Rail transport is gaining considerable attention, due to the technological progress, international standardization, global economie and business changes which helped increase awareness regarding railway transport, an attractive business segment.
In this context, the railway industry faces many challenges in launching new products, based on the implementation of European standards. The products designed for rail freight transport have to meet European standards in order to be placed on the market and acquired by railway carriers.
The design and evaluation of a freight car and, implicitly, of its components depend on the tasks they are subjected to and the features of the material which they are made of.
The European standards provide a common basis for the manufacture and evaluation of railway vehicles. Their objective is to allow suppliers to improve the quality of their products and freight transport services.
Most freight cars currently used by rail freight carriers in Europe are manufactured and equipped based on older standards and, in order to increase competition and freight traffic, it is necessary to increase speed or the weight per axle. This means that, in certain operational conditions, they would have to exceed the maximum quality values.
Improving the quality of goods transport is as important for rail freight transport, in order to reduce damages. This helps attract customers which need high-quality and safe transport services. According to a study developed by UNIFE which presents the forecasts for rail transport until 2020, the following years will bring a constant increase on the rail equipment market, due to the fact that global trade will cause an increase in transport volumes. In this context, rail transport has the upper advantage compared to other modes of transport, and this will help increase innovation in the railway industry, especially in the case of freight transport. This innovation will stand at the basis of European standards on freight cars.
Seeing as the rail freight market is developing, it is necessary to improve the productivity of freight cars specific for various types of freight. Rolling stock manufacturing companies should elaborate and apply new strategies based on product research and development in order to increase business and revenues. The implementation of these programs should benefit from investments. The return on investments will be improved by increasing the demand for new freight car acquisitions (manufactured at European standards) and maintenance services, which should apply the current standards on maintenance in order to improve the quality of freight cars.
Freight car manufacturers are guided by principles according to which freight cars should be able to operate on European railway networks. Therefore, the standards on freight car manufacture represent the starting point for the manufacture of freight cars and components. In this context, manufacturers should consider several aspects: interoperability, methods to increase the weight per axle for the existing infrastructure, brake systems designed for longer trains in order to reduce damages (if the brakes fail), special requirements for heavy trains, maintenance works etc. The European standards help improve competition in the railway industry, which is facing new business opportunities especially in Central and Eastern Europe, where carriers need new vehicles.
For instance, in order to re-launch the economy and improve rail transport, the Greek Government will allocate EUR 1 Billion for the transport sector. This money will be used for the development of infrastructure projects and the acquisition of new rolling stock at European standards. The decision concerning the exact use of this investment will be made in February 2011.
Another project focused on the manufacture of freight cars at European standards is the takeover of Serbian company Bratstvo by Slovakian manufacturer Tatravagonka, who will invest EUR 3 Million for the manufacture of freight cars designed for the markets in Austria, Germany and Russia.
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