Exchange of operational data for border. Crossing freight trains in Europe: would a service provider similar to Railinc in North America be a solution for Europe?

Data exchanged today between European railways in border-crossing operations, with market demands, and new patterns of operation likely to emerge with progressive implementation of the European Commission's rail policy proposals are outlined. Recent research shows that networks and rail data exist, but that exchange between operators is inconsistent, performance suffers, and users are dissatisfied. A future mandatory, harmonised European data exchange could be built on the needs of infrastructure managers, and then those of rail operators. Despite known differences between North America and Europe, it is considered that the North American data exchange and clearing system RAILINC could provide a useful model for Europe. Good, reliable data are considered a key factor to raising future standards of rail freight service and performance. For the covering abstract see ITRD E114174.