A study from the Institute of Transport Economics and Logistics at the University of Vienna of Economics and Business showed quite pessimistic results for the future of Austrian and European rail freight. “Road will remain the dominant mode of transport”, while rail freight will keep losing ground over the next couple of decades, making the…
Category: European Union
Demonstration in Paris to save rail freight ‘for the planet and jobs’
A demonstration will be held in Paris today, Tuesday, 28 May, to save rail freight “for the planet and jobs.” The protest is being staged by a platform grouping labour unions, Sud Rail, environmental protection and social justice associations, the Alliance Ecologique et Sociale, and Alternatiba Paris. The demonstration focuses on the impact of the…
‘Businesses should brace ahead of new Import Control System’
The EU’s new Import Control System (ICS2), designed to streamline and strengthen customs control procedures for the European single market, is rapidly approaching. For rail freight transport, the system will be enforced by 2025. Road operators, however, will need to adapt as early as June 2024. Despite its noble intentions, ICS2 is anticipated to introduce…
The Middle Corridor remains too expensive as an alternative China-Europe route
The Middle Corridor, a multimodal China-Europe freight route through Central Asia, has garnered international interest as a potential alternative to transporting freight through Russia. Illustratively, the EU has allocated 10 billion euros for its development. The corridor remains too expensive to become a route of preference, explains Roland Verbraak, general manager of BTTMultimodalGroup. BTT, a…
Twenty years of EU membership: What has it brought Polish rail freight?
Poland, alongside nine other countries, has been a member of the European Union for 20 years. EU membership brought with it many investments, which also benefited Polish rail infrastructure. The 166 billion Polish złoty (27 billion euros) in investments have transformed Polish railways, says national rail operator PKP. PKP reviewed the contribution of “huge funds”…
It’s time the EU commits to financial support for rail to meet policy goals
Consistency in pursuing goals, political commitment and explicit financial guarantees. Those are the three pillars that will ensure rail investments take place in a targeted and efficient manner in pursuit of reaching climate and decarbonisation goals and making rail freight more competitive. According to ETF, CER, and UITP, it is high time the EU proved…
