§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the(a) timetable for and (b) cost implications of meeting European regulations on railway interoperability. [8331]
§ Mr. JamiesonFollowing consultation in May-July this year, we are revising the draft Regulations to implement directive 96/48/EC of 23 July 1996 on the interoperability of the trans-European high-speed rail system. We currently expect that the final regulations will be made and then come into force by early next year. The draft Regulatory Impact Assessment included in the consultation document indicated that the estimated cost to UK businesses was £45 million (net present value at 2000 prices) of which £15 million would be incurred in the next three years, plus some smaller-scale costs for conformity assessment. There are also potential benefits, which are difficult to quantify, in terms of the provision of more competitive rail services which would benefit freight customers and passengers and attract more traffic to rail, yielding environmental benefits.
Directive 2001/16/EC of 19 March 2001 on the interoperability of the trans-European Conventional rail system is required to be implemented by 20 April 2003. An assessment of the costs and benefits of the implementation of this directive is not yet available.