EU Agency for Railways becomes authority for cross-border traffic
Posted: 17 June 2019 | Global Railway Review | No comments yet
With just one authorisation authority across Europe, the ERA will present a single and simplified authorisation and certification process.
From 16 June 2019, the European Union Agency for Railways took responsibility for vehicle authorisation, safety certification, and ERTMS trackside approval as the single authorisation process across Europe.
Ushering a new era of simplified processes for the European rail market, companies operating across EU borders may now rely on one single, integrated process to obtain vehicle authorisations, single safety certificates or to request European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) trackside approval.
From 16 June 2019 onwards they must contact the European Union Agency for Railways in Valenciennes and need to file only one application through its One-Stop Shop IT tool (OSS). Upon receipt of an application, ERA assigns a project manager who is the personal contact for the applicant and who advises them throughout the process. Dedicated multilingual expert teams assess each application.
This is a substantial change for the European rail system. Bulgaria, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Romania and Slovenia have adopted the new regime in June 2019, while other countries chose to transpose the new legislation by June 2020. Switzerland will adopt the new regime on a case-by-case basis from June 2019.
Dr. Josef Doppelbauer, Executive Director of ERA, stated: “For years, the railway’s progress in Europe has been hampered by technical barriers and excessive cost. The new, simplified certification processes help break down the barriers and increasing harmonisation, which will improve the competitive position of railways.”
