Tuesday, December 14, 2021
More passengers, cheap tickets
Brussels is planning a European rail offensive
Inexpensive, fast and environmentally friendly: the EU Commission envisions superlative European rail transport. National borders should also be easier to cross by train. However, the member states have to go along for the plan to succeed.
More connections, more passengers, more speed, but less complicated: the EU Commission has presented a proposal for what future EU rail transport could look like. Accordingly, high-speed traffic is to be doubled by 2030 and tripled by 2050, as the Brussels authority announced. A minimum speed of 160 kilometers per hour is aimed for on the most important European routes. In addition, it should be checked whether train tickets can be exempt from VAT.
In addition, cross-border connections are to be strengthened. A legislative proposal has been announced for the coming year to make it easier to buy tickets. “Train tickets must be easier to find, book and buy at attractive prices,” said EU Climate Commissioner Frans Timmermans.
The proposal also aims at carbon-free solutions for urban vehicles, such as taxis and other driving services for the last mile of urban deliveries. This could be achieved, for example, with climate-neutral fuels or electric cargo bikes. The Commission intends to support 15 cross-border pilot projects over the next ten years to test some of the actions outlined in the Action Plan. EU law is also to be revised for the projects.
Federal Minister of Transport asked
At the same time, the commission presented guidelines on how the transition to climate neutrality can be made fair. The proposals range from aid for poorer people to further training measures to redistributing tax burdens. The proposals are not legally binding for EU countries.
The organization Germanwatch spoke of the plans as an “important step for climate protection”, but implementation must also succeed. For this purpose, the “decisive support” of the new Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing from the FDP is required.