display
Berlin (dpa) - For the European Year of the Rails, industry associations are calling for more attractive rail traffic in Europe.
There is “no real timetable in terms of rail and transport policy” in European rail transport, complained on Thursday the managing director of the Pro-Rail Alliance, Dirk Flege.
He called on the politically responsible in Europe and Germany to give priority to international rail traffic with express and night trains this year and to expand the rail network - also in line with the climate goals.
Europe had "not grown together on the rails," said Flege.
It is also necessary to reduce imbalances to the detriment of the railway, said Flege.
If, for example, there is a European toll requirement for rail traffic, then there must also be a toll for trucks and long-distance buses, demanded the alliance.
The same applies to the value added tax on train tickets, which from the perspective of the association puts train customers at a disadvantage compared to aircraft passengers.
In addition, passengers would face additional hurdles due to different ticket systems in Europe.
The Magistrale für Europa initiative complained that, even after decades, there was still no continuous high-speed route from Paris to Budapest / Bratislava via the Karlsruhe region.
display
As a lower-emission alternative to car and air traffic, rail transport is an important building block for more climate protection in Europe.
With the so-called Green Deal, the EU Commission has set out to fundamentally redesign important areas of the economy - including transport - over the next 30 years.
The aim is to avoid or offset all greenhouse gases by 2050 and thus become climate neutral.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210304-99-685797 / 2
Link to the online Pk, Webinar ID: 910 3044 3722