FAQS
Is the EEIG as Infrastructure Manager (IM) responsible for tracks?
No, the EEIG is not an IM and therefore not directly responsible for the track infrastructure.
How does the EEIG cooperate with the IMs?
It is borne and financed by all corridor IMs and it serves for the project coordination, monitoring and steering on the corridor level. Cooperation takes place on working level as well as on management level.
What is the general purpose of the EEIG - in one sentence?
The EEIG shall serve as the voice of the corridor and manages the overall, international coordination of the corridor programme, a number of projects and activities to develop the corridor further.
Does the EEIG allocate or sell trackside capacity?
No. The EEIG does not offer or sell trackside capacity ("train paths")
Does the EEIG operate the traffic on the corridor?
No. The traffic management remains the exclusive domain of the IMs.
Is the corridor Rotterdam - Genoa a dedicated (exclusive) freight line?
The corridor Rotterdam - Genoa has a certain focus on freight traffic. However, the corridor is used by all kinds of traffic modes (freight, passenger and commuter), except for the Betuweroute in the Netherlands, which is exclusively dedicated to freight traffic.
How does the corridor coordinate its activities with other corridors, respectively other parts of the networks?
The corridor remains an integrated part of the national networks, respectively the European network. The coordination is done on the working level via the involved experts and via the Management Board (MB) of the corridor. The coordination among the various corridors is done on European level, e.g. by the European ERTMS coordinator Mr Karel Vinck.
What kind of ETCS equipment do I need onboard a locomotive to materialise the benefits outlined by coherent ETCS operations?
Coherent ETCS operations on the corridor are expected from today's point of view from 2015 onward. ETCS onboard units (OBUs) with baseline 3 shall be able to materialise the benefits.
The EU launched a regulation on rail freight corridors.How does this approach match with the project corridor Rotterdam - Genoa?
The EEIG and the corridor Rotterdam - Genoa serves as a kind of blueprint for the EU regulation, e.g. the international orientation and the organisation.
Why Rotterdam, why Genoa?
Both cities are marked by their sea ports, and all related business, services, infrastructure. Rotterdam is one of the busiest ports worldwide whereas Genoa is one of the most important sea ports in the Mediterranean Sea. Ports require an excellent connection to the European hinterland, which can be found by the corridor. Moreover, the corridor stretches all along the "Blue Banana", the busiest economic region in the EC.
What is being done/ will be done to raise quality and reliability on the corridor?
To raise quality and reliability, once launched the corridor programme then tracks several projects. Traffic performance is monitored on a regular basis, together with delay analysis. International train paths can be ordered via a One-Stop-Shop (OSS). International trains and/ or transports can be tracked and traced via a web-based tool.
My train/traffic does not start in Rotterdam, Antwerp, Zeebrugge or Genoa nor does it end in one of these ports. In which respect is the corridor interesting for my business?
Hardly any freight train goes directly from one of the major corridor sea ports to another, from start to finish. The corridor is a driver for mobility and a powerful means of transport, even if the transportation route branches off the corridor somewhere between Rotterdam and Genoa. The corridor offers many capable line sections with plenty of freight train paths, even if you are not directly going to/coming from Rotterdam, Antwerp, Zeebrugge or Genoa.
Why should I migrate to ETCS OBU and when?
ETCS B3 shall be the first purely interoperable ETCS version, capable of coping with 2.3.0d and B3 trackside equipment. ETCS saves you double or triple equipment in national ("class B") systems. During the migration period, one national class B system plus onboard ETCS is required. Later on, ETCS will be the only system required for train operations along the corridor.
What is being done to mitigate noise along the corridor lines?
As mentioned above, the corridor is an integrated part of the national networks. Therefore the corridor benefits from the national noise mitigation programmes and measures. All means of noise mitigation apply, in particular regular rail grinding, noise abatement barriers and retrofitting of freight wagons.
