EXPLANATION. What are the differences between the business, operational and commercialization plans?

The implementation of the Rail Baltica Global project involves a variety of important research and development of work plans that would ensure efficiency during the project’s strategic planning and implementation, as well as for future activities within the market. In the table below, the essence and importance of each plan is briefly explained in the context of Rail Baltica.

All three plans complement each other and are interconnected, providing in-depth research on various questions. However, another essential factor is the potential infrastructure manager or managers of Rail Baltica for which an open tender is now ongoing, and for which all potential suppliers are invited to submit their proposals.

  Business Plan Operational Plan Commercialization Plan
What is it? The Rail Baltica Global project’s long-term strategy for the implementation phase and the business model of the operational phase (8 years).

It will contain the financial plans of the involved enterprises and institutions, including joint venture, implementing bodies and the infrastructure manager.

The plan will be updated annually.

A study of the interoperability, the organization of maintenance and the management of traffic flow, carried out in accordance with the revised traffic model acquired through the updated Cost-Benefit Analysis. A set of various commercialization and market researches for the Rail Baltica Global project.
Why is it needed? The plan will bring united, long-term business and a financial planning perspective for the implementation of the project. It will ensure reduced operation costs for the infrastructure lifetime and optimised transport plans for final customers to ultimately transfer the maximum market share to railways and to Rail Baltica in particular. Even during the early phases of the Rail Baltica project, it would be possible to plan and promote its commercialization and ensure the economical potential and close interaction with future cargo carriers of the emerging infrastructure.
What questions does it address? The plan will consist of general market research, the management model of the project, the long-term strategy and business model of the project, service and income statement analysis, the marketing policy, capital investments, the financial plan, inventory and tax aspects, key performance indicators, and risk and scenario analysis.  The analysis will include all physical, technical, human and organisational factors and resources necessary to set up the most efficient production organisation of the practical elements for train operation. For example, for passenger train services: a timetable of all the trains, the types of trains, number of coaches, typical number of passengers transported, speed of services, stations served etc.; locomotives, coaches and wagon depots, maintenance organization, staff required, technical equipment to be used. The subject of the analysis will be the potential products, services and functionality, for example, containers, transportation of passenger vehicles, aviation and railway intermodal connections for synergy between 1435 mm and 1520 mm railway systems, the digitalization and usage of innovations, solutions of logistics for e-commerce, diverse forms of promotion of secondary economic benefits etc.
When will the plan be developed? First half of 2018. Second quarter of 2018. The first research is planned to be started in 2017 and research work will continue until the end of 2020.
Where could be used? What comes next? The plan is the base strategic document of the project. It is used as a practical instrument for the planning of the strategic, operational and financial work. Several conclusions of the business plan, for example, the development of a service perspective will be further studied within the commercialization plan. The results of the Operational Plan study will be used to refine and improve the technical solutions and planning of the implementation of Rail Baltica. It will also serve in the optimization of investments during the construction phase. It is planned that the results of the commercialization plan will define perspective segments of the commercialization and product development. The conclusions of all researches could be used within practical pilot projects that will be carried out shortly before or after the construction of the infrastructure. For example, with the assistance of a pilot project it will be possible to research accessible technologies for a container transportation infrastructure.
23.08.2017