The Connecting Europe Express: Progress, Lessons Learned and Upcoming Challenges

By |October 18th, 2021|

On 7 October, the Connecting Europe Express reached its final destination of Paris after 36 days travelling across Europe – West to East, North to South, and visiting neighbours outside the EU. The train made more than 200 stops, crossed 26 countries and 33 borders, travelling on three different gauges along the way.

The final event in Paris was an […]

New Urban Mobility Framework

By |May 25th, 2021|

To help the EU build on its 2013 urban mobility package and meet its 2050 climate target, the EU has launched a ‘New Urban Mobility Framework’ initiative, which proposes measures to encourage EU countries to develop urban transport systems that are safe, accessible, inclusive, affordable, smart, resilient and emission-free. The initiative also addresses transport pollution and congestion, and draws […]

UN Task Force recommendations for green and healthy transport recovery

By |April 18th, 2021|

EPF has been contributing to an Expert Group jointly led by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in collaboration with the World Health Organisation Transport under the Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE-PEP). The group has now completed its report and recommendations as part of the preparations for the Fifth High-Level Ministerial Meeting of THE PEP to be […]

Towards a performance regime between infrastructure managers and railway undertakings

By |March 19th, 2021|

The role of Infrastructure Managers (IM) should be taken into account in the assessment of the service quality delivered to customers. Involving IM in the bonus-penalty system included in public service contracts would foster an attitude that is more focused on the interests of the customer, says EPF. This is key to a reliable and attractive railway system.

Bonus-malus systems are useful […]

‘Adopting a passengers’ perspective is essential for the shift to rail’

By |February 25th, 2021|

“Railway operators should work together more. If we get people out of the car and into the train, everyone will benefit”, says Delphine Grandsart, researcher at the European Passenger Federation (EPF). In an interview with RailTech, she talks about the needs of passengers, through-ticketing, and the importance of a user-centered approach for achieving a shift to rail.

There are two […]

DB talks too much about the weather

By |February 17th, 2021|

In the beginning of February, cold weather and heavy snowfall in Germany have put people in all means of transport to a hard test – especially on the railways. There have been a lot of train cancellations, individual rail lines were still closed and loaded goods trains had to stay parked in the middle of nowhere for days. In […]

Smart & Sustainable Mobility Strategy presented at EPF GM

By |January 20th, 2021|

During the last EPF General Meeting on 16.1.2021, DG Move presented the key points of the Smart & Sustainable Mobility Strategy. 

During the discussion of all present representatives of the EPF member federations there was agreement that the question of CO2 neutrality was well elaborated in the strategy and that the paths to achieve this goal are sensibly described. EPF […]

Link the Iberian Peninsula and Central Europe with Night Trains

By |January 13th, 2021|

Back on Track launched a petition urging the Spanish, French, and Portuguese governments (the latter of which is now taking presidency of the Council of the EU, in the first half of 2021 – The European Year of the Rail) to consider not only resuming the recently stopped Portugal-France night train connection, but also extending it to a major train hub […]

Punctuality report of European trains

By |January 4th, 2021|

A comparative study of punctuality for passenger trains in different European countries considers that countries with high demand for train traveling could be a driving factor in achieving reliable railway systems with high punctuality. The study indicates that punctuality at an overall level is better in countries that invest more in railway infrastructure. However, it states that it is […]

UIC publishes state-of-the-art “Contamination Rates on Trains”

By |December 28th, 2020|

The UIC (International Union of Railways) has published a state-of-the-art document with examples of scientific evidence, case studies and mathematical models that shows that clusters of Covid-19 are rare on public transport and among train staff, and that the probability of becoming infected on public transport is relatively low.

A separate chapter focuses on the risk perception of Covid-19 on […]