Infrastructure managers almost fully compensated for loss of revenue from freight
The subsidies from the EU to make up for the lack of track access charges paid can be considered a success. Although track access charges were waived or reduced in five countries since March 2020,...Read more
Continued pandemic support to reach 2030 goals, will that work?
Pandemic support for the railway industry in the form of adjusted track access charges could be a longer-term measure to support the modal shift to rail. The European Commission is currently looking into a more...Read more
The Track Access Charges Summit starts today
The Track Access Charges Summit kicks off today in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with a full and very interesting two-day programme. During this hybrid event taking place on 20 and 21 April, experts from all over...Read more
Hungarian traction rates ‘higher than expected’
Traction prices of rail freight in Hungary are going to be higher than estimated. The high prices are a direct result of the rising energy costs, but pose a challenge to the rail freight industry,...Read more
Eurovignette Directive approved, but how does it help intermodal?
After five years of negotiations, the new EU rules on road tolls are a fact. The European Parliament adopted the Eurovignette Directive on Thursday 17 February. However, the new rules mean little good news for...Read more
Kazakhstan lowers price of rail, discounts up to 93%
The cost of rail in Kazakhstan will be significantly reduced. Track access charges on most sidings have been decreased by as much as 93 per cent. This was announced by the official information source of...Read more
EU support measures for rail during pandemic possibly extended
The EU Commission has proposed to extend the possibility to reduce or waive track access charges, in order to continue support for the railway industry throughout the pandemic. It is suggesting to prolong the support...Read more
Spain continues to reduce track access charges in face of pandemic
In order to mitigate the effects of the crisis caused by Covid-19 on rail transport, Spain extends the reduced track access charges. This was detailed in one of the amendments to the General State Budgets...Read more
Rail freight in Netherlands fears high track access charges in 2023
Until last week, railway undertakings in the Netherlands were able to respond to the draft of ProRail’s new Network Statement 2023. Freight carriers in particular made use of this option, as they are faced with...Read more
French track access charges to be halved until 2024
The French government will invest 170 million euros per year until 2024 in the rail freight industry. Among other measures, half of the track access charges will be subsidised. It wants to double the transport...Read more
New method calculating charges in the Netherlands: good or bad news?
From 2023, a new method will be used for calculating the track access charges on the Dutch railway network. In practice, this means that the kilometer charges will be reduced by 57 per cent. On...Read more
Hungary discusses 40% reduction of track access charges
Hungary is considering reducing its track access charges by 40 per cent, following the example of several EU countries. This measure could support rail freight during the ongoing pandemic, argues HUNGRAIL, the strategic partner of...Read more
Not all infrastructure managers compensated for low railway charges
Many countries in Europe have enabled access to rail at a reduced or even nullified rate in order to support railways during the pandemic. This is great news for the railway undertakings, but not all...Read more
What happens when the COVID discounts for rail are gone?
Much of the European rail network is currently free of charge. This is thanks to the regulation that allows for a waiver, or reduction of track access charges during the pandemic. However, this possibility is...Read more
Zero-emission truck and electric train should be charged the same
European policy makers should find a way of charging for infrastructure that incentivises the greenest possible choice of modality. This requires a multimodal approach, rather than an isolated policy for a single transport sector, say...Read more
Germany wants to almost nullify track access charges
Germany has proposed to continue the reduction of track access charges until the end of 2021. Interestingly, the charges will almost be nullified; from the current 50 per cent reduction it wants to move to...Read more
Free online event: charging for access to transport infrastructure
A level playing field for road and rail transport can only be achieved when charging for access to road or rail happens on an equal basis. However, as many have argued, we are still far...Read more
How Latvia segments the railway market for infrastructure charging
There are different ways in which countries determine segments on the rail market for infrastructure charging. In a webinar on 17 March, an online seminar on railway transportation market segmentation was held by LatRailNet, the...Read more
Poland refrains from increase track access charges next year
The Polish infrastructure manager PKP PLK has withdrawn its request to increase track access charges of the network in 2022. As a result, the fees for accessing the railway network in the country remain at...Read more