ACT: Commission Decision concerning the technical specification for interoperability relating to the subsystem “rolling stock – noise” of the trans-European conventional rail system.
CONTENT: Directive 2001/16/EC obliges the EU to prepare technical specifications (TSIs) for the subsystem “noise”. The European Association for Railway Interoperability (AEIF) was mandated by the Commission to prepare such specifications and in doing so relied on the best available expert knowledge. The basic parameters for the subsystem “noise” were adopted in 2004 by Commission Decision 2004/446. This latter Decision, sets out the basic parameters of the noise, freight wagons and telematic applications for freight technical specifications for interoperability. In adopting this Act, however, the provisions concerning the basic parameters of the tans-European conventional rail system shall no longer apply to Decision 2004/446.
In more specific terms, the TSI Noise is now adopted and refers to the trans-European conventional rail system as defined by Directive 2001/16, both in its Articles and in its Annexes. Under the terms of the Decision, Member States are expected to inform the EU of any agreements which contain requirements relating to noise emission limits. The types of agreements should include national agreements between the Member States and the railway undertakings, bi-lateral or multilateral agreements between railway undertakings, infrastructure managers or safety authorities and international agreements between one or more Member State and at least on third country or between railway undertakings of at least one Member State and at least one railway undertaking of a third country.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 23 June 2006.