“The railway will be the transport mode of the 22nd century”

“The railway will be the transport mode of the 21st century, if it survives the 20th.” I had to use this phrase on numerous occasions during my time as Chief Executive of the Belgian National Railway Company in the 1990s, in order to make my colleagues aware of the necessity, during tense budgetary periods for public authorities, to efficiently use the budgetary means put at the company’s disposal by the public stakeholder, and at the same time, highlight the obligation that the public authorities have to make sufficient appropriations in their budget to allow the least polluting means of transport to continue its development.

This message has been understood in my country, as well as other countries, which has allowed large railway infrastructure projects to be launched and the massive acquisition of new rolling stock; and this, to the profit of railway undertakings, infrastructure managers, their clients and industry in numerous domains which are the pride of Europe. In other world regions this inspires a wish to launch enormous construction projects too, which directly allows European businesses to conquer new markets in exporting a unique ‘savoir-faire’.

All of those who use the Belgian railway observe the reality of these large construction projects such as the high-speed lines that link capitals and large cities, Brussels, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Cologne, the magnificent Liege and Antwerp stations; or encounter numerous and vast construction projects which are creating new RER lines around Brussels, new infrastructure allowing the connection of Brussels-National airport to all the major Belgian cities, to increase the capacity and fluidity of traffic to and from the maritime ports, to favour mobility in the capital of Europe etc.

This sound policy of massive and constant investment still has many more years to come, because, as we all know, the railway can only remain the most secure means of transport if it is correctly maintained, and can only rival other means of transport if it continues to modernise and substantially increase its capacity.

This constant technical modernisation is, in my view, unlikely to come to an end as long as the potential for this mode of transport, around for the last 175 years, remains so huge for the European continent. It must be accompanied by a modernisation of the regulatory framework if we want to increase its chances of success and the reconquering of a market share, to become a key vector for European mobility and the fight against climate change, and to participate in the changing of mentalities for energy consumption which must rapidly impose itself without compromising the level of comfort to which we have become used to since the Second World War and for which so many people envy us.

The recast of the first railway package, which now seems to be close to completion, is moving in the right direction, however it will remain insufficient as long as the railway sector needs renewal. I am thinking in particular of all the obstacles that still exist and that are holding up the rapid and fluid circulation of freight convoys, that prevent convoys of more than 750m from being formed, that prevent clients from knowing the position of their goods in real time, that does not allow traction engines to have a single signalling system, that stop people with reduced mobility from being able to use the train etc.

I remain convinced that there are still numerous projects to be embarked upon, and not only the infrastructure construction projects; that the European institutions will continue with the systematic modernisation of the railways, despite the delaying difficulties encountered by some; that the rail sector and the businesses linked to it should let themselves be guided by a vigorous spirit of competition; that some railway groups are required to dramatically alter their structures; that the States, Europe and the private sector will continue to invest in the railway; that the public will continue to have confidence in it; and that, despite the difficult times at present, the railway will be the transport mode of the 22nd century.