For an operator, guaranteeing the reliability and availability of rolling stock maintenance is an important factor for the profitability of the fleet of vehicles and requires a balance between financial and technical constraints.
Rolling stock maintenance is a major cost factor for operators. According to the consultancy company Oliver Wyman, maintenance activity represents around 30% of the total lifecycle costs of a high-speed train, the highest cost in rolling stock operation, except for consumed energy costs. Therefore, maintenance plays the decisive role in ensuring the safety performance of vehicles and “maintenance outsourcing is the best of solutions for delivering performing services. For example, outsourcing maintenance in Sweden brought huge gains in productivity and costs, whilst safety increased. Usually, Swedish operators don’t have “in-house” maintenance, but there are always 3 or 4 companies providing this type of services. Liberalisation of maintenance starts with exposing operators to competition who are thus motivated to look for the best solution”, pointed out Ole Kjörrefjord, Senior Advisor to the CEO of EuroMaint Rail, during the Rail Forum Europe which focused on maintenance liberalization challenges. The event was attended by MEPs and interested parties.
To this end, the access of operators to rolling stock maintenance and open competition between maintenance suppliers are the main objectives that require support by ensuring a legislative framework. “European legislation has to offer the possibility to outsource these services and maintenance cannot be an obstacle for the access of new entrants”, declared Patrizio Grillo, Deputy Head of the Single European Rail Area Unit, DG MOVE.
First of all, liberalization begins with exposing operators to market competition that should create a transparency of costs and the motivation to identify the best maintenance solution.
Operators have to be aware of the fact that there are other maintenance alternatives apart from in-house maintenance, capable to ensure a balance between the high level of vehicle performance and necessary costs.
“Other models than in-house maintenance should exist, such as full service offer by suppliers in the framework of rolling stock contracts. Safety must be the key concern in maintenance and safety and productivity of both high value maintenance equipment and fleet could be jeopardised in case of competition within the workshops”, believes Jacques Damas, Executive Manager for Railway Service Safety and Quality, Member of the Executive Board, SNCF.
Maintenance outsourcing creates opportunities consisting in the focus on main activities, introducing new pieces of knowledge and new cost control alternatives for increasing performance and efficiency.
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