Rail industry welcomes investment plans for Scotland
The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has welcomed the Scottish government commitments to sustaining rail funding in their recent budget statement, made to parliament in Edinburgh earlier this month. The representative body also applauded the statement...Read more
Finland removes VAT from train tickets
As a temporary measure, Finland will reduce VAT on train and other public transport tickets from 10 per cent to zero from January 1 to April 30, 2023. Parliament decided on the course action as...Read more
AllRail warns Belgian government for sustaining SNCB monopoly
AllRail, the European interest group for independent passenger rail companies, is threatening to file a complaint against the Belgian government with the European Commission. It warns that the plans to give a direct award for...Read more
Belgium to encourage night trains by covering energy and access charges in ‘European first’
To encourage railway operators to run night trains to and from Belgium, the federal government wants to cover the costs of using the rail infrastructure and energy charges. A proposal for this that was submitted...Read more
European Commission signs off on 180-million-euro Czech rail support scheme
The European Commission approved a package worth 180 million euros to support rail operators using electric traction last week. The Czech measure targets improving the environmental performance of rail. However, it is also critical in...Read more
France considers price cap for rail tickets with rising inflation
French transport minister Clément Beaune is working with SNCF to establish a tariff cap for rail tickets to make sure the increase remains lower than the inflation, he said on French television this week. The...Read more
Spain’s free train pass pushes use of public transport to pre-corona levels
Renfe has issued 2 million free train passes since the introduction of the tickets in Spain towards the end of August. According to the operator, the initiative has helped restore restore the overall passenger numbers...Read more
Merriman appointed Minister of State for Rail & HS2
The young face of Huw Merriman is an old face around the transport portfolio. Now, the political Peter Pan is the new Minister of State for Rail & HS2. He takes on what is generally...Read more
Enough delay, where is the UK Rail Network Enhancement Programme?
Tired of waiting, the Railway Industry Association (RIA) has published its own Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) update. The document, which the UK government claimed it would publish every year, is somewhat behind schedule. In...Read more
New day, new UK transport secretary Mark Harper
With astonishing inevitability, the appointment of a new prime minister has meant the appointment of a new transport secretary. Step up to the platform edge, Mark Harper, who returns to a ministerial post after an...Read more
Funds allocated for Germany’s 9-euro ticket successor ‘insufficient’
The 3 billion euros allocated by the German federal government and the federal states for the introduction of the so-called Deutschlandticket, the successor of the immensely popular 9-euro ticket, might not nearly be enough to...Read more
“Greater interest in rail travel, but obstacles in cross-border travel remain”
The transport ministers of the EU countries talked about the development of high-speed rail lines in different parts of Europe at an informal meeting in Prague on Friday. Currently having the presidency of the Council...Read more
Swedish association asks new government to fund all costs on-board ETCS
Swedish public transport association Svenskkollektivtrafik has drawn up a wish list for the new government with an eye on structural reforms to increase travel via public transport travel. Notable wishes for rail include the funding...Read more