Finnish Rail Regulatory Body examined the lawfulness of outsourcing traffic control in railway yards

The Finnish Rail Regulatory Body issued on 1 April 2022 a decision in a matter concerning disagreement about the lawfulness of outsourcing the services for traffic control in railway yards.

Destia Rail Ltd filed a complaint with the Regulatory Body regarding the railway yard traffic control services that the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency has outsourced to VR-Group Ltd, which operates as a railway undertaking. According to the decision adopted by the Regulatory Body, the outsourced railway yard traffic control services violate the relevant legislation as regards those services that concern tracks outside the service facility.

The Regulatory Body requires the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the infrastructure manager, to rectify the situation so that it complies with the relevant legislation as soon as possible and to begin preparing the required measures without delay. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency must report to the Regulatory Body on the measures it has taken. This reporting must be done by the deadline specified.

The matter concerned compliance with structural obligations based on EU regulation. The purpose of the obligations is to create a level playing field for railway undertakings.

The decision is available (in Finnish) on the website of the Finnish Rail Regulatory Body at the address
https://www.saantelyelin.fi/fi/saantelyelimen-paatokset-ja-ilmoitukset (External link)

ENQUIRIES

Juha Karjanlahti, Head of the Finnish Rail Regulatory Body, tel. +358 29 5345 244, juha.karjanlahti(at)traficom.fi

Marko Sillanpää, Legal Counsel, tel. +358 29 5345 210, marko.sillanpaa(at)traficom.fi