Article deals with the possibility of practical application of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology into operation of rail freight in relation to the important international projects that may impact on successful implementation of electronic data exchange in international freight transport. Implementation the new and more complex information systems and technologies in the field of rail freight should systematically eliminate these deficiencies and thus strategic insight not only increase the quality of information in transport, but also increase overall competitiveness in the field of rail freight. There are several technologies automatic data collecting and one of them is RFID technology. Compared with other technology the RFID technology offers a higher scanning speed and easier application in the automated systems. The implementation of RFID technology into practice will result in a simplification of technological activities both in border crossing stations, marshalling yards, but also in individual small intermediate station and railway sidings. It also finds application in the administration of consignment and delivery wagon load.

Transport is one of the most important economic sectors; it directly employs around 10 million people and it is concerned in GDP approximately 5% in the European Union (EU). The White Paper of 2011 underlines the need to create new traffic models that will make it possible to meet increasing demands for services through the effective use of various modes of transport and multimodal chains to reduce the external costs of transport. One of the important tools required to ensure sustainable transport is the liberalization of the railway freight transport market, whose main objective is to increase the competitiveness of railway transport reducing the negative impacts of transport on the environment. Actual problems from the view of sustainable transport are mainly those to do with in limited capacity and the level of transport infrastructure and the major differences between the capacity and quality of transport infrastructure in Western and Eastern Europe. The aim of our research is to design measures for the creation of free and undisturbed competition in freight transport to reduce the use of public resources, improving the quality of service even while reducing the social costs of transport. Support for this primary goal will be represented by the definition and description of the complex characteristics of: traffic flows and demand on logistic systems, multimodal chain, business conditions in the transport market, the role of managers of the railway infrastructure in the railway market, system of tolls of the railway infrastructure in terms of minimum access package and additional services in selected EU countries, the social costs of transport, including quantification of external effects, natural and value indicators in relation to the quality of transport processes. The paper deals with research conditions of the liberalization of the railway freight market in the context of a sustainable transport system. We have analysed the charging of the railway infrastructure in the V4 countries and Austria in order to compare charges for model trains. The paper presents a comparative analysis of the number of rail freight operators in individual countries vs rail freight transport performance. Based on this analysis, we investigated whether the liberalization of the rail freight market is reflected in the modal split for the benefit of rail transport

Currently, it is necessary to support not only public passenger transport at the expense of individual car transport but also to ensure the modal split of goods from road transport to railway transport. Moreover, it is important to modernize the railway infrastructure, especially hubs and other important railway stations in important settlements and big cities. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly invest in railway lines as well as railway stations. The contribution deals with the determination of the methodology for the evaluation of railway stations in freight transport based on current scientific publications and the AHP method. Its main goal is to determine the size of the peak on the network-railway station on the infrastructure manager’s railway network. One of the benefits is the subsequent determination of the next procedure from the given peak in terms of operation, considering the economic complexity of the entire procedure. The methodology is preceded by an extensive analysis of input data in Slovakia and abroad. This methodology defines the parameters or factors that influence decisions for a particular railway freight station. Subsequently, based on the proposed methodology, a practical application is also developed, within which four railway stations on the ŽSR network are evaluated. In a broader sense, the contribution also points to improving the quality of railway infrastructure in cities.

Currently, passengers have access to a lot of information when planning their trip by public transport. They can use a lot of applications, which are not compatible with each other. Sometimes it can be even quite difficult to collect all relevant information. The creation of one application (Travel Companion), which contains all relevant data needed for optimal planning of a trip can make travelling by public transport more attractive. This paper identifies and describes conditions for a large market uptake of the Travel Companion approach by the end-users: the travellers. The paper deals with research of the passenger’s preferences and requirements for the travel companion. Research consists of four steps based on analyses of interaction points, interviews, and workshops. Every step of methodology brings interesting feedback on the design and functionality of the travel companion. The paper is based on particular results of the H2020 project - 730842 Governance of the Interoperability Framework for Rail and Intermodal Mobility (GoF4R).