ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the EC principles, and their relevance to the review of the structure and level of Railtrack’s access charges. In the light of that assessment, it considers how far the current framework of Railtrack charges, established in 1995, meets those principles, and also assesses the detailed proposals put forward by the Commission for changes in rail infrastructure charges. The chapter suggests that an alternative approach, which, in the author’s view, more appropriately reflects the public/private partnership that is increasingly characterising transport infrastructure networks. The EC White Paper went on to identify a number of specific changes needed to deliver the principles in different modes. The issue of geographical consistency also needs to be treated carefully. The current level and structure of Railtrack’s access charges were put in place from 1 April 1995 following a review by the Rail Regulator in the second half of 1994.
