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

  • Catapult to explore Brazil opportunities
    January 15, 2015
    The UK’s Transport Systems Catapult announced its first international partnership after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Brazilian technology provider Gol Grupo. The two organisations will now explore areas of cooperation in technologies and services related to urban mobility and connected smart cities. “The Transport Systems Catapult was set up not only to champion the development of smarter transport systems for the UK, but also to promote UK expertise in Intelligent Mobility for overseas
  • Car to car communications a step closer
    December 14, 2012
    Vehicle manufacturers have targeted 2015 for the first cars to roll off European assembly lines fitted with operational V2X technology. They and their partners in the Car 2 Car Communications Consortium are confident of meeting the target, reports Jon Masters. Around three years from now vehicles should be appearing in showrooms boasting the capability of communicating with each other. Manufacturers will have started fitting the first proprietary car-to-car driver-aid safety devices and deployment of ‘vehic
  • EU releases first transport infrastructure funds
    April 8, 2014
    Following its decision in March to make the first US$16.4 billion tranche of funding available for trans-European transport network projects, the European commission has now adopted the first work programmes within this framework: a multi-annual work programme covering larger projects with a total budget of US$15.1 billion and an annual work programme for 2014 addressing smaller projects with a budget of US1.3 billion. The funding priorities set out in these programmes include: The closing of missing lin
  • Calculating the cost of stellar solutions
    August 10, 2016
    The increasing availability and accuracy of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is opening up low-cost options in many areas as David Crawford finds out. Boosting commercialisation of European global navigation satellite system (EGNSS) technologies for ITS initially depends heavily on demonstrating competitive and cost/benefit advantages obtainable from the deployment of EGNOS (the current European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), and ultimately the EU’s Galileo constellation (see box). So,