Objective

In Europe, some rail infrastructure managers own or operate stations. In some cases, the operational part of station management is delegated to another entity, which could also be a railway undertaking. EIM’s members, who manage stations, are keen to share knowledge and experience with European peers on topics such as station management, development and operations, but also on critical and strategic issues (e.g. security, digitalisation and multimodality).

EIM in action

• EIM’s WG “Station” shares information and best practice relevant to stations. It focuses on the status and application of standards for stations and on the division of responsibility for platforms.
• EIM monitors the relevant legislation affecting stations (e.g. safety, PRM, capacity, etc) and triggers its members’ input when needed. 
• EIM ensures coordination and collaboration with its WG “PRM” (Passengers with Reduced Mobility). 

Objective

The 4th Railway Package, especially the Directive (EU) 2016/797 on the interoperability of the rail system within the European Union, require the adaptation of the network to European standards to allow a smooth circulation of trains in Europe. The first step for rail Infrastructure Managers (IMs) towards this goal is to follow the European requirements when renewing, upgrading or building new lines and stations. These requirements are stated in the Technical Specification for Interoperability on Infrastructure (TSI INF) (Regulation (EU) 1299/2014) to ensure the interoperability of the subsystem.  IMs are committed to increase the capacity and efficiency of their rail infrastructure to the goal of the EU to shift medium distance passenger transport and freight from aviation and road to rail and to cut CO2 emissions in transport by 90% by 2050, as defined in the 2021 EU “Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy’.

EIM in action

• EIM aims at improving interoperability of the network by filling the gaps in the TSI INF in a cost-efficient way. The implementation of the TSI INF at respectively IM can be improved by sharing practical experiences with the new TSI INF published in September 2023.
• EIM’s WG “INF” (Infrastructure) cooperates with the relevant group of CER (CER WG INF) to gather infrastructure expert’s competence from both sector organisations in Europe and to develop joint opinions and change proposals vis à vis ERA. 

Objective

The efficient management of rail infrastructure assets, including the accurate forecast of related investment plans, are the cornerstone of the business of rail infrastructure managers (IMs). IMs are looking to maximize the ‘value for money’ of their operations to deliver benefits to funders and other stakeholders and to improve service delivery to customers through ever more efficient asset management. Efficient asset management is about the right balance between the cost of maintenance, renewal, traffic management and delivering excellent customer service as well as the revenue generated from commercial activities and subsidies.

EIM in action

• EIM’s WG on “Asset Management” promotes the exchange of information among IMs for evidence-based analyses and benchmarks of management practices for business performance improvements. 
• The WG will be triggered in case a concrete need for exchange among IMs arise in this domain, which is complementary to the scope of activities within PRIME (platform of rail infrastructure managers in Europe).

Objective

Degraded situations stemming from a lack of preparedness for extreme and unexpected events are an increasing concern, as these events may affect the performance or lifespan of assets owned and operated by rail Infrastructure Managers (IMs). This can have severe operational, financial, environmental and social consequences. Therefore, ‘resilience’ is becoming an increasingly critical topic for IMs. 

IMs ensure efficient rail operations through the development of dedicated resilience plans and processes covering the entire value chain of infrastructure management. Resilience aspects may include, among others, business continuity in case of sanitary and political crisis, climate change, technical failures, (cyber)security issues and human errors.

EIM in action

• EIM has a dedicated Working Group “Resilience” as platform to exchanges information among IMs and run benchmarking of the main infrastructure ‘vulnerabilities’ as well as of the respective ‘Business Continuity Plans’.