The needs of TER project (The socio-economic problems that UN/ECE TER project seeks to address)

The facilitation and development of coherent and efficient international railway and combined transport system among the Central and Eastern European counties and through the territories of the countries participating in the project, as well as between them and other European countries

The improvement of quality and efficiency of transport operations

The contribution in absorbing of an important part of congestion in the Central and Eastern Europe and in the reduction of environmental and safety problems on major international roads of those countries

The objectives of TER project

The objectives of the project are divided in three categories, operational objectives, Specific objectives and General objectives. The General objectives "outcomes" of the project are coinciding with the above mentioned needs that the project seeks to address)

(i) The operational objectives (outputs) of the project are:

A short term emergency programme to stop present drastic railway traffic decrease that will

• Identify railway axes to be upgraded, main infrastructure bottlenecks (those that should be most urgently removed) and missing links particularly in the east-west direction, most urgent needs for equipment and urgent organisational measures to be taken, including development of combined transport, facilitation of border crossing and commercial training.

• Implementation of inventory of existing pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, and elaboration of new ones for major and most urgent infrastructure works, including traffic forecasts and cost-benefit analysis.

• Elaboration of development programme including short, medium and long term measures.

To proceed in a regular way with the following actions concerning infrastructure development:

• To establish and update the TER network, including east-west connections

• To identify the major bottlenecks and missing links as well as the related infrastructure works to be undertaken, including at border points and establish priorities.

• To elaborate pre-feasibility and feasibility studies based on common economic criteria.

• To schedule for planning, design and construction

• To work on the financing solutions

To work for the development of combined transport with the following actions:

• Collection of data of traffic flows on all modes and identify the major international road flows through, from and to the TER network

• Study of the establishment of alternative combined transport solutions on, from and to the TER network

• Identify of the obstacles for the development of international combined transport, including deficiencies in transfer terminals, special wagons, containers and swap bodies, etc.

• Make proposals for elimination of those obstacles

• Prioritise the proposals on a cost/benefit analysis basis

• Work on the financing solutions

• Consider the possibilities for development of combined transport of dangerous goods

Other actions

• To organise training seminars and workshops on marketing oriented management and other commercial issues, use of computers in railway, CAD systems

• To work for the improvement of railways efficiency by following actions by the identification of major obstacles, proposals for their elimination, prioritise related actions on a cost/benefit analysis basis and work on the financing solutions

• To establish a multimodal data base on traffic flows and forecasts, technical and operational parameters for itineraries and stations rolling stock, border stations and train-ferry connections 

(ii) The specific objectives (results) of the project are:

• To upgrade existing railway network infrastructure up to the level of the standards determined by UN/ECE AGC and AGTC agreements.

• To upgrade existing related combined transport installations, develop new ones and provide all of them with the appropriate equipment

• To replace progressively transport equipment (rolling stock, motive power, signalling and telecommunication equipment etc.) by new according to a priority plan. Particular attention should be paid to the necessary harmonisation - at least at the level of compatibility - of the equipment adopted by the different countries.

• To provide railway companies with a modern, efficient market oriented organisation and management, which are able to ensure smooth transition to a new equilibrium of modes in the transport sector in Central and Eastern European countries. In particular increased attention should be paid to international combined transport. Advantages of road terminal transport should be combined with environmental and safety advantages of rail on the main transport in order to provide efficient international combined transport services. The rail part of border crossing procedures has to be simplified. Railway companies will have to adopt a commercial orientation. In order to achieve this objective, management will have to be trained accordingly.