The Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled ‘The Fourth Railway Package — Completing the Single European Railway Area to foster Union competitiveness and growth (the “Fourth Railway Package”)’ highlighted the need for a joint undertaking in the railway sector to help develop rail as a mode of transport by promoting step-change innovations for passenger rolling stock, freight transport, traffic management systems and ...[+++]rail infrastructure.

to actively promote the participation and close involvement of all relevant stakeholders from the full rail value chain and from outside the traditional rail industry, in particular: manufacturers of railway equipment (both rolling stock and train control systems) and their supply chain, infrastructure managers, railway undertakings (both passenger and freight), metro, tram and light rail operators, rail vehicle leasing companies, notified and designated conformity assessment bodies, professional staff associations (including labour representatives), user associations (both passenger and freight), as well as the relevant scientific insti ...[+++]tutions or the relevant scientific community.

(e) to actively promote the participation and close involvement of all relevant stakeholders from the full rail value chain and from outside the traditional rail industry, in particular: manufacturers of railway equipment (both rolling stock and train control systems) and their supply chain, infrastructure managers, railway operators (both passenger and freight), rail vehicle leasing companies, certifying agencies, professional staff associations, user associations (both passenger and freight), as well as the relevant scientific institutions or the relevant scientific community.

In order to cope with this growth in road freight transport, short sea shipping, rail and inland waterways must be used even more than today, and it is necessary to stimulate further powerful initiatives from the transport and logistics sector, for instance the development of technical innovations in rolling stock, to decrease road congestion.

The EU needs to tackle remaining structural obstacles to the competitiveness of the rail industry, in particular technical barriers such as the low levels of interoperability, the lack of mutual recognition of rolling stock and products, the weak coordination of infrastructure and interconnection of IT systems, and the problem of single wagons loads.

In the transport sector, except for railway rolling stock, transport means and transport equipment shall not be included in the eligible costs.