Currently we use rail for less than 10% of our services, but we want and need to use it more. We think there is still insufficient competition on rail and that rail operators too often waste time explaining why something didn’t happen rather than working to make it happen,“ said Marco Sorgetti, Director-General of CLECAT.
A lack of common international standards hampers logistics providers’ ability to choose rail - for instance, the rail operators don’t even agree on a common definition of ”on time“ and ”late“. Because of this, rail’s potential is to remain unfulfilled until the industry develops an international perspective to match the level of service offered by competing modes.
Sorgetti argued that the rail industry could seek assistance form members of CLECAT in order to push for investment in freight corridors and terminals. ”We are prepared to invest if it makes sense for us in the logistics sector and also for rail operators - but it must be a long-term partnership arrangement, perhaps for 10 years or so,” he explained.
