Hungary submits railway plans for EU funding, crucial projects are missing
The Hungarian government submitted a funding request to EU’s Connecting Europe Facility 2 for several domestic railway projects. Although some of the railway schemes included in the proposal are relevant for rail freight development in...Read more
“Combined transport has a big leverage, we don’t have to wait for anything”
Ralf-Charley Schultze, chairman of UIRR, was recently reappointed for four more years in the management board of the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA). In the board, Schultze represents the freight customers, including terminals, railway...Read more
Your last chance of claiming the RailFreight EU Terminal Map 2022
If you are interested in getting access to the 2022 edition of the RailFreight EU Terminal Map, you still have time until the end of this week. You can check our offer and apply for...Read more
This is what it costs to double EU’s rail freight share by 2050
The share of rail freight transport is projected to double until 2050. In order to handle the growing volumes, a public investment of 490 billion euros is needed into the TEN-T rail infrastructure. This comes...Read more
Combined transport sector ‘slightly negative’ about 2023
The UIRR Sentiment Index reflecting business sentiment for the coming year 12-months has been adjusted a notch down for the second quarter in a row: the index currently stands at ‘slightly negative’. The conditions for...Read more
Do EU transport ministers hear the railway sector’s pleas?
The informal meeting of the Eu transport ministers on Friday, 21 October, could produce some palpable energy measures for the railway sector. The energy, and specifically, electricity crisis plaguing rail freight and passenger transport currently...Read more
Rail unions raise their voices on increasing electricity prices
ERFA, UIP, and UIRR urged the EU to activate “an emergency intervention to address high energy prices that will be applied to traction electricity used by freight trains”. Electricity prices throughout the Union have increased...Read more
Hungarian track access charges could be reduced by 40%
The Hungarian government has proposed a 40 per cent reduction of track access charges on the national railway network. This would be realised by a temporary cancellation of the surcharge, which is an additional fee...Read more
Commission intervenes to reduce spiking energy prices, compensations in the plans
The European Commission decided on an emergency energy market intervention to control and reduce the rising energy prices. The executive body issued three immediate measures that will see excess revenues from the fossil-fuel sector returning...Read moreRailway sector fears unstable energy supply, calls Brussels to act
With the increasing energy bills and insecurity about a steady supply, the European railway sector calls for action. Sector associations Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA)...Read more
Electricity prices need regulation, or combined transport cannot compete
Prices for electricity used in rail traction should be regulated and adjusted accordingly. If this is not the case, “combined transport can not compete with long-distance trucking,” urges UIRR while the most significant energy crisis...Read more
Combined transport shrinks for first time since corona recovery
European combined transport’s performance has shrunk for the first time in one-and-a-half year. Volumes transported over a rail-road corridor declined by 0,46 per cent in the second quarter of 2022, compared to the same period...Read more
Zero-carbon and door-to-door is already happening today
Zero-carbon door-to-door transport is already possible today. The secret lies in combined transport, using rail and, only for short distances, trucking. What is needed? CO2-free power generation, full electrification of rail transport, electrical terminal handling...Read more
TEN-T revision is on the right track for intermodal transport
The ongoing TEN-T regulation amendment seems to be on the right track to support the growth of intermodal and combined transport. “The infrastructure parameters for longer trains, the provision of sufficient track capacity for them...Read more
Looking for a shift to rail? This initiative might be what you need
A new initiative is underway to incentivise shippers and freight forwarders to use more rail. Shift2030, an enterprise promoting the modal shift, launched the Time2Shift action, providing what possible rail customers need more: practical information.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
Freight is missing in EU’s long-distance Action Plan
On the same day the TEN-T regulation was revised, the European Commission published the Action Plan to Boost Long-Distance and Cross-Border Passenger Rail. Such a plan is also needed for rail freight, says the UIRR....Read more
‘EU not pushing hard enough for intermodal case’
The intermodal sector should be bold, and make a case for the sector in Brussels and at home, said Barbara Thaler, Tyrolean Member of the European Parliament and TRAN Committee member at the start of...Read more
In RailFreight Live this week: Duisport, VIIA and the UIRR
With the climate goals of the EU, combined transport is in the spotlight. It is the low-hanging fruit, the International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport (UIRR) has repeatedly said, the solution to accomplish carbon-neutral transport....Read more