The Netherlands desperately lack a vision for rail freight. That is the message of Hans-Willem Vroon, director of RailGood, a Dutch organisation promoting the interests of the rail freight sector. The Dutch government fails to deliver sound rail freight policy, has ignored a parliamentary proposal and sector appeals, and risks falling behind the rest of […]
Category: Policy
EU may break up DB Cargo due to losses
The European Union may break up DB Cargo due to the rail operator’s large losses, which have reached nearly 500 million euros. Company sources reported to Reuters that the EU may consider the figures and subsequent government support to be distorting the market. The Deutsche Bahn subsidiary incurred losses that were twice as high as […]
DB Cargo main beneficiary of Fret SNCF ‘discontinuity’
Labour unions at Fret SNCF have highlighted that the ‘discontinuity’ of the French state railways’ biggest rail freight subsidiary has played directly into the hands of its biggest rival – DB Cargo France. Under the terms of an agreement between France and the European Commission, in response to suspected illegal state aid to Fret SNCF, […]
‘Germany is not short in money to keep financing railway projects’
Despite the significant budget cuts expected for the 2024-2027 period, Peter Westenberger, the managing director of the industry association Die Güternbahnen, is convinced that there are still enough funds to continue carrying out critical railway expansion and upgrade works in Germany. “There is no shortage of money in Germany,” he said, underlying that a Swiss […]
Polish farmers to block Ukrainian agricultural exports by rail
Polish farmers intend to block the export of Ukrainian agricultural goods by rail. They plan to hinder the transfer of goods from rail to road transport on the Polish side of the border. Protests against the import and transit of Ukrainian agricultural goods by road have been taking place for months, but will now also […]
EU: Rail Baltica needs to be done by 2030 with or without Riga
The European Commission has been clear about its demands for the construction of Rail Baltica. The railway needs to be finished and have trains running by 2030 to continue funding. A key question is whether or not Latvian capital city Riga will be connected to the line by that time. In Latvia, the Rail Baltica […]
EU: Rail Baltica needs to be done by 2030 with or without Riga
The European Commission has been clear about its demands for the construction of Rail Baltica. The railway needs to be finished and have trains running by 2030 to continue funding. A key question is whether or not Latvian capital city Riga will be connected to the line by that time. In Latvia, the Rail Baltica […]
EU to invest 10 billion euros in Middle Corridor
The European Union is allocating 10 billion euros for the development of the so-called Middle Corridor. It has identified 33 infrastructure projects to be financed, among which are many rail projects. The EU hopes to create an alternative transport route that circumvents Russian infrastructure. The currently allocated 10 billion euros will be spent on infrastructure […]