I find myself buffeted from both sides at the moment in my transport work. Am I radical enough, or too radical? Based on who’s lecturing me on social media it is both, simultaneously. This quandary most importantly crops up regarding the future of the Channel Tunnel. The question I am […]
#CrossBorderRail
A little short term subsidy for this or that route is no way to support night trains – lessons from the end of Basel-Malmö before it even started
So there will not be a Basel – Malmö night train from the spring of 2026. Switzerland’s parliament did not approve the subsidy to allow it to run. Without the 10 million CHF the parliament refused to grant to get this going (from a wider fund of 47 million CHF […]
An open letter, and an invoice for €59.94, to Alberto Mazzola, boss of Community of European Railways
Dear Alberto, It is a little odd for me, a blogger and campaigner, to be writing an open letter to you as Executive Director of Community of European Railways (CER). But the combination of circumstances I have faced today on a cross border journey involving trains operated by two of […]
Renfe, why should we trust a word you say about ticketing?
A post popped up in my Bluesky feed from Renfe: 🚄 Renfe se suma a la declaración conjunta @cer-railways.bsky.social y @eurocities.eu para ✅ Triplicar el tráfico para 2050✅ Conectar todas las capitales y grandes ciudades✅ Billetes integrados y financiación sostenible¡Una Europa más conectada y verde! 🌍🔗 renfe.com/es/es/grupo-… — Renfe (@renfeoperadora.bsky.social) […]
“News” that Régiolis cross border trains cannot operate in Germany is actually nothing new
The latest setback in the entry into service of the new Régiolis fleet for France-Germany cross border services: now there is a problem with the emergency brakes, Le Republicain Lorrain reported yesterday. While the trains are OK to operate in France, but they do not respect the standards on the […]
When a plan’s not a plan, and a revolution isn’t a revolution – European High Speed Rail
Today the European Commission released its “plan to accelerate high-speed rail across Europe” (press release here). Only it’s not a plan. And Community of European Railways (CER), the state owned railways’ trade body, stated this will “revolutionise the way travel distances are perceived in Europe” (press release here). Only this […]
