European Rail Infrastructure Managers

European Rail Infrastructure Managers, commonly known as EIM, is a Brussels-based international non-profit association representing the interests of rail infrastructure owners and managers across Europe. Its membership includes infrastructure organizations from many European Union and European Economic Area countries, as well as private, concession-based and high-speed infrastructure operators. EIM provides a collective voice for these organizations in discussions with European institutions, regulators, technical bodies and other railway-sector associations. The association was formally established in 2002, following the liberalisation of the European railway market. Its creation reflected the growing importance of infrastructure managers as distinct actors within the railway system and the need for them to participate directly in European policy and regulatory debates. EIM has generally supported the independence of infrastructure managers, competition in rail services and a regulatory framework that enables fair and efficient access to infrastructure while maintaining safety and interoperability. EIM's work covers both policy and technical matters. On the policy side, it engages with subjects such as the European railway packages, track-access charging, the Trans-European Transport Network, the Connecting Europe Facility, urban mobility, intelligent transport systems, environmental policy and research programmes. It has also contributed views on the Single European Railway Area and the development of the European Rail Traffic Management System, or ERTMS. The association has supported long-term planning for deployment of common railway systems and has emphasized the importance of practical implementation, stable regulation and coordination among infrastructure managers. Its technical activities address a broad range of railway standards and operational questions. These include infrastructure specifications, cross-acceptance, train operations, ERTMS change management, accessibility for persons with reduced mobility, train-detection compatibility, safety, rolling-stock interfaces, energy, security, telecommunications, infrastructure registers and telematic applications for passenger and freight services. EIM members exchange operational experience and participate in working groups that interact with the European Union Agency for Railways and other technical organizations. The association also promotes cooperation between infrastructure managers. Its governance includes a General Assembly, a President, three Vice-Presidents and an Executive Director. The President, Vice-Presidents and Executive Director form the Board of Directors. Members are represented through a Policy and Management Committee for policy work and a Technical Steering Group for technical matters. Working groups under the technical structure examine specialized questions, while CEO-level meetings provide a forum for senior members to compare practices and discuss shared challenges. EIM is a founding member of the Platform for European Rail Infrastructure Managers, participates in the Group of Representative Bodies and holds a position on the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways. It also coordinates with organizations including the International Union of Railways, the International Rail Transport Committee and European railway and infrastructure companies on issues such as digitalization and interoperability. Beyond regulation and standards, EIM has advocated investment in rail as an environmentally preferable mode of transport and has called for policies that encourage a shift from road and air transport toward rail. It has expressed support for public-private partnerships in railway infrastructure, citing major European projects delivered through concession or partnership models. In 2018 it supported the Graz Declaration on environmentally friendly European transport. In 2020 it published proposals concerning the development and deployment of the Future Railway Mobile Communication System, the intended successor to GSM-R for railway communications. EIM is not a railway operator, infrastructure owner or consumer-facing product brand. Its principal offerings are representation, policy advocacy, technical coordination, knowledge exchange and member services. Its importance lies in bringing together infrastructure managers with different ownership models and national responsibilities while promoting common European approaches to network development, safety, digital systems and interoperability.

European Rail Infrastructure Managers was created in 2002 during the liberalisation of the European railway market. The association emerged from the need for independent rail infrastructure managers to coordinate their positions and communicate collectively with European institutions. As railway reforms separated infrastructure management from train operations and opened markets to greater competition, infrastructure managers became central participants in debates over access, charging, safety, technical standards and investment. EIM was established to ensure that their interests were represented alongside those of railway undertakings, public authorities and other sector organizations. From its beginning, EIM's principal role was advocacy and coordination rather than commercial railway operation. It represented members in discussions with the European Commission, the European Parliament, regulators and railway-sector stakeholders. Its policy work addressed the European railway packages, infrastructure access, track-access charges, framework agreements, the Single European Railway Area and the development of the Trans-European Transport Network. EIM generally argued that infrastructure managers should be able to operate with appropriate independence and that European rules should encourage competition while preserving safety, network capacity and interoperability. Technical cooperation became an equally important part of the association's activity. Members exchanged experience on infrastructure specifications, train detection, operations, safety, energy, security, telecommunications, accessibility and the interfaces between infrastructure and rolling stock. EIM contributed to discussions surrounding ERTMS and its long-term deployment, including questions about implementation planning, change management and charging. Its technical groups also interacted with the European Union Agency for Railways, whose work focuses on common railway rules and interoperability across Europe. EIM's membership and governance developed as the European infrastructure market became more varied. In late 2013, its members amended the statutes to allow rail infrastructure managers to join regardless of organizational form, ownership structure or size. This change broadened the association beyond a model based primarily on large national infrastructure bodies and enabled greater participation by private, non-national and concession-based managers. Around the same period, EIM endorsed the European Commission's proposal to establish a European platform for rail infrastructure managers. EIM later became a founding member of the Platform for European Rail Infrastructure Managers. The association has also promoted cooperation with related organizations. It has worked with European railway and infrastructure companies, the International Rail Transport Committee and the International Union of Railways on shared objectives, including digitalisation, common technical practices and the development of an interoperable European rail network. EIM is a member of the Group of Representative Bodies and participates in the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Railways, giving it a formal role in sector-level institutional dialogue. Environmental policy has increasingly shaped EIM's public positions. The association has promoted rail as a lower-impact alternative for moving passengers and freight and has urged European policymakers to prioritize a modal shift toward rail in response to climate concerns. It has also examined how infrastructure investment and asset-management practices can respond to climate-related risks. EIM has supported public-private partnerships as one possible mechanism for delivering major infrastructure, pointing to projects such as the Channel Tunnel, the Öresund Bridge and LGV Sud Europe Atlantique as examples of partnership or concession-based approaches. In late 2018, EIM publicly supported the Graz Declaration, a political initiative centered on environmentally friendly transport in Europe. In 2020, it outlined proposals for the development and deployment of FRMCS, reflecting the sector's transition toward new digital communications technologies. This work followed EIM's broader interest in digital railways, telecommunications, infrastructure registers, research and development and performance indicators. EIM is registered in Brussels as an international non-profit association under Belgian law. Its General Assembly is the highest decision-making body and normally meets twice each year. A President and three Vice-Presidents serve two-year elected terms, while the Executive Director leads the Secretariat. Policy activities are coordinated through the Policy and Management Committee, technical matters through the Technical Steering Group and specialist questions through working groups. CEO-level meetings provide an additional forum for members to share experience and discuss issues affecting infrastructure management. The association's continuing function is to connect national and private infrastructure managers with European policy and technical processes. It does not sell passenger or freight services; instead, it supports the institutional, regulatory and technical conditions required for a safer, more interoperable, digitally capable and sustainable European railway system.

• 2020

  FRMCS deployment proposals

  [1]European Rail Infrastructure Managersen.wikipedia.org

  EIM publishes proposals on how the Future Railway Mobile Communication System should be developed and deployed.

• 2018

  Support for the Graz Declaration

  [1]European Rail Infrastructure Managersen.wikipedia.org

  EIM backs a European political initiative promoting environmentally friendly transport and a stronger role for rail.

• 2013

  Membership rules are broadened

  [1]European Rail Infrastructure Managersen.wikipedia.org

  EIM members amend the association's statutes so rail infrastructure managers can participate regardless of ownership, organizational model or size.

• 2013

  Support for a European infrastructure-manager platform

  [1]European Rail Infrastructure Managersen.wikipedia.org

  EIM endorses a European Commission proposal for a platform bringing rail infrastructure managers together and later becomes a founding member of the resulting platform.

• 2002

  EIM is formally established

  [1]European Rail Infrastructure Managersen.wikipedia.org

  European Rail Infrastructure Managers is created after railway-market liberalisation to represent independent infrastructure managers before European institutions and sector stakeholders.

A specialized European industry association and policy platform for public, private and concession-based rail infrastructure managers.

• Industry advocacy · 2002

  Policy representation

  EIM represents rail infrastructure managers in European legislative and regulatory discussions. Its policy remit includes railway liberalisation, infrastructure-manager independence, access conditions, track-access charging, the Single European Railway Area, TEN-T, the Connecting Europe Facility and environmental transport policy.

• Railway technical services · 2002

  Technical coordination

  Through its Technical Steering Group and specialist working groups, EIM coordinates member views on infrastructure, operations, safety, ERTMS, train detection, accessibility, energy, security, telecommunications, infrastructure registers and passenger and freight telematics.

• Professional network · 2002

  Member knowledge exchange

  EIM provides structured and informal forums for infrastructure managers to compare practices, develop common positions and discuss asset management, key performance indicators, digital railways, research and development and infrastructure resilience.

• 2020FRMCS deployment advocacy

  Europe

  EIM set out proposals for addressing the development and deployment of FRMCS, with the aim of supporting the future communications needs of European railways.

  Outcome. The initiative contributed an infrastructure-manager perspective to discussions about the successor to GSM-R.

  Source
• 2018Support for the Graz Declaration

  Europe

  EIM supported the Graz Declaration and its emphasis on environmentally friendly transport, rail's role in sustainable mobility and policies that could encourage a modal shift toward rail.

  Outcome. The association publicly aligned itself with a European transport-policy initiative focused on climate-conscious mobility.

  Source

• 2020

  Publish proposals for FRMCS development and deploymentOther

  Background

  The railway sector was preparing to replace GSM-R with the Future Railway Mobile Communication System.

  Action taken

  EIM publicly outlined proposals concerning the approach to FRMCS development and deployment.

  Aftermath

  EIM added the infrastructure-manager perspective to European discussions about next-generation railway telecommunications.

  Source

• 2013

  Open membership to infrastructure managers of all organizational typesStrategy

  Background

  European rail infrastructure was increasingly managed through a mixture of national bodies, private entities, concessions and other organizational structures.

  Action taken

  EIM amended its statutes to permit rail infrastructure managers to join regardless of ownership, organizational structure or size.

  Aftermath

  The change enabled a broader range of national, private and non-national infrastructure managers to participate in the association.

  Source

• 2013

  Endorsement of a European platform for infrastructure managersStrategy

  Background

  European institutions were considering a platform to improve coordination among rail infrastructure managers.

  Action taken

  EIM endorsed the European Commission's proposal and subsequently became a founding member of the Platform for European Rail Infrastructure Managers.

  Aftermath

  The platform created an additional channel for cooperation and exchange among infrastructure managers at European level.

  Source

1. 1European Rail Infrastructure Managersen.wikipedia.org
2. 2European Rail Infrastructure Managers official websiteeimrail.org