ALLRAIL welcomes the renewed emphasis by the Unithed Kingdom government this week on improving rail connectivity with the European Union. This follows remarks made last week by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer about “taking the UK deeper into the EU single market”. Rail is a natural and logical area for such alignment.

But rail is a network industry. Connectivity cannot be delivered selectively. Cross-border and domestic rail services depend not only on technical compatibility, such as safety and interoperability, but also on coherent, non-discriminatory market rules that guarantee fair access, competition and regulatory independence. 

If the explicit aim of the rapproachment is to “slash checks and barriers to trade”, then trade barriers in the passenger rail sector cannot be allowed to remain. 

ALLRAIL Secretary General Nick Brooks says “If the United Kingdom seeks deeper rail connectivity with the EU, ALLRAIL believes it would make sense to do so through full participation in the Single European Railway Area.”.

By contrast, a ‘pick and choose’ approach within the same sector would create complexity, rather than connectivity.

ALLRAIL therefore encourages EU and UK policymakers to treat rail as a fully integrated network in which genuine connectivity will depend on alignment across the entire system.