Rail sector: continue track access charging measures for six more months
Railway associations want to prolong the regulation allowing to waive, reduce or defer track access charges in the face of Covid-19. The regulation would last until the end of June, but they asked for it...Read more
Dutch state sued for subsidising NS Vienna-Amsterdam night train
A number of interest groups and FlixBus have filed a case to challenge a license and subsidy to Dutch Railways NS for operating a night train connection to Austria. According to them, the decision of...Read more
‘Track access charges are too high for new entrants in rail’
In recent decades, huge investments were done in Europe for the construction of high-speed lines. National networks of thousands of kilometers of track have been built. “Now the only thing left to do is to...Read more
SNCF: state aid for Eurostar is needed within the month to get through crisis
French State Railways (SNCF) said that its high speed Channel Tunnel rail subsidiary Eurostar needs state aid within the month to get through Covid-19 crisis. SNCF chief executive Jean-Pierre Farandou, said this to the Financial...Read more
The Netherlands starts market consultation for open access on international lines
The Dutch Government is starting a market exploration of the possibilities for open access on the international railway lines to and from the Netherlands. National and international carriers are called upon to express their interest...Read more
No sign of modal shift to rail in new European market monitoring
Between 2015 and 2018, the market share of rail compared to other land-based passenger transport in the EU has been stuck at around 7.8 percent. Although there has been a slight annual growth of 2.5...Read more
‘New EU rail passenger rights agreement will not achieve modal shift’
The proposed new passenger rights agreement by Member States and the EU Parliament does not go far enough to make rail more attractive, says ALLRAIL, which represents independent passenger rail companies. They are critical about...Read more
Trafikverket publishes tender for night train connecting Sweden to mainland Europe
Swedish transport authority Trafikverket has recently published a tender for a night train connection between Sweden and the European mainland. Starting in 2022 the train will connect Malmö and Stockholm to Brussels and Hamburg. This...Read more
European non-incumbent railway operators call for level-playing field
Two associations of non-incumbent railway operators Mofair and AllRail have warned the German government of the unreasonable subsidies for the state-owned company Deutsche Bahn. This could violate competition in the rail market, especially in its...Read more
Key measures for future opportunity to travel around Europe by rail
In order to keep the operations going after the coronavirus pandemic, the rail sector in Europe needs support from the authorities. Therefore, several railway associations have called the European Commission and the Member States to...Read more
Coronavirus impact on railways: 18 March
RailTech continues to cover the influence of coronavirus on the European rail sector. Below you can find some highlights of Wednesday, 18 March. The updates from Tuesday, 17 March, are available here.Read more
AllRail names main risks for EU rail market
The Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants (AllRail), an association of non-incumbent railway operators, has defined several main risks for the EU rail market. The unfair access to train routes and financing as well as...Read more
‘Government subsidies for night trains are counterproductive’
If European governments want to stimulate new night trains, then they must do so in ways that are fair and transparent for all rail operators. This can be achieved by reducing infrastructure charges for all...Read more