TENT-T network needs freight-only lines and ‘intermodal gauge’
Rail infrastructure needs to be adjusted to the needs of intermodal traffic, and the revision of the TEN-T regulation is the ideal moment for such a change. That…
‘EU Year of Rail should be extended in face of Covid-19’
CER, EIM and UNIFE – among the main rail associations in Brussels – have asked for an extension of the European Year of Rail, as the pandemic hinders…
Rhine Valley closure reaches the European Union
Following a month of disruptions in the Rhine Valley after the rockslide on 15 March, railway undertakings decided to raise the matter on a European Union and enforce…
1.4 billion of CEF fund to Rail Baltica
A total of 1.56 billion euros of the transport budget of the new Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) 2.0 for the period 2021-2027 will finance rail projects between cohesion…
‘The biggest obstacle of the North Sea-Baltic rail corridor is the lack of ERTMS’
The biggest drawback of the North Sea-Baltic rail corridor is currently the lack of the European traffic control system ERTMS. Bottlenecks in the network that hinder the operation…
‘Railways have learned a lot in condition monitoring in the last five years’
“We can’t afford to send out a maintenance team when we don’t know what’s going on, we have to anticipate failures”, says Diego Galar, professor of condition monitoring…
How do EU countries apply infrastructure performance schemes?
EU countries have common approaches to the way delays on railways are penalised. The so-called performance regimes, part of the infrastructure charging system, appear to be more similar…
EU Commission: deployment ERTMS is behind on schedule
The deployment of ERTMS is lagging behind schedule. In April 2020, the installation of the system reached just 78 percent of the target for 2019. Under the ERTMS…
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…
Congested railway track in EU doubled over 3-year period
The total length of railway track that was congested in the EU has almost doubled from 2015 to 2018. In total, congestion affected 2,261 kilometres of track in…
Alberto Mazzola starts as new CER Executive Director
“With the 2021 European Year of Rail, we have a real opportunity to show the many benefits railways can bring as employers and providers of sustainable mobility services.…
EU launches website European Year of Rail
Shortly before the beginning of the new year, the European Commission launched the website of the European Year of Rail 2021. The initiative places the train in the…
ERA safety report: no progress in reducing railway workers casualties since 2014
With 1,552 significant accidents and 824 fatalities (suicides excluded), according to the European Union Agency of Railways (ERA) the year 2019 was the safest year in the European…
European Erasmus+ project to train skills for the future of railways
UNIFE has announced the kick-off of an Erasmus+ project for skills development in European rail. The 4-year Skill Training Alliance For the Future European Rail System – known…
European Parliament approves European Year of Rail 2021
The negotiators of the European Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement to declare 2021 the European Year of Railways. Throughout the year there will…