Overview
FrançaisRead this article from a comprehensive knowledge base, updated and supplemented with articles reviewed by scientific committees.
Read the articleAUTHOR
-
Patrick CHARPENTIER: Director, Institute of Railway Operations, SNCF Group - Within the SNCF Group, the author was Freight Production Director, Freight Strategy and Development Director, then General Manager of the International Freight Group.
INTRODUCTION
The transport market is highly competitive. Intermodal competition has largely benefited road transport over the past 30 years. Until now contained by cooperation agreements between national railway companies, and by the real difficulties of access to the profession, competition between railway companies, announced in 1991, is now part of the European landscape. Although of little significance in France, it is a reality in other major European countries.
The political authorities are calling for a revival of the rail mode to meet the challenge of growing trade in Europe and worldwide. In so doing, they are relaying the pressure exerted by public opinion and institutional players, who fear the external effects of a growth in trade that would only be ensured by road transport. The long-term rise in energy costs makes it more imperative than ever to find an alternative to "all-road" transport. Shippers themselves, whether manufacturers or freight providers, are increasingly keen to benefit from the intrinsic advantages of the rail mode.
The issues of harmonizing conditions of competition, under-pricing transport and taking external effects into account have been raised for years. Clearly, the railways can't wait for the debate to reach a positive conclusion before taking the measures that fall within their remit. All incumbent railroads are therefore implementing restructuring policies on an unprecedented scale, based on new industrial models, with a view to regaining strong competitiveness and irreproachable service quality. In many respects, both in terms of its weaknesses and its profound industrial transformation, SNCF is exemplary in the search for a viable model for the future of rail transport on a European scale.
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!
Already subscribed? Log in!
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
CAN BE ALSO FOUND IN:
This article is included in
Railway systems
This offer includes:
Knowledge Base
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
Services
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
Practical Path
Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills
Doc & Quiz
Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading
Rail freight transport