9th Schienen-Control Symposium
On November 24, Schienen-Control hosted its 9th symposium at the Urania in Vienna, once again creating a platform for exchange between experts, market participants, and infrastructure providers. The focus was on construction site management, maintenance windows, current challenges of market liberalization, new legal developments, and strategies for strengthening European passenger and freight transport.
"The symposium is an important meeting place for decision-makers and experts from the rail industry. Especially in times of increasing economic and regulatory complexity, open exchange is essential in order to jointly develop solutions for a sustainable and competitive rail system,"emphasizes Mag.a Maria-Theresia Röhsler, Managing Director of Schienen-Control .
The opening presentation focused on how the regulatory authority has organized itself in order to continue promoting fair competition and efficient processes in the rail sector in the future.
The first topic focused on the practical challenges of market entry and the coordination of construction sites from the perspective of railway undertakings (RUs) and infrastructure operators.
Roland Pavel (ÖBB Infrastructure), Stefan Walter (Province of Styria), and Jan Schatzl (Graz University of Technology) discussed approaches for more efficient planning and cooperation.
Christian Pettauer (Westbahn), Patrick Kröll (Silverstar Railways), and Norman Kellermann (ÖBB Passenger Transport) then highlighted the obstacles to market entry in Austria and other EU countries from a corporate perspective.
In the afternoon, the focus was on technical innovations and organizational hurdles in rail freight transport . Andreas Mandl (
) and Werner Hecking (NEEÖ) presented how new technologies present opportunities and challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises and how the interests of freight transport can be represented efficiently.
The legal part of the symposium focused on recent developments at the European level.
Professor Urs Kramer (University of Passau) analyzed the new case law of the European Court of Justice and the Austrian Administrative Court and its significance for railway companies and regulatory authorities.
Finally, Elisabeth Hochhold (Rail Net Europe) shed light on the new European capacity regulation and its impact on the organizational framework conditions in EU bodies.
With over 120 guests from the fields of law, politics, passenger transport, and freight transport, the symposium provided a high-caliber platform for discussion. The lively discussions between experts from government agencies, industry, and academia clearly showed that cooperation and sound regulatory work can create added value for the railways.
The presentations given at the symposium can be viewed on our website.