An interview with Jiří Kolář

Speaking exclusively with Global Railway Review, Jiří Kolář, Director General of the Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC) discusses the operational mission of the organisation, the importance of high-speed lines in the Czech Republic, competition with road transport, and what the future holds.

Could you summarise the past and SŽDC’s mission?

The Czech Republic initiated reforms of the railway by adopting the Transformation Act of Czech Railways, state organisation in 2002. On 1 January 2003, two separate companies became operational – the Czech Railways, joint stock company and the Railway Infrastructure Administration, state organisation. The objective of this transformation was to separate the infra – structure manager, as it was, and still is, being required by the EU Directives, especially the so-called First Railway Package provisions.

The main mission of SŽDC is to fulfil the function of railway infrastructure owner including all related basic obligations, i.e. operating the railway infrastructure, ensuring its operability, and to carry out modernisation and development so that we are able to offer a reliable, safe and fast railway infrastructure of excellent quality to all transport carriers. The Czech Republic has a relatively dense rail network; we take care of approximately 9,500km of lines, many civil engineering constructions (bridges and tunnels), railway crossings, technologies and installations – and our current task is not simple during this difficult period.

Which actions do you consider as the most important for the near future?

In the 1990s we began modernising backbone lines in our country – the so-called national transit railway corridors. The most important routes leading to Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovakia are almost finished. The backbone of the rail network in the Czech Republic consists of four transit railway corridors, two of which are part of Pan-European Corridors IV and VI.

At present we are completing transit railway corridors III and IV covering the sections Prague–Plzeň–Cheb and České Budějovice– Prague. Several important railway stations and junction points are still to be modernised.

Regional lines are not being neglected either. We cooperate closely with every region and try to conform to their concept documents in the field of ensuring transport servicing. The extent of planned transport servicing and the related ordering of transport volumes define the future demand in suburban and regional transport, and it is therefore an important background for planning investments in railway infrastructure.

We greatly emphasise the implementation of European safety systems, especially ERTMS (ETCS and GSM-R), which undoubtedly increases the competitiveness of the Czech rail network. The geographical position of the Czech Republic in the heart of Europe brings tremendous strategic potential and we intend to offer a transit infrastructure of excellent quality to all international transport carriers.

Is the connection of your railway infrastructure with neighbouring countries without problems?

I would not make such a statement. We cooperated, and continue to cooperate, with all European institutions while preparing essential strategic documents in the area of rail network development, e.g. the Directive 913/2010 European rail network for competitive freight, the TEN-T networks’ revision or setting the core and comprehensive network. We highly appreciate the efforts of the European Union to coordinate modernisation activities with the objective to connect essential routes through – out Europe and we encourage the endeavour to create a common management of defined corridors for long integrated routes. We must not forget that the intent to transfer high transport volumes from the overloaded roads to the railway also corresponds with the objectives of the EU Transport White Paper. What would massive investments in railway lines leading to Berlin, Munich or Nuremberg be for if the German side was not interested in continuing investment on its own territory?

What about the Czech Republic and high-speed lines?

Modernisation of our national transit corridors complies with all technical parameters required by European Directives on railway systems’ interoperability. Speed on these lines varies up to 160km/h, which is of course not a high-speed line as such, but we must take into account that – several exceptions notwithstanding – we modernise all lines on their original routes, such as they were designed and built by our forbearers. It’s not just the economic factors creating obstacles for building new lines altogether, but also geographical limits given by the countryside, terrain segmentation, population density, etc. In any case, we have examined the possibility of increasing the speed on current lines, however a change of legislation is required for such a step.

Many Czech people commute to work. Do you consider increasing competition among railway transport operators as an asset?

Ensuring suburban transport of good quality for big city agglomerations is a long-term objective; a specific example of such intent would be the modernisation of the Prague–Kladno line with a rail connection to the Prague international airport; Praha-Ruzyně/Václav Havel Airport. From other similar constructions I can mention the reconstruction and capacity increase of the Studénka–Mošnov line, double-tracking of the section Stéblová–Opatovice nad Labem within an important capacity increase of the line from Hradec Králové through Pardubice to Chrudim, and more.

As far as my opinion on competition in railway transport is concerned, I encourage everything that will increase interest in the railway. Of course this will also bring a financial benefit to our organisation, namely as a higher amount of train-kilometres and thus an increase of the track access charges. The passengers will have the possibility to choose their own transport operator and transport services will improve in this context, because decades-old operation stereotypes will have to change.

How about timetables?

Within rail operation, SŽDC ensures the prep – aration of timetables and path allocation. One of the priorities in this field is ensuring equal and non-discriminatory railway infrastructure access to all entitled transport carriers and thus creating a base for establishing and developing competition in the field of passenger and freight railway transport.

SŽDC strives in the long-term to harmonise conditions of railway infrastructure access for railway transport operators and conditions of road infrastructure access for road transport operators, i.e. to equalise (harmonise) economic conditions for the functioning of both transport systems for individual transport carriers. In my opinion, the current system of fees for railway and road infrastructure use is more advant – ageous for road transport operators compared to railway transport operators. The legislation aspect of harmonising conditions in railway and road transport is far from closed, even on the European scale. Of course the Eurovignette Directive provides certain options to individual countries, but from my point of view it is not sufficient enough and the relevant provisions should be much more rigorous – especially as far as internalisation of external costs are concerned (pollution etc.).

Is the railway able to compete with road transport at all?

Due to increasing fuel prices, growing numbers of vehicles and high levels of congestion in many places caused by exceeding the roads’ capacity, I believe that railway transport has great potential and a lot to offer. Remember how travelling was 20 years ago and what progress railway transport was able to achieve. It is true that speeds were relatively high (120km/h), but the journey was uncomfortable and noisy, trains had to slow down at points in front of every station and passing switches would set the whole car swinging. Today you will only feel this when you pass from modernised lines onto un-modernised ones. And there’s also the higher operational safety. By building modern safety installation systems (investments in longdistance line control) we have eliminated the possibility of human factor error on many lines.

We also strive to increase safety at railway level crossings. We are proud of having a unique system of railway crossings’ recording in the Czech Republic which enables us to immediately stop railway operation on a given line section if information of an obstruction (accident or obstacle on a level crossing, etc) emerges. The system is connected to the integrated salvage system of the Czech Republic.

Coming back to the topic of regional lines; what about their closure in your country?

As I already mentioned, we intensely cooperate with the regions on this matter. We must identify which lines are necessary and useful. We must take into account that we have one of the most dense rail networks in the whole of Europe. If we agree that a specific line has a future, then we invest the necessary amount of money in it. Until recently, SŽDC did not communicate at all with the national transport operator, who was purchasing totally new regional rolling stock co-financed from European funds in a quite considerable amount. I think that wherever new trains are being put into operation, the relevant line should be considerably modernised as well, so that the trains do not travel at low speeds. What we need are modern crossings and a maximum possible speed. Lines being operated by new rolling stock from the transport operator will be repaired and maintained by SŽDC as a priority – and I intend to realise this in 2013.

Maintenance of lines costs considerable amounts of money. However, if the line is not being used, it is classified as ‘unnecessary’. If the region does not want to have a line and does not order train connections, we ask other operators if they are interested in operating the line themselves, perhaps at their own entre – preneurial risk. We also ask freight transport operators and another possibility is to transfer the regional line to a branch line.

If a community is interested in a line, it cannot be transferred free-of-charge. By default we must have it evaluated by an expert and then offer it for a price set in the expert’s statement. For example, if cycle facilities are created on a closed line we would be very pleased that the new construction keeps the geometrical character of the line as well as (in many cases) interesting engineering constructions, small arched bridges, culverts and other historical elements that have a past of their own and most certainly bring a technical testimony of the time when they were built.

Would you provide support to a major railway holding establishment?

I am a fan of any solution that is functional – and the system that was established in the Czech Republic is certainly not totally functional. Our political representation within the state transport policy and its concept of development must now make an essential decision. Either we adopt the ‘Slovak model’, i.e. atomising the railway into totally separate companies, or we look at operating like the Deutsche Bahn. We are currently somewhere in-between. Personally, I think the German model of railway structuring is the most suitable.

What about the infrastructure manager?

We do not have to stress how important and serious the tasks awaiting every infrastructure manager are, such as this position is perceived within the context of the European railway market. We welcome the CEF European initiative (Connecting Europe Facility) and we believe that it will provide support in completing an integrated trans-European transport network and primarily in modernising the rail network.

SŽDC strives to create fully competitive conditions in the Czech Republic for the development of railway transport. We want to fulfil our own vision – to be a modern, flexible and customer-oriented organisation ensuring the development of a serviceable, modern, capacitive and safe rail network as an integral part of the European railway system.

Biography

Jiří Kolář graduated from the Faculty of Operation and Economics of Transport and Communications of Žilinská University and has been the Director General of SŽDC since April 2012.