Infrabel’s client oriented strategy in a liberalised railway market

Infrabel, manager of the Belgian railway infrastructure, has developed a variety of products and services for railway operators and its industrial clients. This initiative fits into the strategy of a client-oriented account management that caters to all individual needs. In an interview with Global Railway Review, Luc Vansteenkiste, Director General Rail Access, discusses the challenges Infrabel faces within the context of a liberalised railway market.

Strategy within a liberalised railway market

The continued economic growth within Europe and throughout the world – in spite of the current temporary crisis – demands a continuous growth in mobility. The challenge for the railway sector and for Infrabel consists in providing support to the economic and social development of Belgium and Europe within a liberalised market (since 2006/2007 for freight transport and since 2010 for international passenger transport).

In this context, Infrabel’s ambition is to offer a safe, efficiently performing, qualitative, and sustainable railway network for the transport of passengers and freight. In addition, in keeping with its strategic vision to turn Belgium into the crossroads for European transport, Infrabel wants to forge and maintain close cooperative bonds with other European infrastructure managers and railway operators.

Belgium as the crossroads of Europe

Thanks to its central location in Europe, Belgium occupies an especially favourable railway position and boasts of a dense railway network that interconnects with the neighbouring networks. In December 2009, Belgium became the first European nation to complete its borderto- border high-speed rail network and has since turned into an established stop on major international routes.

As an active member of RailNetEurope, Infrabel further plays an important role in the development of a trans-European freight network of crossborder railway corridors. Via Corridor C (from Antwerp to Basel and Lyon), amongst others, Infrabel offers its clients a safe and interoperable ‘European highway’ for the transport of goods.

Infrabel’s client strategy

Infrabel’s strategy is steadfastly pursuing a coherent measured investment policy of expanding the rail infrastructure at those locations along the network where expansion is needed. This way, clients will be able to make progressive use of the new rail capacity, even when the project has not yet been fully completed, thus to be able to immediately reap the fruits of the investments made.

On the formation of Infrabel (01/01/2005), the Rail Access Directorate was set up with its mission: the development and further expansion of a client-oriented strategy, guaranteeing fair and non-discriminatory access to railway operators, optimising infrastructure capacity, plus regulating and collecting track access charges.

Access to the Belgian railway network

In order to gain access to the Belgian rail infrastructure, a railway operator needs to meet a number of different conditions:

• The applicant needs to possess a permit that identifies him as an accredited operator
• At the same time, the operator needs to secure a safety certificate (part A) as confirmation that his safety management system has received approval and meets all of the norms imposed within Europe
• The safety certificate (part B) confirms that the operator has taken all measures in order to meet the specific requirements to be allowed to operate on the network in question
• Next, a user agreement is concluded between Infrabel and the operator wherein the rights and duties of both parties are established
• And finally, Infrabel shall assign the rail infrastructure capacity (train paths) in keeping with the procedures and principles entered into its Network Statement (www.railaccess.be).

Railway operators, industrial clients and stakeholders

Currently, the following operators are active on the Belgian railway network:

• International passenger transport: Thalys and ICE under licence of the SNCB, plus Eurostar International Limited
• Domestic passenger transport: SNCB
• Freight transport: B-Logistics, Crossrail Benelux, Fret SNCF, TrainsporT AG, ERS Railways, Captrain Belgium and DB Schenker Rail Nederland NV. Aside from direct clients (railway operators), Infrabel also serves a number of indirect clients or stakeholders:
• Industrial enterprises: more than 200 private companies are connected to the Belgian network in order to move their products via rail
• Logistics terminals: in the vicinity of the large industrial hubs where Infrabel is making the necessary investments
• Ports: are the logistical access gateways to the rest of Europe and the world and, as such, they fulfil a very important function for Belgium in the area of intermodality between rail and the ports (water traffic)
• Airports: also are strategically important in terms of intermodality between the railway and air traffic.

Client-oriented range of products and services

The Rail Access Directorate is the Single Point of Contact and has gradually developed and refined a client-oriented account management. Every client receives tailored services and has access to a contact person who remains permanently available to answer all specific questions.

Especially to serve its clients, Infrabel has developed the following eight different products:

• Your Moves: Infrabel assigns to the operator the requested train paths (best possible route) to allow them to operate on the Belgian network
• Your Shunts: the client has direct access to the shunting yards and sorting tracks in order to optimise the composition of his trains
• Your Power: Infrabel provides electrical power to the operator on the Belgian rail net via a secure network of traction sub stations and overhead power lines
• Your Connection: industrial enterprises can connect their private rail tracks to the Belgian network
• Your XXL: the totality of tailored solutions for exceptional transport and train paths as worked out by a specialised team
• Your Extratime: the client can always count on satisfactory service, even when the train departs and arrives outside of the regular hours
• Your KG: the client can enjoy purposeful guidance and assistance for the calibration and fine-tuning of the weighbridges
• Your Track: the client can reserve specific tracks for his use in function of his longterm requirements

In addition, the Rail Access Directorate offers clients a host of different services via a secured website, the ‘Business Corner’:

• Book In: online reservation of the train paths
• Shunt In: online reservation of the local capacity
• Work In: info about work activities along the network and their impact on the rail traffic
• Track In: real-time overview of the transports
• Limit In: info about the maximum allowable weight per rail line
• Rob In: online consultation about the infrastructure levy
• Fill In: data about the composition of the train, the weight, and the nature of the transport
• Save In: hotline to inform Infrabel of any safety problems along the network

Infrabel’s strategy to serve Belgium as logistics hub

Infrabel’s basic philosophy is to listen to its clients and to actively cooperate with them in order to be able to meet their requests and wishes as best as possible. The Rail Access Directorate will continue to refine this strategy and harmonise it in synch with market evolutions and new trends within our society. The further liberalisation of the railway network with also the opening of the domestic passenger transport in Belgium in time forms herein the coming significant challenge.

strategic guiding thread that lies woven throughout all of Infrabel’s projects and investments is invariably based on a permanent improvement of the safety and quality factors in function of a client-oriented service. Safety is for Infrabel the absolute priority with the progressive implementation of ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) throughout the entire Belgian railway network.

The favourable central location of our country, combined with Infrabel’s efficiently performing strategy, has turned Belgium into an important logistics hub for mobility and for the economy, thus Luc Vansteenkiste’s closing comments.

About the Author

Luc Vansteenkiste has been Director General ‘Rail Access’ at Infrabel since 1 December 2004. Prior to this, Mr Vansteenkiste held many positions including, among others, General Manager ICT SNCB (2000-2004), CEO BENE-IT NV, a branch of SNCB (2002-2004), Manager Director Eurostar Group Ltd. & Eurostar UK Ltd. (1998-2000) and Director General SYSRAIL, a branch of SNCF and SNCB (1994-1998). Mr. Vansteenkiste’s mandates include President RailNetEurope and Director TUC RAIL.