EU should not dictate railway planning in UK, say MPs

Date: 23/4/2013

Proposals from the (EU) European Union that would affect rail services in the UK have been criticised by Westminster's Commons Transport Committee.

As the BBC reports, the EU Parliament plans to introduce measures throughout the bloc that would see track types and signals standardised in a bid to improve the efficiency of services while at the same time saving money.

But according to the group of MPs, these measures could see companies being "unduly restricted" when it comes to formulating strategies, while they also argued that the EU should not be responsible for dictating transport initiatives.

"We are not persuaded that the legislation should dictate the responsibilities for the drafting of public transport plans," the report said.

"Such responsibilities should be for national (or local) governments to decide. We expect the government to negotiate actively on these points and keep us informed of progress as discussions continue."

The EU's proposals also include the separation of firms that operate services and those which run rail infrastructure, although this system is already established in the UK.

Posted by Sarah Bailey

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