Press releases
Multimodal platform FromAtoB closes down: the market dominant rail incumbents are succeeding in killing off the independent ticketing market
Twelve years ago, the independent multimodal booking platform “FromAtoB” was founded. Based in Berlin, it understood that people need door-to-door digital booking solutions combining different multimodal operators. This is one of the best ways to rival the convenience of the private motor car.
PORTUGAL: What a disappointing start to the EU Year of Rail 2021
Since 2011, the gradual opening of the EU Single Rail Market has benefited users, taxpayers & the environment. Evidence shows this has led to an increased number of rail travellers – sometimes by more than 100% in just five years. This has boosted regional economies while reducing the carbon footprint.
PORTUGAL: Que começo decepcionante do Ano Europeu do Transporte Ferroviário 2021 !
Desde 2011, a abertura gradual do mercado único ferroviário da UE tem beneficiado os utilizadores, os contribuintes e o ambiente. As provas mostram que isto levou a um aumento do número de passageiros ferroviários - por vezes em mais de 100% em apenas cinco anos. Isto impulsionou as economias regionais ao mesmo tempo que reduziu a pegada de carbono.
GERMANY: Blaming the EU Commission is wrong: Instead the federal government should notify state aid for DB fast
The independent transport group FlixMobility has formally complained to the EU Commission about the proposed unilateral state aid for the German rail incumbent Deutsche Bahn AG (´DB´). ALLRAIL and mofair, the independent passenger rail company associations at the European and German level respectively, strongly support this.
European cross-border night trains: four questions to the four governments
ALLRAIL believes that night trains can make a great comeback, as a sustainable alternative to late night & early morning flights. Several initiatives have shown how new entrant operators have contributed to this in a major way. Today, four European governments – Switzerland, France, Austria & Germany – announced that they want to promote a cross-border night train network. This is good, but it is important that new entrant operators can be fully involved.
NETHERLANDS: Civil Court confirms doubts on legitimacy of proposed direct award to NS
The Dutch Civil Court of The Hague published a preliminary ruling this week, expressing doubts about the legitimacy of the proposed new direct award of the Dutch “Hoofdrailnet” (Main Rail Network) Public Service Contract – representing 95% of the total market – to the state rail incumbent Nederlandse Spoorwegen (‘NS’).
ALLRAIL welcomes EU Commission announcement in the case of alleged predatory pricing against rail newcomers
Executive Vice-President of the EU Commission Mrs. Margrethe Vestager announced today that she is sending out a Statement of Objections against the Czech state-owned rail incumbent Czech Railways (České dráhy) for alleged predatory pricing.
ALLRAIL vítá oznámení Evropské komise ve věci Českých drah a kauzy predátorských cen
Výkonná místopředsedkyně Evropské komise Margrethe Vestager dnes oznámila zaslání sdělení výhrad českému státem vlastněnému dopravci České dráhy za údajné predátorské ceny.
There is no need for another ‘EU Railscanner’ concept. It has been existing for years!
In recent months, many EU stakeholders have called for setting up an 'EU Railscanner' digital platform, where all available rail options can be found. There is no need for a 10th impartial digital rail platform. Nine already exist!
New EU rail passenger rights agreement will make the EU Green Deal harder to achieve
Yesterday’s agreement by Member States and the EU Parliament did not go far enough to make rail more attractive - it did not mandate through ticketing across all operators.
CZECH REPUBLIC: commercially driven open access rail connections excluded from COVID-19 aid
The Czech Ministry of Transport recently announced a selective aid program for rail operators to cover losses caused by COVID-19. However, the scope of the aid is not fair & equal within the sector; it explicitly excludes the commercially viable 'open access' passenger rail connections
Česká republika: Komerční železniční doprava vyloučena z podpory proti dopadům COVID-19
Ministerstvo dopravy České republiky oznámilo selektivní program na podporu železničních dopravců na vyrovnání ztrát způsobených opatřeními proti šíření COVID-19 ve výši 400 mil. Kč – podpora má být směřována pouze pro dotované spoje a vylučuje tedy podporu pro komerční spoje.
ALLRAIL Press Conference: Forget the EU Green Deal if there is no fair & equal help for ALL passenger rail companies in the crisis
EU passenger rail has experienced a dramatic decline in demand due to the COVID-19 crisis. Whereas ALLRAIL considers most financial aid schemes taken at the national level as inconsistent and unreliable, there has been some financial help for individual companies. Nevertheless, even though the 2nd wave of the pandemic was predicted months ago, there is still no uniform European strategy that supports all rail passenger rail companies fairly and equally - both operators and ticket vendors - both privately and publicly owned.
ALLRAIL Pressekonferenz: Wir können den EU Green Deal vergessen, wenn nicht allen europäischen Bahnunternehmen in gleicher Weise geholfen wird
Der Personenverkehr auf der Schiene hatte im Zusammenhang mit der COVID-19 Krise mit einem dramatischen Nachfragerückgang zu kämpfen. Obwohl unser Verband ALLRAIL die meisten nationalen Hilfsmaßnahmen als schwach, uneinheitlich und unzuverlässig ansieht, gab es zumindest finanzielle Unterstützung für einzelne Unternehmen.
SWEDEN / DENMARK: direct awards for night trains are just a painkiller, not the remedy
The only night train operator between Sweden and Germany over the past eight years has been Snälltåget, a privately owned venture, doing it on a commercial basis without subsidy. Next year it will serve Denmark as well.
Now, state rail incumbents are lobbying for directly awarded taxpayer subsidy for night trains between the same countries - only for themselves.
Wettbewerbsbahnen legen EU-Kommission Plan für Auflagen zur DB-Eigenkapitalerhöhung vor
ALLRAIL + mofair: Liberalisierung bei Bahntickets und Fahrzeugmarkt, Vermeidung von Dumpingangeboten, Unterstützung für den eigenwirtschaftlichen Fernverkehr, mehr Transparenz im DB-Konzern.
GERMANY: rail incumbent DB is commercialising public safety during the COVID-19 pandemic
Once again, Germany's market dominant rail operator Deutsche Bahn
('DB') is in line to receive preferential treatment - this time in the form of a multibillion-euro support package from its owner, the German government, in order to counter the effects of COVID-19.
GERMANY missing big opportunity to open long distance rail market – passengers, taxpayers & environment will suffer
Earlier this month, it was announced that the German state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn ("DB") - which already has 99% share of the long distance market - will 'acquire' 30 new ICE high speed trains for 1 billion euros.
ALLRAIL launches updated website with a new visual identity & claim
ALLRAIL presents new visual identity with a new claim too “The Future of Passenger Rail” and launches an updated design for www.allrail.eu.
Securing The Comeback of Night Trains in Europe
ALLRAIL, the association of independent passenger rail companies in Europe, believes that night trains can make a great comeback. For example: as an environmentally friendly alternative to late night and early morning flights. Three new initiatives in recent weeks have shown how privately owned operators are contributing to this in a significant way.
ALLRAIL ON-LINE PRESS CONFERENCE (23rd September) – PASSENGER RAIL FACING THE SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19
Fair competition in the rail sector is crucial to securing EU climate change goals and sustainable recovery
Panelists: Erich Forster, President ALLRAIL & CEO WESTbahn
Christian Schreyer, Vice-President ALLRAIL & Transdev CEO for North & Central Europe
Nick Brooks, Secretary General ALLRAIL
Podcast: ALLRAIL members on The Comeback of Night Trains in Europe
• Aleš Ondrůj, Senior Director Communications, RegioJet
• Carl Adam Holmberg, Head of Snälltåget
• Nick Brooks, Secretary General ALLRAIL
• Barbora Mičková, Policy Officer ALLRAIL
-> Recorded 17th June 2020
Links:
• YouTube
• Podcast (Spotify)
Podcast: Passenger rail after COVID-19: Update from the Member States, YouTube & Podcast discussion
After COVID-19 webinar in April 2020 ALLRAIL issued a discussion on YouTube and Podcast channels.
First episode on the impact of COVID-19 on our members:
• YouTube - Key points (10min.)
• YouTube Full version (50min.)
• Podcast (Spotify)
• Podcast (Apple)
• Podcast (Google)
ALLRAIL presentation on international passenger rail transport: How to stimulate international passenger rail?
Arthur Kamminga presented ALLRAIL vision on the topic of "How to stimulate international passenger rail?" at the Hearing on European support for international passenger rail transport at the Commission for Mobility of the Belgian House of Representatives, taking place on 17th December 2019 at the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium.
Railway Gazette: Call for booking platforms to be given access to train operators’ data
EUROPE: The ALLRAIL association of independent passenger train operators and retailers has called on EU member states to ensure that market-dominant incumbent operators share their data with third party journey planning and ticket selling platforms.
Railway Gazette: Passenger groups raise concerns about EU passenger rights recast
...ALLRAIL believed that the agreement could lead to further erosion of the availability of through tickets. Mandatory through ticketing with liability for any delay compensation lying with the causer of that delay would have been the ‘fairest and most effective way’ to improve performance, it said, suggesting that making passenger rail travel more attractive would generate additional revenue outweighing the potential cost of compensation.
IRJ: AllRail calls for balanced state support as Covid-19 hits private operators
The Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants (AllRail) has called for zero track access fees, backdated to March and running until the end of 2021, along with government subsidies to cover losses for all passenger rail operators and ticket vendors for 18 months, beginning in October.
POLITICO: Why Europe’s rail renaissance risks running out of steam
Next summer, Czech operator RegioJet intends to expand its five-country night train running from Prague to the Croatian coast, while Flixtrain has mulled offering its own sleepers in France.The Swedish government has pledged to fund a night train to Brussels from 2022, but in parallel Snälltåget, a private company, is promising to increase its own service next year on the Stockholm to Berlin route. Snälltåget’s manager Carl Adam Holmberg says policymakers can do more to help out the industry by reducing track access charges — the fixed per kilometer fee for using the track — rather than just looking to subsidize routes by big state players.
Handelsblatt: Gewinner statt Krisenverlierer: Reise-Start-up Omio sammelt 100 Millionen Dollar ein
.... „Die Lage ist sehr ernst. Die Marktöffnung selbst, die bei andere Verkehrsträger beflügelt hat, ist bei der Eisenbahn ernsthaft in Gefahr“, sagt Allrail-Generalsekretär Nick Brooks. Allrail ist ein Zusammenschluss junger Unternehmen, die sich als Konkurrenten der ehemaligen Staatsbahnen im Güter- und Personenverkehr verstehen.
N-TV.de: Investoren glauben an Omio Reise-Startup sichert sich Rekordsumme
.... Gemeinsam mit anderen europäischen Mobilitäts-Startups hat sich Omio bei der EU-Kommission erst kürzlich über staatliche Corona-Hilfen für die Deutsche Bahn und andere Staatsbahnen beschwert. "Wir befürchten, dass die Covid-19-Maßnahmen nur staatlichen Eisenbahnen helfen, den Markt weiter verzerren und das Wachstum bei Wettbewerbern unumkehrbar und langfristig limitieren", schrieb die Lobbygruppe Allrail in einem Brief an Vize-Kommissionspräsidentin Margrethe Vestager.
Eurail press: Nick Brooks: Privater Fernverkehr ist ausgebremst
Nick Brooks ist Generalsekretär des Lobby-Verbandes Allrail mit Sitz in Brüssel, der sich auf europäischer Ebene für die Etablierung privater Unternehmen im Schienenpersonenverkehr einsetzt.
The Guardian: ‘People don’t want to fly’: Covid-19 reawakens Europe’s sleeper trains
Nick Brooks The Guardian:....governments should also prohibit airlines receiving state bailouts from operating any short-haul or late-night flights that could be done by train. “This pandemic must lead to a better appreciation for rail,” he said.
Rynek Kolejowy: Niemcy dotują DB, zamiast liberalizować rynek? Flixtrain rozważa skargę do ETS
Udzielone DB państwowe finansowanie dla zakupu taboru dużych prędkości przyczyni się do utrwalenia obecnej struktury rynku. Konkurowanie z dominującym graczem stanie się jeszcze bardziej utrudnione – ostrzega przewodniczący stowarzyszenia europejskich niezależnych przewoźników pasażerskich AllRail. W jego opinii Niemcy tracą w ten sposób dobrą okazję do otwarcia rynku przewozów dalekobieżnych.
IRJ: FlixTrain calls for action over DB rescue package
International Railway Journal: FlixTrain calls for action over DB rescue package. The CEO and co-founder of FlixTrain parent FlixBus, Mr André Schwämmlein, has written to the European commissioner for competition, Ms Margrethe Vestager, calling for measures to balance competition in the German rail market.
International Railway Journal: ALLRAIL forecasts €540m hit for private passenger rail operators
Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants says its members are facing huge drops in passenger numbers and revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic. Written by David Briginshaw, International Railway Journal.
Railway Gazette International: Westbahn and ÖBB awarded public service contracts to secure operations during the pandemic
Both Austrian Federal Railways and open access competitor Westbahn have been awarded emergency public service obligation contracts to ensure the continued operation of Wien – Salzburg trains during the coronavirus pandemic, in a move which the ALLRAIL association of new market entrants said should provide a model for the rest of Europe.
Rail Insider: Open-access train operators need government support
Allrail is concerned that open-access operators need to reduce fixed costs fast, while, at the same time, securing the necessary cashflow to sustain capacity and still deliver a few remaining services during the crisis.
International Railway Journal: ALLRAIL calls for action to prevent private operators from going out of business
The Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants (ALLRAIL) says that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented crisis for independent passenger rail operators and predicts that some could disappear as early as this month.
Railway Gazette International: ALLRAIL calls for action to save new passenger train operators
EUROPE: The coronavirus pandemic is ‘ annihilating’ the business cases of many independent passenger operators, and without urgent action the first bankruptcies could be seen this month, the ALLRAIL association of new entrants to the rail market has warned.
International Railway Journal: Westbahn in transition
Westbahn introduced a significantly reduced service at the December 2019 timetable change. While a backward step for the private operator, as CEO Dr Erich Forster reveals in an exclusive interview with Kevin Smith, in the medium-term it will aid the company’s plan to run as a viable alternative to ÖBB.
International Railway Journal: Leo Express business at risk due to coronavirus crisis
Czech private operator Leo Express is facing a dicult future after a dramatic fall in revenue due to service cutbacks introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic, board member and former CEO Mr Peter Köhler has revealed to IRJ.
The Irish Times: Europe’s rail renaissance hoping to leave red tape behind
For Nick Brooks, head of the Allrail lobby group representing a dozen private rail operators in Europe, old monopoly mentalities are a major hindrance to a Ryanair of European rail. The high cost of buying track access from national operators deters would-be market entrants, he says, if they aren’t scared off already by the high cost of market entry. You can’t lease trains like planes, he says, requiring deep-pocketed operators for long-distance rail competition to succeed.
Eisenbahn.blog: Bahner im Gespräch mit Nick Brooks
Bahner im Gespräch: Mit Nick Brooks, Generalsekretär ALLRAIL (die Allianz für private Personenverkehrsunternehmen in der EU), ist auch ein Experte für den Wettbewerb am europäischen Bahnmarkt in meiner Beitragsreihe vertreten.
International Railway Journal: New entrants face a very challenging outlook in 2020
Looking ahead to 2020, the outlook remains challenging. While the European Commission has initiated no less than four EU rail liberalisation packages over the last two decades, it could still be many more years before any meaningful opening of passenger rail finally occurs.
