Why is European Standard Rails Better?

A European Standard (EN) is implemented by the national CEN and CENELEC Members as a national standard, and therefore is included in the standards catalogue of CEN and CENELEC's Members, the National Standardization Organizations in 34 countries . The European Standards Bodies (CEN, CENELEC and ETSI) define a Standard as a document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body that provides, for common and repeated use , rules , guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context. Standards should be based on consolidated results of science, technology and experience, and aimed at the promotion of optimum community benefits.

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A standard is a technical document designed to be used as a rule , guideline or definition . It is a consensus-built , repeatable way of doing something. Standards are created by bringing together all interested parties such as manufacturers , consumers and regulators of a particular material, product, process or service . All parties benefit from standardization through increased product safety and quality as well as lower transaction costs and prices.

The CEN and CENELEC's National Members work together to develop European Standards and other deliverables in a large number of sectors to help build the European internal market in goods and services, removing barriers to trade and strengthening Europe's position in the global economy. 

The development of a European Standard (EN) is governed by the principles of consensus, openness, transparency, national commitment and technical coherence. More than 200.000 experts from industry, associations, public administrations, academia, and societal organizations are involved in the CEN and CENELEC network that reaches over 600 million people.

We work in a decentralized way. Our Members ' the CEN National Standardization Bodies (NSBs) and CENELEC National Committees (NCs) of the EU and EFTA countries ' operate the technical groups that draw up the standards and the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre in Brussels manages and coordinates this system.

How are European Standards developed?

Although technically anyone can propose work that will result in a European Standard, at CEN and CENELEC the work is usually channeled by the members (the CEN National Standardization Bodies and the CENELEC National Committees). In some cases, the request comes from the European Commission or from other stakeholders.

If enough CEN and/or CENELEC members are willing to be involved in the development process, the work is then assigned to a CEN and/or CENELEC Technical Committee (TC) in the field concerned. At the same time, 'standstill' is enforced on all national work surrounding the same topic. Once the Technical Committee is established, mirror committees of stakeholders at national level decide on the national contributions regarding the development of the standard. In addition to the CEN and/or CENELEC members, Technical Committees also include a number of observers, such as ISO/IEC members, European Commission/EFTA, European partners including Annex III organizations, external European industry associations and other affiliate bodies.

Once the proposal for a standard has been evaluated and approved, the proposal goes on to the drafting stage which is based on consensus-building. When the draft standard is finalized, it goes up to public enquiry open to all interested parties. When the enquiry is over, the votes and comments on the standard are evaluated and depending on the result, the draft standard is either published or additionally worked upon and subsequently submitted to formal vote. Furthermore, European Standards are also developed to ease compliance with European rules and regulations such as EU legislation. Through Regulation (EU) No /, the three European Standardisation Organisations (CEN, CENELEC and ETSI) may receive a request to produce European harmonised standards in support of EU legislation and policies.

Standards in your everyday life

Did you know that millions of businesses and organizations are applying and using European standards every day? The more you know about standards, the more you will be able benefit from them. Standards make our lives safer, simpler, more comfortable and more efficient. But standards only work when they are properly used. Do you want to make sure that your child's toys are safe? Then watch out for the EN 71 series of standards on toy safety. Do you care about the environment? That's where the standard EN ISO for environmental management systems comes in.

Standards bring us benefits at home, at work, during leisure time, both at home and abroad. They ensure the products we use are safe and reliable, and that different appliances and pieces of equipment can connect and work together for a better experience. The home you live in is made safe through construction standards, and your personal data is protected by IT security standards.

Often we can only appreciate the importance of a standard when it is missing, or has not been properly applied ' because then things do not work as they should.

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If you ask someone to close their eyes and picture a train, they'll typically imagine one of two things:

1. The sleek, fast European passenger trains that can zip through the countryside, or
2. The industrial, coal-burning freight trains that powered the American westward expansion.

So, how did these two vastly dissimilar pictures come to be? In this article, we'll take a closer look at the key differences between American and European rail systems.

HOW DO EUROPEAN AND NORTH AMERICAN TRAINS DIFFER?

When it comes to American trains vs. European trains, there are six main factors that help make each one stand apart: their freight-to-passenger ratio, funding, rail infrastructure, train designs, operating procedures, and government regulations. Let's explore each of these in-depth.

1. Freight-to-Passenger Ratio

What really sets these two rail networks apart are the shares of their respective freight and passenger transportation markets. North American railways handle about 84% freight cargo and only 16% passengers, while the European Union's railways are almost exactly the inverse at 80% passengers and 20% freight. This difference in focus is primarily due to their opposing historical priorities: American railways were built to move goods across a vast country with a sparse population, whereas European railways were mostly created to move large amounts of people between densely populated cities. To learn more, check out our recent article on the history of short line railroads in America.

2. Train Design

Due to their opposing priorities, American and European trains are designed quite differently. American trains are typically longer and wider to accommodate more freight, while European trains are shorter and narrower to allow for more nimble movements and quicker acceleration. American freight cars also tend to be lower to the ground to make it easier to load and unload heavy cargo, whereas European passenger cars are typically higher off the ground to offer a better view of the passing scenery.

3. Operating Procedures

An Italian regional passenger train at a Swiss border station in Chiasso, Switzerland.

As a result of their different train designs, American and European operating procedures are also quite dissimilar. American trains typically have one powerful locomotive at the front that pulls the entire train (although this is changing thanks to distributed power systems), while European trains often have multiple locomotives that pull the train from the front and push it from behind (or a mix of both). American locomotives also typically run on diesel fuel, whereas European locomotives can run on either diesel or electric power.

4. Rail Infrastructure

The American National Rail Network is more than twice the size of the European rail system, with over 224,000 miles (360,000 kilometers) of track compared to Europe's mere 94,000 miles (151,000 kilometers). American railways were also built on a wider gauge (the distance between the rails), which allows for larger and heavier trains. As a result, American freight railways are much more efficient than their European counterparts, carrying almost three times as much cargo per mile of track. The only downside of this wider gauge is that it isn't compatible with Europe's smaller standard gauge, so American trains cannot run on European tracks and vice versa.

5. Funding

American railways are primarily privately owned, with freight companies investing their own money into the system. In contrast, most European railways are publicly owned and funded by taxpayers. This has led to very different attitudes towards investment: American companies are more likely to reinvest their profits into the railway system, while European railway companies have been known to be more resistant to private investment and change.

6. Government Regulations

American railways are subject to less government regulation than European railways, which gives freight companies more freedom to operate as they see fit. For instance, American freight companies are not required to use their tracks for passenger service (although many still do), whereas European freight companies must share their tracks with passenger trains. American freight companies are also allowed to ship cargo that would typically be banned in Europe, such as crude oil, toxic chemicals, and other hazardous materials.

SO, WHICH COUNTRY HAS THE BEST RAILROAD SYSTEM?

Given all of these differences, it's hard to say definitively which country has the better railway system. Ultimately, it comes down to what you're looking for in a railway system. American railways are significantly more efficient and cost-effective at moving freight cargo for businesses, whereas European railways offer a much smoother and more scenic experience for their rail passengers.


A Seminole Gulf Railway freight train in Fort Myers, Florida USA.

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