Athens Metro Infrastructure Sharing
Client: Attiki Metro/Imperial College, Dec 2002
Athens metro may be extended to share track with the suburban railway, as in London. Here, a Chiltern train stands at Harrow-on-the Hill (a station operated by London Underground)
Extensive expansion of the public transport infrastructure in Athens is currently being planned. Amongst other schemes, the state railway company (OSE) is constructing a new line which will permit suburban trains to serve the new International Airport. It is proposed that services on one line of the Athens Metro also be extended to the airport, by means of a new connection to the OSE line, and utilising negotiated running rights over that line.
Since Athens Metro has no previous experience of Track Access Agreements for the use of shared infrastructure, it is examining the types of arrangements which are in place elsewhere in the world for the use of shared infrastructure by another operator. The Railway Consultancy, in conjunction with the Railway Technology Strategy Centre at Imperial College London, was commissioned to outline the structure of Track Access Agreements in the British privatised railway industry, to highlight the issues which are of importance when shared use of infrastructure by multiple operators is contemplated, and to indicate any shortcomings in the way in which these are handled in the British situation.
Of particular interest were the various instances where London Underground shares infrastructure with Network Rail and/or the various train operating companies (TOCs); examples exist of the use of Network Rail infrastructure by London Underground trains (either almost exclusively, or in conjunction with another TOC), and the use of London Underground infrastructure by a TOC. The Consultancy provided examples of the basis upon which charges for track access are calculated, and a view on the extent to which these reflect true cost responsibility.
Last updated: Sunday, 18th December 2016
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