Annual Plenary Meeting of IRG-Rail Held

The annual plenary meeting of IRG-Rail — the independent network of European regulatory bodies for railways — and the roundtable discussion titled 'Experiences of Railway Market Opening in Europe' took place in Madrid."

ZAGREB, 4 June 2025 - The annual plenary meeting of the Independent Regulators’ Group - Rail (IRG-Rail), an independent group of European railway regulatory bodies, took place in Madrid on 3 and 4 June. Experts from HAKOM also participated in the meeting, which included a roundtable discussion titled “Experiences of Railway Market Opening in Europe.”

At the roundtable, representatives of regulatory bodies from France, Italy, Germany, and Spain shared their experiences. Various models of liberalisation and railway market development were presented, highlighting historical experiences and market development indicators over time.

During the two-day meeting, the minutes of the previous IRG-Rail plenary session were adopted, updates were presented by the chairs, and the results of the working groups on market monitoring, access, and multimodality were shared. Additionally, the outcomes of the working groups on legislation, access to service facilities, charges, and fees for service facilities were presented.

The regulatory authorities adopted two key documents: the "Report on the Monitoring of Key Performance Indicators of Railway Freight Corridors" and the "Study on the Sustainability of the 18-Month Rule." The meeting also included a presentation on the internal network, showcasing the work and data of the working group responsible for developing various documents. The need to establish a dedicated working group to monitor performance indicators was also discussed.

At the roundtable, representatives of regulatory bodies presented the most important topics and cases in railway regulation from 2024 onward.