Spanish Iryo takes off with inaugural journey
The 21st of November was a major milestone for the Spanish high-speed rail competition, as the inaugural train of operator Iryo took off. There are only a few days left before 25 November, when the...Read more
France seems to welcome competition on the rails, yet new services keep getting postponed
AnalysisOnly one competitor to the state-owned railways SNCF currently runs trains on the French network. This is Italy’s Trenitalia, which has been running on the Paris-Lyon-Milan axis since 2020. Although there are quite some plans...Read more
Finland’s first open-access rail operator prepares operations, what did their journey look like?
InterviewNewly founded operator Suomen Lähijunat Oy (Finland Commuter trains) has big plans in Finland. “We chipped away at the existing monopoly in Finland on the bus side, and we could very well be at a...Read more
AllRail warns Dutch parliament of NS concession violating EU market regulation
In an urgent letter, the European interest group ALLRAIL has sounded the alarm about “extreme tunnel vision” at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure regarding a new private concession to Dutch Railways (NS). In doing so,...Read more
Ouigo Spain marks its first anniversary after succesful year
SNCF subsidiary Ouigo Spain marks its first anniversary this week. Since its launch on 10 May 2021, the company has carried more than 2 million passengers between Madrid, Zaragoza, Tarragona and Barcelona, where it competes...Read more
10 years of Italian high-speed rail liberalisation: lessons and future steps
AnalysisThe rail liberalisation process that occurred on the Italian high-speed network is considered by many a successful example of competition in the rail market. The 28th of April marks the tenth anniversary of the introduction...Read more
First two Spanish Iryo train services will launch in November
The first two Iryo train services will start in November on the lines Madrid-Zaragoza-Barcelona and Madrid-Valencia, ILSA president Carlos Bertomeu told Spanish news agency EFE on Tuesday. The trains will compete with both Spanish operator...Read more
ILSA gains third shareholder with Globalvia and plans to compete for Galicia
New Spanish railway operator ILSA has gained a third shareholder next to Trenitalia and Air Nostrum with infrastructure investment group Globalvia, the Expansión daily reported on Tuesday. The company also announced that it aims to...Read more
Mobile apps: how incumbent railways can dominate
OpinionGetting a single ticket on a journey made up of various rail parts still is out of reach in 2021. Even though ease of choice and payment could be the number one reason for people...Read more
‘Integrated companies like DB pose more problems than solutions’
The new German government recently announced that the split of Deutsche Bahn into two different entities would not take place. There will be an attempt to make the company’s internal structures more ‘efficient and transparent’....Read more
New Belgian public service contract for NMBS criticised
AllRail, the alliance of newcomers to passenger rail transport in Europe, has strongly criticised plans by the Belgian government to once again award a public service contract to NMBS/SNCB for ten years. This would leave...Read more
Trenitalia requests loan at EIB for ILSA trains
Trenitalia has requested 550 million at the European Investment Bank (EIB) to finance rolling stock for the operations of ILSA in Spain and operations under their own name in Italy.Read more
Siemens CEO Busch criticises plan to split up Deutsche Bahn
Siemens chief executive Roland Busch has criticised the plans of the political parties FDP and the Greens to split up the state-owned Deutsche Bahn. He fears that a reform of the railways will take years...Read more