Brussels, 31 August 2023
• This week, leading transport politicians from the majority party in the Austrian government (the ÖVP) called for a Single European Rail Area to finally come about.
• The ÖVP’s Transport Spokesperson and Member of Parliament Andreas Ottenschläger remarked how record sums of taxpayer funds – €19 billion in Austria alone – are being spent on the rail infrastructure.
• Also: 80% of passenger rail services in Austria and Europe are still subsidised by taxpayers by means of directly awarded contracts – the vast majority of these being handed to state-owned rail incumbents.
• However, the EU’s taxpayers are not being rewarded for all this spending. Indeed: Mr Ottenschläger explicitly criticised that “some of the services of other rail operators do not get displayed at all”.
In such a highly subsidised rail system, it is hard to understand why the beneficiaries of these taxpayer funds – the state rail incumbents – still refuse to show and sell all passenger rail options at their in-house ticket vendors.
For the sake of modal shift to rail, why would anyone be against Full Transparency for passengers?!
ALLRAIL Secretary General Nick Brooks
Therefore, in its upcoming Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS) Proposal, the European Commission must put EU citizens first:
- Open Up the in-house ticket vendors of taxpayer-funded rail companies – they should show and sell all other rail operators.
- Ensure Data Sharing by dominant rail operators with third-party rail ticket vendors, so that the full benefit of independent distribution can take place.
To protect our climate and grow cross-border rail, let’s stop restricting what consumers see – all rail tickets must be bookable at all rail ticket vendors.