Ministr dopravy Ivan Bednárik odeslal dopis evropskému komisaři pro udržitelnou dopravu
Apostolovi Tzitzikostasovi, v němž upozorňuje na klesající podíl železniční nákladní dopravy v
Evropské unii a vyzývá k zahájení politické debaty o konkrétních opatřeních na její podporu na
evropské úrovni. Zdůrazňuje přitom potřebu koordinovaného postupu, vyšších investic do
infrastruktury, lepší přeshraniční koordinace i posílení multimodality, interoperability a
digitalizace.
Dopis je součástí iniciativy ministra Bednárika zaměřené na posílení postavení nákladní železniční
dopravy v Evropě. Ministerstvo dopravy od začátku roku intenzivně jedná se svými evropskými partnery
a připravuje soubor konkrétních návrhů podpory, který chce ministr představit na červnovém zasedání
Rady EU pro dopravu.
Podíl železnice na nákladní dopravě v Evropské unii dlouhodobě klesá a aktuálně se pohybuje kolem 16 %. Problémy hlásí všichni dopravci napříč Evropou, a to i v tradičně silných železničních zemích, jako jsou Rakousko či Německo, a mimo EU například Švýcarsko.
„Pokud chceme tento trend zastavit, musíme jednat rychle a koordinovaně. Potřebujeme cílené
investice do páteřní sítě TEN-T a terminálů, efektivnější řízení kapacity na tratích, skutečnou prioritu pro
mezinárodní nákladní vlaky a výrazný posun v digitalizaci a interoperabilitě. Zásadní je také podpora
kombinované dopravy. Bez těchto koordinovaných kroků bude železnice dál ustupovat silnici,“
zdůrazňuje ministr dopravy Ivan Bednárik.
Kompletní znění dopisu:
Dear Commissioner Tzitzikostas,
I would like to address the issue of maintaining the competitiveness of European rail freight transport.
Since taking office as Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic in December last year, reversing the
decline in the share of rail freight within the European Union has been one of my main priorities.
This trend runs counter to the EU’s objective of shifting a substantial portion of goods transport from
road to more environmentally friendly modes, such as rail. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from
transport is essential to achieving the EU’s long-term strategy and its climate-neutrality targets. In this
context, rail freight offers significant—yet still underutilised—potential for emissions savings. At the same
time, a greater diversification of freight transport across modes would improve our capacity to respond
to crises and strengthen the overall resilience of the European transport system.
Although rail remains the most decarbonised mode of transport, it is losing its competitiveness,
particularly vis-à-vis road transport. As a result, the share of rail freight in the EU continues to decline,
moving the Union further away from its modal shift objectives. This development is also having tangible
economic impacts, with many rail freight operators facing increasing challenges in terms of profitability.
To prevent this undesirable trend from continuing, I would like to initiate a targeted political debate at
EU level on how to halt the decline in rail freight’s share and how to fully harness its potential for
competitive, sustainable and resilient logistics across Europe. In cooperation with other Member States,
we have begun to identify a set of possible measures. However, the situation calls for a coherent and
coordinated approach, and strong leadership from the European Commission will be essential in this
regard.
In this context, greater attention should be given to the further development of rail freight infrastructure,
including targeted investments in the TEN-T network and multimodal terminals under the forthcoming
Multiannual Financial Framework. Capacity management and cross-border coordination must also
improve, including through the timely implementation of the Capacity Regulation and a genuine
prioritisation of international rail freight.
Key enablers for boosting rail freight include multimodality, interoperability and digitalisation. More
favourable conditions should be created to strengthen combined transport, for example by supporting
the development of terminals and marshalling yards, as well as by modernising single-wagonload
systems to enable a shift towards more efficient continental combined transport solutions.
Finally, remaining obstacles to full interoperability must be removed. The deployment of ERTMS has
clearly demonstrated the need for greater harmonisation, where strong EU leadership remains
indispensable.
I believe that this challenge is widely recognised among Member States, and I would therefore welcome
the opening of a ministerial discussion. In this context, we would like to submit the initiative as an AOB
point for an upcoming Transport Council.
In conclusion, Mr Commissioner, let me thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Yours sincerely,
PR
Ministerstvo dopravy
md.gov.cz