Railway chiefs want a ‘new European rail agreement’

“The train is the most environmentally responsible motorized mode of transportation”The leaders argue in a column published in France in the magazine du dimanche, regretting it “The share of railways in passenger and freight transport is still very low”.

“Because we share the conviction that railways play a major role in the fight against climate change, we are concretely committed to the development of trains in Europe”they write before a european railway summit Which you should meet them on Monday at SNCF headquarters.

They promise improved customer experience, greener and recyclable trains, efforts to innovate and more diversified employment, and make way for women and youth.

“This deal is ambitious: we can only succeed together.”Despite the differences and competition between their companies, they claimed. With A common goal: to increase the share of railways in transport and thus contribute to achieving climate neutrality by 2050..

“We need the Member States and the European Union. We call on them to support this agreement by committing to setting clear goals for media transformation at the national level.”insist on leaders.

“New resources are needed to better finance the rail system and public transport. To invest more heavily in modernizing rail networks, to increase their capacity and interoperability, and to modernize rail cars, we need the means.”

They also call on Brussels and the member states to do so “Promoting the rules of fair competition between modes of transport”taking into account in particular their environmental footprint.

The podium was signed on the French side by SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou, General Manager of Getlink (Eurotunnel) Yann Leriche and President of Lisea (franchisee of the Tours-Bordeaux line) Hervé Le Caignec, as well as general managers of Thalys and Eurostar subsidiaries for SNCF.

He also signed, among others, the heads of the German national railway companies Deutsche Bahn, Austrian ÖBB, Belgian SNCB, Danish DSB, Finnish VR, Hungarian MÁV, Italian FS, Luxembourg CFL, Dutch NS, Portuguese CP, Slovenian SŽ and Swiss SBB.