Skip to main content

Europe and Brazil implement open-access railway concession model

Brazil's ground transport agency ANTT and the European Railway Agency (ERA) have signed a memorandum of understanding and are working together to implement ANTT’s open-access railway concession model. The agreement calls for cooperation between regulators and for issues relating to technical requirements and standards to be addressed. Previously, Brazil's railway concessions included both the building and operating of railroads in one contract. Open-access, however, separates the transportation of car
September 30, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Brazil's ground transport agency ANTT and the European Railway Agency (ERA) have signed a memorandum of understanding and are working together to implement ANTT’s open-access railway concession model.

The agreement calls for cooperation between regulators and for issues relating to technical requirements and standards to be addressed.

Previously, Brazil's railway concessions included both the building and operating of railroads in one contract. Open-access, however, separates the transportation of cargo from the building and operating of lines. The new model is expected to open up more cargo handling opportunities, increase logistics efficiency, reduce freight costs, and improve Brazil's competitiveness.

While open-access is already widely adopted in Europe, ANTT launched its model in June, calling for independent railway operators to express their interest in freight transport along a stretch of the Norte-Sul railway built by federal rail company Valec.

The open access model, which is part of Brazil's overall strategy to improve its rail network, falls under the national logistics improvement plan, under which some US$40.9 billion has been earmarked to build and improve approximately 11,000 kilometres of railways.

Related Content

  • eCall mandate: a cost burden for car manufacturers?
    May 14, 2015
    The European Parliament has mandated that all newly approved car and light-van models will have to be equipped with eCall boxes as standard fitment from 31 March 2018. eCall boxes are emergency call devices enabling rescue services to respond with faster road assistance based on knowledge of the exact location of the accident. The 2014 ban on telephone roaming charges across Europe will establish a favourable scenario for an interoperable eCall or telematics solution. However, while the European Commissi
  • Norway gets ready for more EVs
    September 14, 2021
    Norway’s road transport network is changing radically. The country is gearing up for greater electric vehicle use as well as gradually phasing out its traditional ferry links
  • The weighty problem of truck routing enforcement
    March 17, 2015
    The growing impact of heavy commercial vehicles on urban and interurban highway infrastructures around the world is driving the need for reliable route access restriction and monitoring. The support role of enforcement is proving fertile ground for ITS development. Bridges are especially vulnerable – and critical in terms of travel delays. The US state of Oregon’s Department of Transportation (ODOT) operates what it claims is one of the country’s most aggressive truck route restriction enforcement programme
  • Bigger role for data protection and privacy policies in transportation
    June 11, 2015
    Dr Caitlin Cottrill, lecturer at the University of Aberdeen’s School of Geosciences, examines the impact of privacy legislation on the transportation sector. Growing reliance on big data, underscored by the increasing ubiquity of smart infrastructure and the ‘Internet of Things’, has profoundly impacted the regulatory environment experienced by transportation professionals. This is particularly the case in relation to the privacy of personally identifying information (PII). There has been increased attenti