IRG-Rail

The Independent Regulators’ Group – Rail (IRG-Rail) was established on June 9, 2011, in The Hague through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding. The association now has 31 members, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Alongside all EU Member States with railway networks (only Malta and Cyprus are not represented among the EU27), six non-EU countries are also members of the association.

IRG-Rail’s primary objective is to ensure information exchange on various current regulatory topics and to promote harmonization within the European rail sector. As a founding member, Schienen-Control has been actively involved in IRG-Rail from the beginning, contributing its regulatory experience from Austria to various working groups. In 2021, Schienen-Control held the annually rotating chairmanship of IRG-Rail. The position papers developed by IRG-Rail are an essential tool for communicating the positions of regulatory authorities at both national and European levels.

IRG-Rail is structured into six working groups covering the following areas:

  • Network Access
  • Access to Service Facilities
  • Market Monitoring
  • Emerging Legislative Proposals
  • Common Approaches to Charging Issues
  • Charges for Service Facilities

IRG-Rail places great emphasis on the independence of its members. Regulatory authorities from countries that are subject to infringement proceedings for lack of regulatory independence cannot be members of IRG-Rail. The organizational structure consists of two levels: the General Assembly and the Working Groups. The General Assembly, which meets approximately twice a year, serves as the decision-making body, although decisions can also be made through written procedures. Since its establishment, IRG-Rail has published around 90 joint documents, which are available online at www.irg-rail.eu.