The needs of TER project (The socio-economic problems that UN/ECE TER project seeks to address) The facilitation and development of coherent and efficient international railway and combined transport system among the Central and Eastern European countries and through the territories of the countries participating in the project, as well as between them and other European countries The improvement of quality and efficiency of transport operations The contribution in absorbing of an important part of congestion in the Central and Eastern Europe and in the reduction of environmental and safety problems on major international roads of those countries The objectives of TER project The objectives of the project are divided in three categories, operational objectives, Specific objectives and General objectives. The General objectives "outcomes" of the project are coinciding with the above mentioned needs that the project seeks to address) (i) The operational objectives (outputs) of the project are: A short term emergency programme to stop railway traffic decrease that will -
Identify railway axes to be upgraded, main infrastructure bottlenecks (those that should be most urgently removed) and missing links particularly in the east-west direction, most urgent needs for equipment and urgent organisational measures to be taken, including development of combined transport, facilitation of border crossing and commercial training. -
Implementation of inventory of existing pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, and elaboration of new ones for major and most urgent infrastructure works, including traffic forecasts and cost-benefit analysis. To proceed in a regular way with the following actions concerning infrastructure development: To work for the development of combined transport with the following actions: -
Identify of the obstacles for the development of international combined transport, including deficiencies in transfer terminals, special wagons, containers and swap bodies, etc. Other actions -
To work for the improvement of railways efficiency by the identification of major obstacles, proposals for their elimination, prioritise related actions on a cost/benefit analysis basis and work on the financing solutions (ii) The specific objectives (results) of the project are: -
To replace progressively transport equipment (rolling stock, motive power, signalling and telecommunication equipment etc.) by new according to a priority plan. Particular attention should be paid to the necessary harmonisation - at least at the level of compatibility - of the equipment adopted by the different countries. -
To provide railway companies with a modern, efficient market oriented organisation and management, which are able to ensure smooth transition to a new equilibrium of modes in the transport sector in Central and Eastern European countries. In particular increased attention should be paid to international combined transport. Advantages of road terminal transport should be combined with environmental and safety advantages of rail on the main transport in order to provide efficient international combined transport services. The rail part of border crossing procedures has to be simplified. Railway companies will have to adopt a commercial orientation. In order to achieve this objective, management will have to be trained accordingly.
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