EU approves €70 million aid to lower Dutch track access charges
The European Commission has approved a support scheme amounting to 70 million Euros in order to significantly reduce the track access charges for rail freight in the Netherlands. The scheme, which will run from 2019...Read more
EU wants Spain and Portugal to push infrastructure investments
The Portuguese and Spanish governments should increase their budgets for rail and port infrastructure. This is the recommendation of the European Commission. The institute considers the Portuguese ports as potential European import hubs due to...Read more
European railways comply with ‘user pays’ and ‘polluter pays’ principles
European railways comply with the principles of ‘user pays’ and ‘polluter pays’, better than any other motorised transport mode. This is a key insight from the European Commission’s new study on transport cost internalisation. It...Read more
European Commission adopts ‘no-deal’ Brexit contingency plan for rail
The European Commission has adopted a proposal to help mitigate the significant impact a no-deal Brexit scenario on rail transport and connectivity between the EU and the UK on Tuesday 11 February. The proposal ensures...Read more
EU: 2 billion for rail in Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova
Around 2 billion Euros will be spent by the EU to enhance the railway network in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. It is part of the plans to extend the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T)...Read more
‘Railway transport Europe-China could be simplified’
The Chinese government has called for increased optimalisation of existing cooperation mechanisms when it comes to transport between Europe and China. International railway transport procedures should be simplified, transit costs lowered and goods should be...Read more
European Parliament asks for larger budget transport infrastructure
The European Parliament has called for a significantly larger budget for transport infrastructure through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme. This is a European financing tool for railway projects such as the TEN-T corridors and the...Read more
EU disapproves of broad gauge extension Bratislava-Vienna
The European Commission objects to the plan that will see an extension of the broad gauge railway line from Slovakia to Austria. Meanwhile, the project is about to enter the next phase, moving closer towards...Read more
Dutch rail freight sector wants more support New Silk Road trade
Dutch rail freight parties involved with rail transport between Europe and China ask the government to be more supportive of rail freight between the Netherlands and China. At the moment, several railway companies are active...Read more
Latvian Railways and LDz Cargo demand €82 million from Lituanian Railways
National rail company Latvian Railways and its freight shipping subsidiary LDz Cargo are demanding more than 82 million Euros from national rail company Lithuanian Railways. The amount should compensate for the losses the Latvian companies...Read more
Bulgaria takes the lead in realising Alpine-Western Balkan corridor
The government of Bulgaria has set up an executive council in charge of implementing the Alpine-Western Balkan rail freight corridor last month. It is the first step to realise a new rail freight corridor in...Read more
European Commission: Merger of Alstom and Siemens may reduce competition
The European Commission is concerned that the merger of Alstom and Siemens may reduce competition in the supply of several types of trains and signaling systems. It has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the...Read more
European Parliament votes on Combined Transport Directive
The Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) of the European Parliament has adopted the amendment of the Combined Transport Directive. Specifications regarding the road leg, as well as other points have been altered. The EU legislation...Read more
Alternative language requirements train drivers proposed
The European Commission (EC) has proposed pilot projects to test alternative means of ensuring effective communication during railway operations. In case of a diversion eligible train drivers may not be present, resulting in the cancellation...Read more
More charges for road freight one step closer with vote on EC proposal
The proposal of the European Commission to charge the transport of freight per road on a more equal basis with rail is one step closer with the approval by the European Parliament Transport and Tourism...Read more
‘Important EU railway projects secured under post-2020 budget’
At least thirty billion Euros has been allocated to the European transport subsidy programme Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). It now looks like the investments in important railway projects such as the TEN-T corridors and the...Read more