OREANDA-NEWS. May 24, 2013. Vladimir Yakunin, President of Russian Railways, says that analysing Europe's experience of rail reform will help Russia to avoid serious mistakes.

"The target model of the rail freight market provides for the continued integration of rail transport infrastructure and transport activities until 2015. But in the near future, the definition of the industry's target structure, including the degree of integration of the infrastructure's owner and the carrier, will regain its former importance, especially in the context of Europe's active discussion on the topic," said Vladimir Yakunin, who is also Chairman of the Transport and Transport Infrastructure Commission of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Yakunin was speaking at the Commission's meeting on 20 May 2013 in Moscow.

According to Yakunin, not only Russia is interested in the question of the economic feasibility and the construction of effective technological interaction between the infrastructure owner and carriers. Over the past 15 years, more than 25 studies have been carried out which directly or indirectly address the desirability of separating railway infrastructure from transportation operations. These studies cover virtually the whole world, including the railway systems of Europe, North America, Japan, Australia and South Africa.

In this regard, the results are indicative of the European study "Economic Effects of Vertical Separation in the Railway Sector", which was commissioned by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies and published in 2012.

The authors found no positive relationship between such a separation and an increase in freight volumes, or in the share of rail transport on the wider transport market. They also concluded that competition does not have a direct impact on improving the efficiency of railways and should not be an end in itself.

"I am confident that the European experience is indicative, very valuable to us, and will help us to avoid serious mistakes. In this regard, we have to consider the process of structural reform at Russian Railways. Today we are in the final stage of the sector's reform and continue to work towards achieving a common position on the optimum model for operating railway transport," said Vladimir Yakunin.