10 Rail research and innovation
Committee's assessment
| Politically important |
Committee's decision | Cleared from scrutiny
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Document details | Draft Council Decision to endorse a plan for managing public-private rail research and innovation
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Legal base | Articles 187 and 188 TFEU; ; QMV
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Department
Document numbers
| Transport
(36580), 17013/14, COM(14) 739
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Summary and Committee's conclusions
10.1 Shift2Rail is a new Joint Undertaking between the rail industry
in the EU and the EU. It is a broad-scale research and innovation
initiative. The aim is to create a step change in rail technology
that will help promote the competitiveness of the EU rail industry
and meet changing EU transportation needs. The purpose is to carry
out research and innovation that will identify how certain targets
can be met and carry out projects to demonstrate feasibility of
innovations.
10.2 The Shift2Rail Regulation requires the Joint Undertaking
to establish and develop a strategic Master Plan. The Commission
presents this draft Council Decision to endorse the proposed Shift2Rail
Master Plan, which is based to a significant extent on the UK
Rail Technical Strategy.
10.3 The Government welcomes the plan, telling us that it presents
innovative UK rail supply companies, research organisations and
universities with enhanced business opportunities and that it
is expected to lead (in the long term) to improvements in the
affordability, capacity and reliability of rail transport in the
UK.
10.4 Whilst clearing this proposal from scrutiny, we draw it
to the attention of the House for the information it gives about
possible business and rail transport benefits for the UK.
Full details of the documents:
Draft Council Decision endorsing the Shift2Rail Master Plan:
(36580), 17013/14, COM(14) 739.
Background
10.5 Shift2Rail is a new Joint Undertaking (JU
public private partnership) between the rail industry in the EU
and the EU (represented by the Commission) established by Council
Regulation (EU) No. 642/2014, which came into force in July 2014.
The JU is a broad-scale research and innovation initiative. The
aim is to create a step change in rail technology that will help
promote the competitiveness of the EU rail industry and meet changing
EU transportation needs. The purpose is to carry out research
and innovation that will identify how the following targets could
be met, and also to carry out projects to demonstrate feasibility
of the innovations:
·
an overall reduction in costs of 50%, through a reduction of the
costs of developing, maintaining, operating and renewing infrastructure
and rolling stock, as well as through increased energy efficiency;
· an
increase in capacity of 100%; and
· an
increase in reliability of 50%.
10.6 Shift2Rail will conduct research and demonstration
projects in the following five technical thematic areas or "Innovation
Programmes":
· cost-efficient
and reliable trains, including high capacity trains and high speed
trains;
· advanced
traffic management and control systems;
· cost
efficient and reliable high capacity infrastructure;
· IT
solutions for attractive railway services; and
· technologies
for sustainable and attractive European freight.
10.7 The Shift2Rail Regulation requires the JU to
establish and develop a strategic Master Plan.
The document
10.8 The Commission presents this draft Council Decision
to endorse the Shift2Rail Master Plan. The document contains the
Commission's explanatory memorandum, the results of consultations,
a summary of the legal elements of the document and the text of
the proposed Council Decision.
10.9 An initial version of the Shift2Rail Master
Plan[27] has
been developed by the JU in a process led by the Commission and
in consultation with the European Railway Agency and the European
Rail Research Advisory Council Technology Platform. This proposed
Master Plan defines the priority research and innovation activities
to drive innovation in the rail sector across the EU in the long
term. In accordance with Annex I to the Shift2Rail Regulation,
the Master Plan is structured around the five Innovation Programmes
and provides details of the proposed work.
10.10 The Master Plan is based, to a significant
extent, on the UK Rail Technical Strategy. Network Rail was closely
involved with the development of the Master Plan as a founder
member of Shift2Rail. The Commission led a consultation on the
draft plan, which included a public consultation meeting held
in June 2014 attended by close to 200 stakeholders. On 24 September
2014 the Shift2Rail Governing Board (which includes Network Rail)
approved a version of the Master Plan including major contributions
from relevant stakeholders.
The Government's view
10.11 In her Explanatory Memorandum of 14 January
the Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer)
says that the Government welcomes the Master Plan, which, in conjunction
with the JU, is expected to lead (in the long term) to improvements
in the affordability, capacity and reliability of rail transport
in the UK, which will benefit UK citizens and UK rail freight
customers, with the UK rail sector (particularly Network Rail)
also standing to gain from the investment in rail research and
innovation.
10.12 The Minister tells us that:
· there
are no specific policy implications arising directly from the
plan, as it is largely based on the UK Rail Technical Strategy;
· UK
companies may wish, however, to respond to future open calls which
will be based on the Master Plan; and
· they
can approach FutureRailway (a cross-industry body supported by
Government that both funds research and innovation and provides
independent advice on rail research and innovation) for assistance
in preparing proposals that seek to deliver aspects of the Master
Plan.
10.13 The Minister comments further that:
· Shift2Rail
will provide innovative UK rail supply companies, research organisations
and universities with enhanced business opportunities to develop
and exploit new technologies and solutions;
· it
will do this by co-funding collaborative research and innovation
activities at a size and scale that cannot be provided through
national programmes; and
· it
will also help UK players gain access to EU partners with skills
or resources they cannot readily find in the UK.
10.14 Finally, the Minister tells us that the draft
Council Decision to endorse the Master Plan has no direct financial
implications. But she reminds us that:
· the
size of the JU programme itself is expected to be between 800
million and 1 billion (£623 million and £779 million),
with the Commission contributing up to 450 million (£350
million) between 2014 and 2020 and the rail industry contributing
the remainder;
· a
quarter of the research funds would be designated for SMEs, research
organisations and universities through open calls; and
· the
proposed Commission contribution falls within existing budgets.
Previous Committee Reports
None.
27 http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/rail/doc/2014-09-24-draft-shift2rail-master-plan.pdf. Back
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