Rail transport statistics: collection of data on goods, passengers and accidents

PURPOSE: to update, simplify and optimise the existing legal framework for European statistics on rail transport.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2016/2032 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 on rail transport statistics, as regards the collection of data on goods, passengers and accidents.

CONTENT: this Regulation amends Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 in order to update, simplify and optimise the existing legal framework for European statistics on rail transport and to align it with the new institutional context on conferring delegated powers and implementing acts to the Commission in view of the adoption of certain measures.

Statistics on the transport of goods and passengers by rail: the Regulation stressed the need for statistics to enable the Commission to:

• monitor and develop the common transport policy, and the transport elements of policies on the regions and on trans-European network;
• ensure the preparation and monitoring of EU actions in the field of transport safety.

A new recital considered the importance of avoiding duplication of work and stated that it is necessary to establish appropriate cooperation agreements on statistical activities between the Commission's services and relevant entities, including at international level with a view to providing easily accessible and useful information to Union citizens and other stakeholders on rail transport safety and interoperability of the rail system, including the rail infrastructure.

Data collection: the Regulation stipulated that Member States shall report under Annexes A and C data for undertakings that have:

• a total volume of goods transport of at least 200 000 000 tonne-km or at least 500 000 tonnes;
• a total volume of passenger transport of at least 100 000 000 passenger-km.

Reporting under Annexes A and C shall be optional in respect of undertakings falling below these thresholds.

Member States shall take all measures necessary to ensure the quality of the data transmitted.

Delegated powers: the Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts to adapt the technical definitions and to provide for additional technical definitions, when needed to take into account new developments which require a certain level of technical detail to be defined in order to ensure the harmonisation of statistics. The delegated acts shall not impose a significant additional burden on the Member States or on the respondents.

Reports: by 31 December 2020 and every four years thereafter, the Commission, after consulting the European Statistical System Committee, shall submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the implementation of this Regulation and on future developments.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 13.12.2016.

DELEGATED ACTS: the power to adopt delegated acts shall be conferred on the Commission for a period of five years from 13 December 2016. The European Parliament or the Council shall have the right to object to a delegated act within a period of two months (extendable for two months) from the date of notification.