Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Faster trains and cheaper tickets under new EU rail plans

The European Commission has announced new plans to boost long-distance and cross-border train travel in Europe as part of efforts to tackle climate change.

Faster trains, simpler tickets and support for international trips could be on the agenda for Europe's rail network, under new European Commission proposals revealed on Tuesday.

The planned Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) would see new high speed rail connections built by 2040, slashing journey times on trips including Budapest to Bucharest, Vigo to Porto and Hamburg to Copenhagen.

Core routes on the TEN-T network would have a minimum speed of 160 km/h for passenger trains and 100 km/h for freight, the Commission's action plan for boosting long-distance rail said.

The European Commission also promised "decisive action" to simplify the process of booking cross-border train travel, in order to make tickets "easier to find and book, and more attractive in price," it said.

"Today's proposals set European mobility on track for a sustainable future: faster European rail connections with easy-to-find tickets and improved passenger rights, support for cities to increase and improve public transport and infrastructure for walking and cycling, and making the best possible use of solutions for smart and efficient driving," Frans Timmermans, Commission vice-president for the European Green Deal, said.

Changing track


In its announcement of the TEN-T network plans, the Commission acknowledged that progress on boosting rail's share of passenger journeys in Europe has been slow to date.

While the number of passenger kilometres travelled on Europe's railways rose from 339.9 billion in 2001 to 407.2 billion in 2018, rail's overall share of journeys has barely moved, increasing from 6.7 per cent to 6.9 per cent.

In China, over 37,000 km of high spoeed rail lines have been built since 2008


In the same period, air travel's share rose from 6.1 per cent to 9.6 per cent of all European journeys by passenger kilometres.

The share of train journeys, which are 81 per cent electric-powered in the EU, must increase if the world is to meet its climate targets, the Commission said.

"Rail is part of the solution, being responsible for less than 0.4 per cent of transport-related greenhouse gas emissions in the EU," the proposals said.

What would change for passengers?


If put into practice, the European Commission's "Action plan to boost long distance and cross-border passenger rail" would bring noticeable changes for both passengers and train companies alike.

For passengers, tickets could become cheaper, with the European Commission promising to look into exempting them from sales taxes.

This would build on the example of EU member state Germany, which already lowered the VAT on long-distance rail tickets from 19 to 7 per cent last year, the Commission said.

The proposals would also tackle the complicated business of booking train travel across borders, aiming to change the current process that can force passengers to book separate tickets with each train operator on their journey.

The air industry already benefits from VAT exemptions on plane tickets and jet fuel


Those split tickets can cause another problem highlighted in the Commission's plans: what happens when someone misses a connecting train?

"It is essential that passengers combining several trains into one journey are sure that they will not be stranded if one of the trains is late, regardless of whether the tickets were sold as a through-ticket or as separate contracts," the action plan said.

And for train companies?


When it comes to making international train travel a smooth process, simplifying the passenger experience is only half the battle.

As trains cross over into a neighbouring country's rail network, their operators pay an access fee to cover the use of the track. Currently, EU law allows infrastructure companies to charge a premium on those access fees, but this could be about to change.

In 2023, the Commission will update its guidelines on how high track access fees can be. It will also promote pilot projects to find out whether cutting those fees could boost cross-border train travel.

Temporary regulations allowing EU countries to reduce or even remove track access fees, brought in as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, could also be extended to "improve current charging practices," the Commission said.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
×