corridors in terms of non discriminatory access for the operators.

The objectives of the proposal:

• to create a clean and efficient transport system for the benefit of EU citizens, a better integration of the rail network with the terminals to develop "co-modality,

• to increase the quality of services,

• to improve interoperability and increase the capacity of a corridor via coordinated investment plans,

• operational cooperation between infrastructure managers (e.g. concerning reliability of the infrastructure capacities,

• development and management of the intermodal terminals and coordination with the rail network,

• to lay down a general obligation for the Member States to create freight corridors coherent with TEN-T, contribute to optimal use of TEN-T.

13 COM(2008) 852 final (11.12.2008), http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0852:FIN:EN:PDF

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- Regulation No 11, concerning the abolition of discrimination in transport rates and

conditions, in implementation of Article 79 (3) of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (OJ L 532, 16.8.1960, p1121);

- Council Directive 91/440/EEC of 29 July 1991 on the development of the Community's

railways (OJ L 237, 24.8.1991, p. 25); - Council Directive 95/18/EC of 19 June 1995 on the licensing of railway undertakings

(OJ L 143, 27.6.1995, p. 70); - Directive 2001/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February

2001 on the development of the Community's railways (OJ L 75, 15.3.2001, p. 1); - Directive 2001/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February

2001 on the licensing of railway undertakings (OJ L 75, 15.3.2001, p. 26); - Directive 2001/14/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February

2001 on the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and the levying of charges for the use of railway infrastructure and safety certification (OJ L 75, 15.3.2001, p. 29);

- Directive 2004/51/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 amending Council Directive 91/440/EEC on the development of the Community's railways (OJ L 164, 30.4.2004, p. 164-172 and OJ L 220, 21.6.2004, p. 58-60);

- Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23

October 2007 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 14);

- Directive 2007/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 amending Council Directive 91/440/EEC on the development of the Community’s railways (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 44);

INTEROPERABILITY AND SAFETY LEGISLATION

- Council Directive 96/48/EC of 23 July 1996 on the interoperability of the trans-

European high-speed rail system (OJ L 235, 17.9.1996, p. 6); - Directive 2001/16/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 March 2001

on the interoperability of the trans-European conventional rail system (OJ L 110, 20.4.2001, p. 1);

- Directive 2001/14/EC on the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and the

levying of charges for the use of railway infrastructure and safety certification (OJ L 164, 30.4.2004, p. 44-113 and OJ L 220, 21.6.2004, p. 16 -39);

- Directive 2004/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004

on safety on the Community's railways and amending Council Directive 95/18/EC on

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the licensing of railway undertakings. The Railway Safety Directive aims at ensuring the development and improvement of safety on the Community railway network and improves access to the market for rail transport services;

- Directive 2004/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004

amending Council Directive 96/48/EC on the interoperability of the trans-European high-speed rail system and Directive 2001/16/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the interoperability of the trans-European conventional rail system (OJ L 164, 30.4.2004, p. 114-163 and OJ L 220, 21.6.2004, p. 40 - 57.);


April 2004 establishing a European Railway Agency (OJ L 164, 30.4.2004, p. 1-43 and OJ L 220, 21.6.2006, p.3-14);

- Directive 2007/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October

2007 on the certification of train drivers operating locomotives and trains on the railway system in the Community (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 51);

- Directive 2008/57/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008

on the interoperability of the rail system within the Community (Recast) (OJ L 191, 18.07.2008, p. 1);

- Directive 2008/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 September

2008 on the inland transport of Dangerous Goods (OJ L 260, 30.9.2008, p. 13); - Directive 2008/110/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December

2008 amending Directive 2004/49/EC on safety on the Community's railways (Railway Safety Directive) (OJ L 345, 23.12.2008, p. 62);


December 2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 881/2004 establishing a European Railway Agency (Agency Regulation) (OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 51).

PUBLIC SERVICE OBLIGATIONS

- Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on public passenger transport services by rail and by road and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) Nos 1191/69 and 1107/70 (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 1).

Even though it is recognised that the legislation on rail interoperability is highly relevant for TEN-T, the above list does not include the relevant legislation in this field as the list would become very long and the legislation on rail interoperability goes into great technical detail. Key legislation in this field provides the legal base for the Technical Standards for Interoperability (TSI), technical specification for interoperability relating to the Telematic Applications for Freight (TAF) and establishes an ERTMS European Deployment Plan, with compulsory implementation deadlines.

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A1.3. Road transport Relevant policy measures for TEN-T. Road transport's major transport externalities are far greater than the other modes and include congestion, road safety risk, urban and trans-boundary pollution, noise and CO2 emissions.

Congestion: official estimates show that “road congestion costs, including commuting and leisure traffic as well as business and freight traffic, amounts to an average 1 % of GDP14 in the European Union”15. Over the period 1995-2006, transport growth for passengers has been 1.7% per year and for freight 2.8%, in comparison with average economic growth of 2.4% per year. Freight transport demand has increased more strongly for road transport (road freight +3.5 %, passenger +1.6 %) compared to other modes. The increase of traffic demand has led to bottlenecks in corridors crossing densely populated areas and sensitive areas such as the Alps and the Pyrenees. More infrastructure is not the complete solution considering already average high-density, high-exploitation of European territory, and especially in the short term given the long planning and construction times for new infrastructures. Alternative, innovative measures to allow better utilisation of the existing capacity need to be considered first. Negative impacts on the environment, inefficient use of energy and dependency on fossil fuels: road transport has a significant impact on climate change: it accounts for 72 % of all transport-related CO2 emissions — which have increased by 32 % between 1990 and 2005 while decreasing or stabilising in other sectors of the economy (such as industry and households) over the same period. The same applies to GHG emissions, which overall decreased in Europe by almost 6 % over the 1990-2005 period and where road transport accounts for an increase of 29 %.

Air quality in cities and other environmentally sensitive areas does not always meet the maximum values set by European regulations and (road) transport is often a big contributor to air pollution in these locations — even if technological progress and regulation have had a considerable impact in recent years. Technological progress has also contributed to improved fuel efficiency, but gains have been neutralised by increased traffic volumes and vehicle size.

Accidents: road fatalities have displayed a net reduction (-23.9 % since 2000 in EU-27) but there were still approximately 43 000 fatalities on the EU-27 roads in 2006, more than 6 000 above the intermediate target based on the target set by the 2001 White Paper: 50 % reduction in fatalities in 2010 compared to 2001. In more than 80 % of road accidents, the driver is considered to be at least partly responsible, which argues for applications reducing the drivers’ workload or assisting them, and better (autonomous) safety systems. Of course, it should be taken into account that a large proportion of road fatalities involve private cars.

Climate change: Road transport is where there needs to be the major change so as to enable sustainable transport, especially to meet the expectations for a close to carbon free transport 14 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council - Greening Transport, COM(2008) 433 final, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0433:FIN:EN:PDF, page 9 15 http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road/consultations/doc/2008_03_26_its_roadmap_outline.pdf ITS Roadmap Outline "Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for more efficient, safer and cleaner road transport" - Version 12 October 2007 -

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system. Changes will affect the physical infrastructure in the provision of alternatives to fossil-fuelled vehicles --perhaps hydrogen filling station or battery recharge/exchange stations. Refuelling infrastructure for alternative motor fuels is expected to play an increasing role although systems will display a diversified nature over the coming decades. In the EU the following drivers will be important

• market (e.g. fossil fuel increasingly high prices, which are reasonably expected to be complemented by lowering prices for alternatives),

• regulatory at EU level (e.g. 10% alternative transport fuel objective by 2020, security of supply policy),

• societal (e.g. increasing environmental awareness) attitudes should reflect the expected evolution,

• Consideration should also be given to encouraging modal shift to lower accident risk modes.

Issues to consider with regard to refuelling infrastructure for alternative motor fuels are:

• fuel transportation;

• distribution;

• refuelling systems and;

• safety.

Each alternative fuel has its specific challenges. Beyond fuel- and powertrain-specific RTD aspects, such challenges systematically include the lack of fuelling infrastructure as a major barrier to mass market phase, notably for alternative fuels which are already available on the market today.

1) DIRECTIVE 2004/54/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 29 April 2004 on minimum safety requirements for tunnels in the Trans-European Road Network16 shall be applied to all tunnels in the Trans-European Road Network with lengths of over 500 m, whether they are in operation, under construction or at the design stage. 2) DIRECTIVE 2008/96/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 19 November 2008 on road infrastructure safety management17 This Directive requires the establishment and implementation of procedures relating to road safety impact assessments, road safety audits, the management of road network safety and safety inspections by the Member States. This Directive shall apply to roads which are part of the trans-European road network, whether they are at the design stage, under construction or in operation.

16 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2004:167:0039:0091:EN:PDF 17 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:319:0059:0067:EN:PDF

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Member States shall ensure that a road safety impact assessment is carried out for all infrastructure projects. The road safety impact assessment shall be carried out at the initial planning stage before the infrastructure project is approved. Sufficient roadside parking areas are very important not only for crime prevention but also for road safety. Parking areas enable drivers to take rest breaks in good time and continue their journey with full concentration. The provision of sufficient safe parking areas should therefore form an integral part of road infrastructure safety management. 3) DIRECTIVE 2009/28/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC18 4) DIRECTIVE 2009/30/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 23 April 2009 amending Directive 98/70/EC as regards the specification of petrol, diesel and gas-oil and introducing a mechanism to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and amending Council Directive 1999/32/EC as regards the specification of fuel used by inland waterway vessels and repealing Directive 93/12/EEC19 Targets in the Renewable Energy Directive and Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) require by 2020: • 20% of energy across the EU to be renewable • 10% of energy used in transport to be renewable • a minimum reduction in GHG emissions from road transport of 6% All Member States have the same transport target – 10% of final consumption of energy in all forms of transport to be renewable in 2020. Each Member State will have to submit a report on progress towards its targets by end 2011 and every 2 years following that. Non-road transport is excluded from the 10% target for the purposes of calculating the total amount of energy consumed in transport. However, any renewable energy used for these forms (i.e. aviation, trains) still counts towards meeting the overall target. For electric vehicles, Member States can use either the EU average or their own national average for the % of electricity that is renewable. Energy content will be deemed to be 2.5 times the energy content of the renewable electricity input. Biofuels produced from ‘wastes, residues, non-food cellulosic material, and lignocellulosic material’ shall count two times for national obligations and the 2020 transport target. Note, this only applies to transport biofuels.

A1.4. Air Transport Relevant policy measures for TEN-T. Air transport has become one of the most important modes of passenger transport, showing high growth rates and a market share increasing with travelling distances, becoming relevant over 500 km, and almost a monopoly in intercontinental passenger transport. The thresholds of competitiveness against land borne traffic are rising, with the implementation of high speed rail but will also depend on the comparative price development of fuels. 18 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:140:0016:0062:EN:PDF 19 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:140:0088:0113:EN:PDF

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In freight, air transport has rather a niche function, especially for goods with a very high value density. Volumes of air transport are therefore relatively small, however they are increasing fast. There is a strong affinity between air transport and land distribution on road, while connection with rail is an exception. The growth of the aviation sector has created a series of bottlenecks, due to capacity restraints of air routes, airports including their land connections, and air traffic management. On the land side of airports, if significant investments and operation costs are justified by traffic demand, notably for the main links, i.e. between the airport and the corresponding city, the construction of railway links is a sustainable solution in many cases. The full integration of airports into the main railway network makes sense if detours are not excessive and traffic demand exists in more directions than to the neighbouring city. However, as regards airports themselves it has been repeatedly shown to be rather difficult to construct additional runways, in view of their environmental impacts and political acceptance. Most of the capacity problems of air traffic, to a certain extent also including the exploitation of existing runway capacities can be solved or at least relieved by improving air traffic management. Especially in Europe, currently the airspace is still segmented according to national borders, which causes interface problems and a serious reduction of efficiency and sustainability. In principle the TEN-T should comprise the European air transport network as defined in the Single European Sky policy and related legislation and regulation, including the European ATM Master Plan, including SESAR, and as defined in relevant airport policies. This includes network management functions, addressing e.g. the ATM network, but also link to the business framework for investment decisions and to the overall policy for the implementation of the Single European Sky.

A1.5. Waterborne transport INLAND WATERWAYS, INLAND PORTS AND RIVER INFORMATION SERVICES (RIS) Relevant policy measures for TEN-T. The NAIADES Action Programme20 on the promotion of inland waterway transport (2006–2013) sets out an integrated action plan focusing on five strategic areas for a comprehensive Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) policy: market, fleet, jobs and skills, image and infrastructure. In its commitment to pursue the goal of shifting transport to less energy-intensive, cleaner and safer transport modes, the EU considers. inland waterway transport as an obvious choice to play a more prominent role in reaching these targets. In particular with regard to infrastructure, NAIADES stresses the need to:

20 Communication from the Commission on the promotion of inland waterway transport “NAIADES” - an integrated European action programme for inland waterway transport (COM(2006) 6 final)

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a) Improve the multi-modal network

A European Development Plan for improvement and maintenance of waterway infrastructures and transhipment facilities should be initiated to make trans-European waterway transport more efficient while respecting environmental requirements. It should provide guidance for financing and prioritise improvement and maintenance of waterway infrastructures, transhipment facilities and eliminate bottlenecks while reconciling different policy objectives, e.g. transport, energy, environment, and sustainable mobility. Such a plan should be oriented along the TEN-T network, but also include smaller networks. A European Coordinator could facilitate its implementation. Given existing backlog for the development of transhipment facilities and access to waterways, support is required, especially in new Member States and accession countries. Support should concentrate on growing market segments. Innovative strategies and significant investments are also required to better accommodate inland vessels in seaports. Spatial planning and economic policies are needed at federal, regional and local levels to safeguard waterside sites for logistics purposes.

b) Implement the River Information Services (RIS)

River Information Services (RIS) support the planning and management of traffic and transport operations. They contribute to a more efficient and safer use of waterways, locks, bridges and terminals by optimising electronic data interchange and logistics operations. It is invaluable for waterway authorities in supporting traffic management tasks and dangerous goods monitoring, and will become of great use for commercial actors. RIS will lead to increased competitiveness and improved safety, and needs to be implemented and further developed in a coordinated way within the trans-European networks. Legal framework: Directive 2005/44/EC of 7 September 2005 on harmonised river information services (RIS) on inland waterways in the Community.

TEN-T: The trans-European inland waterway network shall comprise rivers and canals and various branches and links which connect them. It shall, in particular, render possible the interconnection between industrial regions and major conurbations and link them to ports. The current minimum technical characteristics for waterways forming part of the network shall be those laid down for a class IV waterway, which allows the passage of a vessel or a pushed train of craft 80 to 85 m long and 9,50 m wide. Where a waterway forming part of the network is modernized or constructed, the technical specifications should correspond at least to class IV, should enable class Va/Vb21 to be achieved at a later date and should make satisfactory provision for the passage of vessels used for combined transport. 21 Class Va allows the passage of a vessel or a pushed train of craft 110 m long and 11,40 m wide and class Vb allows the passage of a pushed train of craft 172 to 185 m long and 11,40 m wide.

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Inland ports on the TEN Inland Waterway Network: Provision of transhipment installations, container handling facilities as well as roll-on/roll-off facilities, basic port infrastructures inside the port area as well as infrastructures linking the waterways to the rail and road network in order to increase the capacity of transhipments between road, rail and inland waterway. The inland waterway network includes around 350 important (public) inland ports. Inland ports and terminals bundle and distribute freight flows adding service to infrastructure close to production and consumer markets. Some inland ports function as first tier consolidation hubs, bundling and unbundling cargo between seaports and hinterland. Increasingly important in hinterland networks, they take over volumes and functions from seaports. Other inland ports are further inland and act as second tier distribution hubs. The density and the characteristics of inland ports show however extensive disparities between Western and Eastern Europe, e.g. in equipment, facilities, productivity and management. In Eastern Europe, there is both a lack of transhipment facilities and a lack of ports of sufficient quality to make inland navigation a competitive transport option. Significant investments are needed to establish transhipment and storage facilities which ensure an appropriate quality service level. Inland ports’ development in Western Europe mainly is hampered by suboptimal hinterland connections and by capacity restrictions on their operations. What infrastructure needs result from these policies For a quality flow network, well-accessible to other modes, the core inland waterway network should consist as a collective set of:

1. Well-maintained, bottleneck-free waterways (up to class V and higher) 2. Well-accessible, high quality, multi-modal ports and terminals 3. River Information Services covering traffic and transport management interfacing

with nodes and modes PORTS Relevant policy measures for TEN-T. More than 1 200 merchant ports dot some 100 000 km of European coasts; several hundred others punctuate the 36 000 km of our inland waterways. They are key points of modal transfer and are of vital interest to handle 90% of Europe's international trade. Moreover and supporting European transport policy, they handle 40% of the tonne-kilometres carried out in intra-Community trade. They are a key to cohesion in Europe, through the development of passenger and ferry services. The development of the cruise industry has transformed some of them into focal centres of tourism for cities and whole regions. They are essential for the development of short sea shipping and, in many cases, of inland waterways' traffic. These two modes are economic, and can replace less sustainable modes over long distances. Ports are a direct and in-direct source of more than half a million jobs, and ensure dynamism and development of whole regions including most peripheral ones, in line with the Lisbon strategy. The relevant policy is the Communication on a European Ports Policy of 18 October 200722, which aims at a performing EU port system able to cope with the future challenges of EU transport needs and which includes an action plan for the European Commission.

22 COM(2007) 616 final , http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:52007DC0616:EN:HTML:NOT

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Ports face the following challenges:

A demand for international transport amplified by its low cost and growing quicker than economic growth; it is interesting to note that investors from all venues and origin are indeed now attracted by the appealing future of ports.

Major technological change, marked by the development of container transport, more effective, faster, safer, and cleaner operation of ports, but for which a major adaptation effort in land acquisition and management, in technology and social issues is required from our ports and the cities hosting them. At the same time, the necessary use of IT, navigation, and telecommunication technologies requires adaptation and training so as to continue offering prospects for productivity and new jobs.

The commitment to reduce greenhouse gases and the current problems with air quality calls for a decrease in harmful emissions and road congestion effects of each tonne-kilometre transported, and for modal diversification towards rail, inland navigation and maritime transport. It will lead to a better geographical distribution of land transport and to a better use of existing port capacities.

The necessity to develop a recurrent dialogue on performance and development of ports between port stakeholders and within the city, the region, and beyond where necessary. Dialogue is of primary importance as it can ensure social acceptance, efficiency, improve the image of ports, achieve a better spatial organisation for urban functions, recreation or tourism; an approach based on dialogue with stakeholders can help to achieve sustainable activity within ports as well as better employment opportunities and conditions..

Last but not least the need to reconcile ports' development and management with transparency, competition, and in general Community rules.

Overall, Europe's biggest ports can be considered efficient in economic terms; their maritime set up, openness, organisation of calls, and berthing of ships (the main source of revenue) are usually commendable; in many ports, however, there are still bottlenecks, such as mismatches in storage and un/loading capacity, unsatisfactory terminal layout and output per unit area of installed capacity, inefficient routings and access from sea or land, long waiting time, and insufficient security for trucks, trains and barges, unsatisfactory labour conditions and output, and last but not least, excessive administrative requirements which prove to be costly in terms of time and money. Having a good situation and site on the sea or water side, and delivering reliable services at reasonable prices is therefore not enough. On the land side, reliable and sustainable hinterland connections via rail, inland waterways and road are a key to the capacity rating and future of a port. Significant improvements in this field are necessary and possible. In summary, the first options to cope with increased demand for port capacity should be:

To increase port efficiency and productivity rates, in terms of output or movements per ha of existing terminals space and throughout the access routes. New port equipment and timed appointments at terminals for trucks, trains, and barges, together with an integrated management of the transport chain at least through the port from sea to inland carriers, would certainly solve a number of problems. Operations and cargo management systems

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and software will certainly contribute to smoothing the interfaces between modes and operators, and contribute to increasing output.

To explore alternative transport routes as a means to achieve a more intensive use of all existing ports - some of which are operating under capacity levels - and to have them nearer to users. Market proves that daily and quick intra-EU connections, by either short sea shipping or feedering services are a sustainable option for many ports.

To reduce administrative barriers as promoted in the European maritime transport space without barriers23.

Those perspectives to port expansion should be properly assessed before new infrastructural developments are envisaged. Thus, developments need to be discussed with all stakeholders, and then planned and executed on the basis of a large consensus. Reaching a consensus on them would indeed be easier, if ports' Master Plans were regularly updated after broad consultation and at all levels. The construction of major new port facilities or the substantial expansion of existing ones should be primarily based on a sound economic assessment of the effect that the envisaged development will have on transport flows. This would also lead to a more rational distribution of traffic across Europe. Even though such a better distribution cannot obviously be "enforced" by regulatory means, it would certainly suit today's concerns on sustainability of transport. -ICT: Development of E-maritime services More than half of EU ports have no dedicated system for communicating with administration or the transport operators. The net result is that information to carry out day to day tasks is often a manual process causing business mistakes and casualties. However, the few port information systems that are fully developed in Europe have produced considerable quality and efficiency gains. Specific challenges to be addressed include:

• Administrative procedures are complex and time-consuming and are even today often paper transactions.

• Differing interpretations of regulations and standards create additional inefficiencies. When carried out electronically, the systems are non-harmonised and differ from State to State, region to region.

• Maritime transport is insufficiently integrated in the logistics chain and in particular, the electronic exchange of messages and data is not well developed, hampering efficiency over the whole chain.

Only a few Member States have a national single window approach for information and data. The linkage between the SafeSeaNet24, a European Platform for Maritime Data Exchange between Member States' maritime authorities, and the port networks is very limited, and the exchange of electronic messages between ports is practically non-existent.

23 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2009:0010:FIN:EN:PDF 24 Directive 2002/59/EC establishing a Community vessel traffic monitoring and information system24 as amended.

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The EU e-Maritime initiative, a new Commission initiative under development, will encompass legal, organisational and technical frameworks to enable maritime transport operators, shippers/ freight forwarders, and maritime administrations to seamlessly and effortlessly exchange information in order to improve the efficiency and quality of their services. TEN-T ports should communicate with their stakeholders through the e-maritime framework.

Environment and efficiency: Shore side electricity supply in ports

The Commission adopted on 8 May 2006 a Recommendation on the promotion of shore-side electricity for use by ships at berth in Community ports (2006/339/EC).

It recommends Member States the installation of shore-side electricity for use by ships at berth in ports; particularly in ports where air quality limit values are exceeded or where public concern is expressed. It underlines the cost-effectiveness and practicality of using shore-side electricity to reduce emissions for different types of ships, routes and ports. A considerable amount of power is required to be able to operate all functions on a vessel. Ports are not normally equipped to supply vessels with electricity from the shore, nor are vessels usually equipped for this. Instead, the energy required is generated by the vessels’ own auxiliary engines, which run an electricity generator. The auxiliary engine consumes diesel or heavy oil, and generates both exhaust gases and noise. If power is supplied from the shore these environmentally polluting emissions and noise can be avoided, depending of course on how the electricity is produced. A high voltage connection enables a sufficiently high power to be transmitted to the vessel, without the environmentally polluting emissions and noise that the engines create. Where appropriate, TEN-T ports should be equipped with facilities that reduce or prevent pollution of ships at berth.

Environment and efficiency: LNG The maritime industry is looking for new ways of reducing the environmental impact from ships. Over recent years an environmentally friendly option for ship fuelling has been developed – using natural gas as fuel. LNG is an environmentally-friendly alternative to marine fuel. It burns cleaner than diesel - reducing CO2 emissions by about 20 percent, NOx emissions by about 90 percent, and sulphur oxide and particle emissions by nearly 100 percent. On the other hand, introducing LNG implies increased technical and operational complexity, increased investment costs, emphasis on crew training in particular with respect to safety issues and to face the lack of development of regionally LNG distribution systems. During the next few decades liquid natural gas (LNG) is expected to be the world’s fastest growing major energy source for maritime transportation. The driving forces behind this development are the depleting known oil reserves, increasing environmental care and the continuous tightening of emission restrictions. LNG is one of the largest sources of energy worldwide and at today’s rate of consumption it is expected to last about 150 years. On an energy basis, known LNG resources even exceed known oil resources.

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The introduction of LNG as fuel for ships will be easier in specific shipping segments, such as RoRo, RoPax and high speed vehicle carrying vessels. It is therefore of particular relevance for the Motorways of the Sea. Locations for developing LNG bunker logistics need to be identified and ports need to be equipped in order to supply this fuel to the vessels. What infrastructure needs result from these initiatives The main infrastructure needs in ports are the following:

• improvement of port hinterland connections, including with inland intermodal terminals, via rail and inland waterways);

• soft infrastructure, i.e. the development of the e-maritime support platform and its applications;

• full integration of the maritime and port sector into a new integrated approach to he TEN-T;

• Development of infrastructure for supporting the transition to LNG logistics for shortsea shipping and Motorways of the Sea;

• In a logistics/corridor approach with interlinking of modes for continuation of the service a link to RIS and maritime surveillance needs to be ensured.

A1.6. Connections of long distance to urban/local transport Relevant policy measures for TEN-T Urban mobility is a central component of long-distance transport. The Action Plan on Urban Mobility25 indicates that most transport, both of passengers and freight, starts and ends in urban areas and passes through several urban areas on its way. Urban areas should provide efficient interconnection points (interfaces) with the trans-European transport network and offer efficient ‘last mile’ transport for both freight and passengers. They are thus vital to the competitiveness and sustainability of the European transport system. Congestion in urban areas is a serious problem and has negative economic, social, health and environmental impacts and degrades the natural and built environment. The Commission's Communication on a 'Sustainable future for transport'26 and the Green Paper 'Towards a new culture for urban mobility'27 both stress that urban congestion negatively impacts on inter-urban transport, including on the capacity of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). What infrastructure needs result from the Urban mobility policy 25 Action Plan on Urban Mobility COM(2009)490 26 A sustainable future for transport: Towards an integrated, technology-led and user friendly system

COM(2009)279 27 Towards a new culture for urban mobility COM(2007)55

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In order to offer efficient and effective door-to-door travel solutions and transport services, the urban dimension of (or interface to) the core network should include:

• Intermodal interfaces to provide access to TEN-T nodes/terminals (these include airports, ports, logistics terminals, railway stations, public transport stations (e.g. bus and railway))

• Urban infrastructure to inter-connect TEN-T nodes/terminals fostering intermodality;

• 'Soft infrastructure' (smart systems and services) to improve facilities from a user's perspective.

Possible indicators to assess the performance of the links to the core network/EU added value could be the following:

• All cost components (price, time, reliability) of the last leg of international journeys in order to reach the final destination in urban centres and the emissions per person or tonne/km on that leg.

• Freight travel time variation (especially by creating IT solutions to ease bureaucracy and improve access to connections and terminals) – Need to identify quantitative criteria;

• Quality (access, user-friendliness, multi-modality, speed, frequency, reliability, emissions per tonne/person km) on transport corridors linking international hubs serving urban centres and the urban centres serviced. This includes also soft infrastructures such as ticketing and information provision.

A.2 Requirements from other EU policies

A.2.1. Climate policy • EU's GHG emission reduction objectives;

• In order to achieve the 2°C target of global warming, 50% global means 80-90% reduction for the developed countries; this requires substantial contribution of transport to the overall decarbonisation objectives by 2050;

• low carbon transport.

A.2.2. Environmental Policy • Internalisation of external costs;

• Air quality directive, Birds & Habitat Directive, Water framework Directive;

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• Strategic environmental assessment Directive and Environmental impact assessment Directive.

A.2.3. Energy policy • alternative sources of energy to be used in transport;

• security of energy supply;

• renewables in transport;

• energy efficiency.

final report of the expert group 2 - integration of …...hence, transport infrastructure policy is...

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