European Year of Rail?

This is European Year of Rail – though British readers may be forgiven for not knowing, since the fact has been barely publicised in the UK.

It is regrettable that the UK Government has failed to support this initiative during the same year that it is jointly hosting the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

The “Year of Rail” is intended, partly, to encourage people to travel around the continent by train and to explain what the EU has done to improve matters. To this end, a special train, the “Connecting Europe Express”, will tour 25 countries in September and early October, stopping at capital cities and also other key destinations such as Bordeaux, Milan and Frankfurt, of interest to business and leisure travellers, students, people interested in culture, sport and in generally broadening their horizons.

The “Year of Rail” is intended, partly, to encourage people to travel around the continent by train and to explain what the EU has done to improve matters. To this end, a special train, the “Connecting Europe Express”, will tour 25 countries in September and early October, stopping at capital cities and also  other key destinations such as Bordeaux, Milan and Frankfurt, of interest to business and leisure travellers, students, people interested in culture, sport and in generally broadening their horizons.

Since the 1990s the European Commission and Parliament have taken an increasing interest in transport and the environment, both of which need to be recognised as concerns that transcend national boundaries.

The two concerns should come together in Glasgow – of which more anon.

My personal involvement began in the late 1990s when we public transport campaigners in the U.K. started to foster contacts with similar organisations in France, Germany, Switzerland and the Benelux countries. This led to the formation of the European Passengers’ Federation in October 2002. At that time, the EU’s particular focus was with consumer issues, including passenger rights. Initially they drew up air passenger rights and then addressed the rights of rail passengers. We in EPF also argued for similar rights for all public transport users.

Interestingly, at that time we British had certain rights to claim compensation for train delays and a statutory body (now called Transport Focus) to handle such issues. Many other EU countries took an interest in our example. However, passenger rights in themselves do not guarantee a modal shift from the private car or the aeroplane to more environmentally friendly modes.

The EU also encouraged liberalisation, opening up the rail network to othe operators. This had benefits – for example in Italy where two competing operators on the high-speed line from Turin down to Salerno have contributed to a greater market share for rail. It is also helping to revive the night-train market, with Austrian Federal Railways now running overnight services in Germany and beyond.

Liberalisation was backed up by four successive Railway Packages; and the European Railway Agency was created to bring some harmonisation to a diverse and complex system. Nevertheless, for the customer, finding out about and booking an international journey and, in some cases, even a journey within their own country can still be a daunting business.

Last year the Dutch government produced a report on what will attract people back to rail and, indeed, to public transport in general. They identified five criteria:-

• Availability – Is there a service to where I want to go?
• Punctuality – Is it reliable?
• Quality – Is it comfortable and convenient with good customer care?
• Accessibility – Are the stations or stops and the vehicles easy to use?
• Price – Do I get value for money, appropriate to my needs?

The Dutch have been in the forefront of multi-modal ticketing and, together with regional authorities in Germany, have improved cross-border services, with sponsored regional services between, for example, Hengelo and Osnabrück, Arnhem and Düsseldorf, Maastricht and Aachen via Heerlen.

A lot of patience is needed sometimes, however – for example in re-establishing a link between Sebnitz and Dolni Postevni on the German-Czech border. It is now used by a popular cross-border franchised service but this took lengthy negotiations. Former Green MEP, Michael Cramer (who had campaigned tirelessly for modal shift) commented “The negotiations went at a snail’s pace – and that’s an insult to snails!”.

The Connecting Europe Express will not be passing through there, which is a shame because there is a nice restaurant there at which a German colleague and I had an excellent roast lunch a few years ago. We had actually walked through the forest from Sebnitz (before the track was re-laid) and encountered a considerable number of other customers who had driven across the border.

There is a lot still to be done to fill gaps in the network – either by new lines or new services on existing routes. Campaigners in different countries need to work together and learn from each other, as well as lobbying at regional, national and international level. That applies to pro-public-transport bodies in the UK, Switzerland and Norway as well as those in the EU countries. (Think ERCUK (www.eurorailcampaignuk.org) , Transport Focus, Pro-Bahn Schweiz and For Jernbane).

These and over 30 other, mainly voluntary, organisations are part of the European Passengers’ Federation (www.epf.eu).

Recent years have also witnessed the growth of the “Back-on-Track” network, some of whose membership overlaps with that of EPF, and which has put the case for the revival of the international night-train network, particularly as an alternative to short- and medium-distance flights. It is a sign of the effectiveness of this campaigning that night trains have returned to Nice, Brussels and Amsterdam. (www.back-on-track.eu)

The days when you could buy an international ticket at many larger stations in Great Britain are long since gone. Nowadays you often have to navigate various websites and this can be time-consuming. We have also failed miserably to maximise the use of the Channel Tunnel by both passenger and freight trains.

Fortunately there are still travel agents who specialise in rail. They came together as the “Association of European Rail Agents” and their website is www.aera.co.uk . From this you can contact a knowledgeable agent who will book your tickets for individual or group journeys and often provide other services as well.

AERA is an associate member of EPF which, together with Back-on-Track, is looking forward to COP26 in Glasgow. It would be a good climax to European Year of Rail if a significant number of delegates to this important UN conference and media people travel to Glasgow by train and – indeed – get to know Scotland’s railways as part of their trip.

“By Rail to the COP!” is a Netherlands-based  campaign group hoping to organise a special train from Amsterdam to London and another from London to Glasgow. If that proves not to be possible, then block bookings on scheduled trains could be an option. You can find out more by logging on to https://railtothecop.com/about/team or e-mailing info@railtothecop.com