ESC hopes Xrail alliance will help European train services

THE European Shippers' Council (ESC) has expressed hope that the recent Xrail initiative will "go some way to addressing problems facing rail freight shippers."

It notes that the Xrail alliance created by seven leading European rail freight operators aims to render international wagonload traffic by rail more customer-friendly and efficient. The goal of the alliance is also to increase the competitiveness of wagonload traffic in Europe "significantly," and in so doing, help take traffic off the roads and protect the environment, an ESC statement said.

Nicolette van der Jagt, secretary general of the ESC, said: "Shippers will be looking very keenly towards this group and what they are able to achieve. Efficiency, competition and the current threat to single-wagon rail freight services are among the top concerns of our members today, so anything that can be done to improve matters must be welcomed."

She continued: "Shippers continue to complain to me about the unacceptable levels of service performance, lack of competition and capacity in the rail freight sector; and there is now considerable concern over the declining number of single wagon services.

"Members of ESC have been continuously frustrated by the inability or unwillingness of many rail freight service providers to improve their efficiency and provide improved customer service. So now that we see a group of rail freight operators seemingly prepared to tackle these fundamental issues, we are of course very interested."

Ms van der Jagt added: "We hope soon to have a dialogue with the Xrail alliance team, to find out more of what they are doing and plan to do in the future. It is regrettable that SNCF Freight and TrenItalia Cargo, both of whom have declared increasing disinterest in single wagon business, are not involved in the alliance also."

(Source:www.schednet.com)