Market structure and competition in rail freight

Abstract

The transport sector is a significant economic sector within the European Union (EU) and within the Hungarian national economy. In the EU, the transport sector, which employs around 10 million people and makes up nearly 5% of the GDP, is one of the motors of the EU economy and it plays an important role in securing and increasing economic growth, competitiveness and sustainable development. The objective of the railway reforms introduced by the EU some 25 years ago was to make rail transport and rail freight more competitive. The 2011 White Paper outlines the objectives of the EU and thus of Hungary in the field of transport policy until 2030 and 2050 respectively. In connection with the above, rail freight transport has a great potential not only for volume growth but also for increasing its market share in the EU and int he Hungarian freight market. Continuous economic growth creates more freight needs, in which rail freight must also play an important role. This is the elementary interest of both the railways and the whole society, as an environmentally friendly and livable EU is in the interest of all of us.