Second Railway Package

The Second Railway Package is a group of European Union legislation which promote common standards and open access, working towards an integrated European railway area.

[1] For much of the 20th century, rail transport in Europe was dominated by national monopolies; these effectively excluded competitors from their networks.

Starting in 1991, the EU developed legislation to open railways up to competition, which would help them regain modal share from road and air transport.

[3] [4] Directive 2004/50/EC harmonised interoperability requirements, particularly for high-speed rail.

[3][5] Directive 2004/51/EC allowed open access for freight services, nationally and internationally, starting in January 2007[3][6] Regulation 881/2004 created the European Railway Agency, to coordinate safety and interoperability efforts.