Rail transport statistics. Recast

2017/0146(COD)

The European Parliament adopted by 648 votes to 11, with 31 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on rail transport statistics (recast).

The European Parliament adopted its position at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure without making any amendments to the Commission proposal and taking account of the recommendations of the Consultative Working Party of the legal services of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission.

The objective of this Regulation is to establish common rules for the production of rail transport statistics at Union level.

Statistics on the transport of goods and passengers by rail are necessary:

  • to enable the Commission: (i) to monitor and develop the common transport policy, the transport component of regional policy and the policies relating to trans-European networks; (ii) to ensure prepare and monitor Union actions in the field of transport safety;
  • to fulfil the monitoring tasks provided for in Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a single European railway area.

The scope of this Regulation shall cover all railways in the Union. Each Member State shall report statistics which relate to rail transport on its national territory. Where a railway undertaking operates in more than one Member State, the national authorities concerned shall require the undertaking to provide data separately for each country in which it operates so as to enable national statistics to be compiled.

Member States may exclude from the scope of this Regulation:

  • railway undertakings which operate entirely or mainly within industrial and similar installations, including harbours;
  • railway undertakings which mainly provide local tourist services, such as preserved historical steam railways.

The annual statistics to be collected on the transport of goods and passengers are specified in the annexes of the proposed Regulation.