Personenverkehr

|Introduction

|Legal Framework: Public Service Agreements

|Statistics

|Consultation Document

|Studies

Legal Framework: Public Service Agreements

The organisation of passenger transport by rail is a matter of subsidiarity, though the regulatory framework of the rail market, such as access conditions, safety, capacity allocation, etc. are set by a regulatory framework which is decided at EU level. An overview of the current legal framework can be found on the legislation pages of this site. Most of the passenger transport by rail in the Member States is regulated by so-called Public Service Agreements and/or Obligations (PSOs), concluded between national authorities of the Member States and one or more Railway Undertakings to provide rail services. Regulation 1191/69, amended by Regulation 1893/91 (consolidated version) determine the framework conditions for these PSOs. The Commission has submitted a proposal in July 2000 to review these Regulations. After discussions in the European Parliament, an amended proposal was adopted by the Commission in February 2002. Several Member States have concluded contracts with Railway Undertakings for the provision of rail passenger services, especially in rural and suburban areas.