On the 2nd of December, Back-on-track Belgium organized a Night train lunch webinar to replace the in-person Conference that has been postponed until March next year, due to the strengthening of COVID-19 measures. Our board member, Emil Frodlund, participated in the discussion, bringing the passengers’ needs into the debate.
Emil stressed the difficulties caused to passengers by the unfair competition between transport modes and the need to cease tax exemptions for aviation fuel. He also referred to the need to establish EU-wide requirements for rail operators to share their entire ticket supply and enable booking and comparisons for all train journeys in Europe. Lastly, he noted the importance of an EU-level rolling stock pool to facilitate operators to offer interoperable sleeper services with a modern standard. You can see the full recording of the webinar here.
On the topic of night trains, it is also worth taking a look at the special issue of RailTech magazine, in which EPF board member Arriën Kruyt made the case for lower track access charges for night trains. The magazine can be downloaded free of charge through the following link: Download the Night Train Magazine.