On June 7th, Forum Train Europe members came together for FTE’s Plenary Assembly in Krakow, Poland. The Assembly elected four new members of the FTE Executive Board (ExBo). The mandate and the mission of the new ExBo will be crucial since it will lead the FTE organisation during the revision of the EU law for capacity management (Greening Transport Package) and the first year of TTR hybrid implementation. We are bringing you short interviews with the all-new ExBo members, so that you can get know them better, understand their visions, and hear about the topics to which they would like to dedicate their attention.
This time we talked to Robert Groiss. Robert serves as the Business Development Manager at Metrans. He has long-lasting experience in freight combined transport, including for another FTE member, LTE. Robert was elected as the first ExBo representative from a privately owned FTE member in the modern history of FTE.
The Plenary Assembly is over now, and you will travel back to focus on your main responsibilities within Metrans. Can you give us an idea of what tasks and challenges are currently on your table?
FTE is a very strong European railway association with a voice at Brussel. We expect that we can help that railway can go forward in Europe. But we are getting back to the daily work. To our daily business, the issues with not enough train paths, high energy prices. The daily work, to make the shift road to rail possible.
You have become the first Executive Board member to come from a solely private company in the modern FTE era, how do you feel about that? Do private RUs have the same goals in capacity management as publicly owned companies?
Yes of course. Every day we have the problem that we can not run all trains and we hope we can together with the other members in FTE reach a better situation that rail can grow with enough capacity and we think that the private RU have even a higher motivation, to bring the railway in to the future. This is the goal that we are fighting for day by day.
What are the topics in the area of capacity management that you think the FTE community should focus on in the upcoming years?
Railway harmonizing and digitalization within Europe. And maybe finally create a little bit of a transport strategy within Europe. Not only the single proclamations.
Metrans also plays a leading role in UIRR. Do you see any synergies and common goals between FTE and UIRR?
You never can lobby enough. So of course UIRR is important for combined transport – other main business. But for further success of our own railway undertakings needs FTE contribution too. And the goal should be that all the associations, which are fighting for the common goal should cooperate more closer that they are doing now. On the national, but also on the international – European level.
Lastly, is there any specific message you would like to give to the staff of FTE members?
A great team – looking forward to cooperate!