Wagon Status in EUROPE (II)

In the conclusion of the first part of the present article, issued in no. 9(38) of the Railway Journal, we have published two graphs that presented the structure of DB-AG fleet on 31.12.1996 (structure that was not modified essentially till present time) for the series of wagons E, F, G, Ha, S, U, K, L, R and T. The conclusion issued from the respective presentation was that from the point of view of the transported goods there is no concrete competition between the railway networks and private shippers. In order to strengthen this conclusion we will present the overall network fleet of DB-AG in comparison with P wagons fleet that are registered. Similar situations we will present also for SNCF and PKP, mentioning that these figures are not at the level of year 1996.

Network	DB-AG				SNCF				PKP
Wagon Type	Network Wagons	%	P Wagons	%	Network Wagons	%	P Wagons	%	Network Wagons	%	P Wagons	%
Covered (G, H, T)	51.910	84%	9.742	16%	15.827	79%	4.191	21%	18.879	98%	299	2%
Uncovered (E, F)	51.808	94%	3.071	6%	9.981	58%	7.307	42%	69.673	93%	5.458	7%
Platform (K, L, O, R)	57.903	89%	6.949	11%	37.507	66%	19.302	34%	17.141	97%	526	3%
Others (I, U, Z)	2.155	4%	51.467	96%	262	1%	32.031	99%	3.126	10%	29.527	90%
OVERALL	163.776	70%	71.229	30%	63.577	50%	62.831	50%	108.819	75%	35.810	25%

Economical Aspect

From the economical point of view a few specific indicators characterize railway transport activity. The analysis of any economical activity starts with the profit sources, respectively losses. In this respect, it is studied the situation of wagon that operates loaded, respectively unloaded. The efficiency of the railway sector represents the general valid goal for transport utilization of all the wagons from the fleet at maximum capacity without an unloaded wagon operation. There are studied, consequently, indicators as: capacity utilization, wagon utilization, the report for loaded operation/unloaded operation. We present below the situation of these indicators for the same administrations.

Network	DB-AG		SNCF		PKP
Wagon Type	P Wagons	Network Wagons	P Wagons	Network Wagons	P Wagons	Network Wagons
Loading (wag.)	2.252.395	5.345.722	966.337	671.578	800.398	3.363.523
Loading (tones)	71.150.034	178.144.941	38.406.501	29.798.405	32.727.539	168.502.687
Number of Wagons	71.229	163.776	62.831	63.577	35.810	108.819
Capacity Utilization	31,6%	33,3%	39,7%	44,4%	40,9%	50,1%
Wagon Utilization	31,6%	32,6	15,4%	10,6%	22,4%	30,9%

The report between the loaded operation and unloaded operation for the various European railway networks, also achieving the comparison between the network wagons and private wagons (network wagons = 100%):

Network	SJ		DB-AG		NS		SBB		SNCF
Wagon Type	P Wagons	Network Wagons	P Wagons	Network Wagons	P Wagons	Network Wagons	P Wagons	Network Wagons	P Wagons	Network Wagons
Report	1,7	1,2	1,5	1,7	1,8	1,2	2,4	1,96	2,0	1,2
Comparasion	142%		88%		150%		122%		172%

In the same time, pursuant to a questionnaire addressed to 10 European railway networks it was reached to the conclusion that the main services on the railway network offered to the holders of the record of P wagons are - and namely: approaching the registering files; operational wagon revision assimilated as network wagons; spare parts provision for the authorized repairs workshops; responsibility regulation regarding the damages to P wagons; drawing up the agreements regarding the utilization of P wagons with other railway networks; provision of the loading and unloading of P wagons; availability of spare tracks; provision of accidental repairs - only 28 % are charged by the railway, the other 72% being services that the railway offer free of charge..

From the situations presented above we can notice the fact that the efficiency of P wagons exploitation is better in comparison with that of the network wagons also due to the services that the railway network offers free of charge. UIP has communicated the fact that within the main 12 European railway networks studied, European railway transport has been provided during the year 1996 in proportion of 49,1% with over 200,000 wagons.

Peculiarity of P Wagons Fleet in Romania

Through an analysis at network level and European level it is aimed to find a few specific relations that will define mainly this activity. From this study have been eliminated a few particular aspects, singular and isolated, that have no tendency for generalization. Due to the context in which Romanian economy has developed before 1989, the equipment of the national railway network was performed in an ordered and centralized mode, without studying the market demand. Thus there have reached in the property of the national railway network a series of specialized types of wagons, aspect that is characteristic mainly to the economies of the former communist countries. We could draw a wrong conclusion that with regard to the goods transported with these wagons in the respective countries, there is competition between the holders of the record of P wagons and national railway networks. This is not true, because another peculiarity of these economies is that the wagons of the holders of the record are meant only for shipping their own production, not being included in the category of real railway shippers. Big owners of wagons in Romania perform other activities than goods transport. Thus, we can understand that private wagon exploitation on the railway is strictly limited to their own industrial production shipment, fact that decreases substantially the efficiency of these shippers.

Differences between Network Wagons and P Wagons

Network wagons have the following features: they are universal transport wagons; they are manufactured generally in large stocks, they are the vehicles of a single railway company, which provides them the modernization, harmonization and maintenance; the risk of the investment is taken only by the railway company; they are efficient only for loaded operations; they have the right to disposed and to be disposed to the railway companies; they are reshipped according to the conditions from RIV.

P wagons have the following main features: they are arranged according to the exigencies of the consumption market; they are also produced as unique products and according to the necessities; they are vehicles that are modernized, harmonized and maintained only by the holder of the record of the contract; the risk for the investment is taken only by the holder of the record of the registering contract; they are utilized according to the disposition or the availability imposed by the holder of the record of the wagon; their guidance towards the destination is made according to the disposition of the holder of the record or of the owner of the shipment authorization; there are obtained substantial reductions due to their status of P wagons; their guidance in unloaded operation is made according to a special tax for unloaded operation; they benefit of a series of services free of charge from the railway networks; they are assured against events by the owners, holders of the record etc.

New Right of the Wagon

In the same time with the enforcement of EU principles with respect to the liberalizing of railway transport there have occurred essential modifications regarding the companies that operate in this field. The separation of the freight sector and passengers sector, and in parallel the separation of the railway infrastructure from the railway network, are the first essential modifications. There have occurred new terms that characterize railway activity:

railway undertaking - all state or private companies that have as main activity objective the provision of goods or passengers transport services on the railway, hauling etc., becoming responsibilities freely undertaken by the above mentioned companies;

infrastructure administrator - all public entities or the companies expressly in charge with the exploitation and the maintenance of the railway infrastructure, as well as with the administration of the safety systems;

authorized body in point of technical agreement - the body in charge to certify if the wagons meet required technical conditions;

technical acceptance - technical certification and the confirmation of the ability of a wagon to be exploited;

exploitation of a P wagon - the procedure subordinated to the technical acceptance and the exploitation contract concluded with a railway undertaking which authorizes the exploitation from the commercial point of view of a wagon.

We can compare, in a plastic way, juridical status of the wagon with the documents that characterize the life of a person. "Birth Certificate" of the wagon is the registering contract, which is concluded after obtaining the technical agreement from the authorized technical bodies. The name of the wagon, that is unique, it is represented by its number. While giving the number and putting in operation the wagon, it gains "life". The life of the wagon is represented by its transport contracts. Periodically, the wagon is checked and there are performed repairs, which are accidental, current, planed or general. "The passing out" of the wagon is made by the annulment minute, by declaring its loss according to RIV etc. Still, in this context, we remind among the new essential principles of the international right "the right of free operation of the persons and of the goods".

Essential right of the European wagon (mainly) is that of free access to the existing railway infrastructure. The only restrictions imposed to this right are of technical nature (namely, technical agreement conditions) and pecuniary (infrastructure access fee). In this context the transition from the status of the "wagon belonging to the administration" to the status of the "wagon" will be assimilating the mode of treating P wagons. It is not less important the fact that through the modification of item 85 from RIV general overhauls (due to the rolling stock) performed by the wagons of the railway networks for international traffic that is carried out by the using-repairing network towards owner network. This kind of discounting did not exist till present time. There is predicted on this occasion, once again, if there is still necessary, the perspective of a sharp and imminent competition between national railway networks.

UIC and UIP lively co-worked in view of defining correct status of the wagon, aiming the elimination of all existing discriminations between network wagons and P wagons. Pursuant to the definition of the unique status of the wagon it was necessary the modification of specific international regulations - COTIF, RIV, CIM, RIP, UIC files 433 and 992.

Conclusion

Presently there is in the railway field a strong reforming tendency. It is limited in its movement for the deep liberalizing of the railway sector by the necessity to provide an efficient monitoring of the circulation, known under the name of "provision of the safety circulation". The dynamism of the changes in the railway field also included CFR, being materialized by concrete actions as the division of freight and passengers transport, separation of the railway operators from the infrastructure administrator or foundation of a national railway authority. There have occurred a series of discussions regarding the opportunity of these modifications. Such discussions took place all over the Europe at all levels.

Presently, the general tendency in Europe is to achieve a strong cohesion in the member states an economical, financial, material, technical and cultural cohesion etc. Romania can not be left aside from this extremely complex process, first of all due to its obvious belonging to European territory, but also due to an undesired perspective of regional isolation. The bodies assigned by EU and CEE also lead this profound co-working process. Integration desire of Romania in EU is natural and justified. From this reason, Romania tries to meet the conditions imposed by the European international body. On another plan, EU coordinates the activity of all specific international bodies in Europe, implicitly the activity of UIC. The field of European transport is one of maximal interest, and in this context the interoperability of European railway transport is a major concern of EU. Within a recent reunion in Sevilla, the inspector of EU in charge with transports, Mrs. Loyola de Palatio, expressed the new perspectives in the field of railway transport. Analyzing the dispositions given by the European inspector we can conclude that the restructuring of the European railways is not over, and it is going on in a sustained rhythm. Revolutionizing railway traffic includes the redefinition of the role of the most important international railway regulations, COTIF, RIV, RIC etc. These international agreements must be analyzed in order to enhance railway traffic establishing a flexible and permissive frame in the field. If there is noticed that the railway movement is hardened by the above-mentioned previsions through a rigid and opaque letter of the law, then it is imposed the modification of the respective previsions. There are emphasized especially the bilateral contracts, contracts that are also stipulated in UIC railway regulations.

It is foreseen the redefinition of the concept of national railway network through its transformation in a railway operator, the privatization of railway sectors that are profitable and state subsidization only for the sectors that have imminent losses and have an important social value (passengers transport). The infrastructure will remain in the state property, but its administration it will be carried out based on pure economical criteria.

These are a few problems that concern presently European Railway Company.

Nucu Morar