RACO Activity Report 2015: Increasing supervisory complexity – RACO’s professional standing raised

Bern, 17.06.2016 - For the Railways Arbitration Commission (RACO), the year under review was marked by a moderate increase in topics for investigation, and the reorganisation of the specialist secretariat.

In 2015, RACO exercised its supervisory competencies widely. The central issue was the creation of a favourable environment for a competitive rail system in Switzerland. The report considers the following activities:

Investigations are carried out in a professional and timely manner. The decisions provide reliable framework conditions for fair competition between railway undertakings in economic and technical terms, and with regard to time.

RACO’s secretariat uses appropriate methods and tools to monitor the development of the relevant market sectors.

Focused and continuous market monitoring sheds the appropriate light on topics that enable potentially discriminatory behaviour.

Using the knowledge gained from market surveillance and monitoring, RACO initiates ex officio investigations in cases of suspected discrimination. These investigations are carried out fairly and transparently, in accordance with procedural regulations. Consensual resolutions are encouraged.

In the year under review, RACO carried out three investigations: into energy prices, train path allocation, and line closure.

The Swiss railway landscape is facing a very challenging period. Additional funding for maintaining the network, further growth in passenger transport, heightened competition between different modes of transport, investments to guarantee the high quality of service, discussions about minimum wages for train drivers, and sites for maintenance depots are only a few of the topics tackled by the Swiss railway undertakings in 2015.

RACO is rising to the challenge: our team is now supplemented by new staff members for Market surveillance and Market monitoring. The linkage of legal expertise and rail-specific know-how allows RACO to focus more strongly on the processes at the interface between railway undertakings and infrastructure managers.

Address for enquiries

Patrizia Danioth Halter, Chair, RACO, GS-DETEC, Tel. +41 58 463 24 60