PSO Contracts in Rail Transport: Experience Exchange Within a TAIEX Expert Mission

Objectives and Scope of the Workshop

The main objective of the 13 April meeting was to discuss the opportunities created by the current European legislative framework for awarding and concluding public service contracts in transport, with a particular focus on rail transport. Participants jointly analysed the current legal landscape, examples of good practice, and approaches to resolving problems that arise when concluding PSCs.

The scope of the meeting covered:

• An overview of the legal framework, including Regulation No 1370/2007 as currently in force

• Analysis of contract award procedures — competitive tendering vs. direct award

• Issues related to revenue and cost risk (gross and net cost models)

• Rolling stock considerations, and contract duration and stability

• Practical approaches to monitoring and evaluating PSC performance

The event was delivered under the TAIEX-REGIO Peer2Peer instrument, funded by the European Union and managed by the European Commission.

Czech Experience as a Reference Model

The keynote speaker at the workshop was František Vichta — a Czech expert with extensive experience in the field of PSCs. He presented a detailed account of the evolution of rail service contracting in the Czech Republic — from the situation after 2010, when the Open Access model predominated, through the first informal tenders in 2018–2019, to the currently applied tendering procedures compliant with Regulation 1370/2007.

The presentation covered both successes and areas requiring improvement — including revenue risk-sharing mechanisms, compensation indexation, and effective route bundling. The meeting concluded with an open discussion and a question-and-answer session.