Passengers Can Book Rail Journeys Much More Easily in the UK than in the EU – It’s Time for EU Transport Commissioner Vălean’s New MDMS Proposal to Put Passengers First
In the United Kingdom, All Rail Tickets Are Sold at All Rail Ticket Vendors.Yet Deutsche Bahn (DB) and its lobby refuse this in Germany and the EU – Why Are They Restricting the Operators that Passengers Can Book?
With the Climate and Cost of Living Crisis, the EU’s Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS) Proposal Must Convert Car Drivers to Rail
The recent heatwaves and floods across Europe reminded us of the current climate crisis, to which the EU's transport sector - especially the private individual motor car - contributes significantly. The EU Commission must make sure to focus MDMS efforts on the vast majority (80%) of EU citizens that use the private individual motor car by ensuring that All Tickets are Sold at All Ticket Vendors – and with this 100% Transparency For EU Citizens: Nobody Should Restrict What They Can See, Based Purely Upon Where They Go To Book.
Revision of Train Drivers’ Directive Essential to Growing International Rail Traffic
International railway transportation experiences significant operational barriers compared to road and aviation through stringent language requirements which hinder the development of international travel. Significant changes to existing requirements are needed to facilitate the growth of international rail transportation. ALLRAIL and ERFA believe English should be introduced as a common language for international traffic in the revision of the Directive, whilst also maintaining existing national language requirements
GERMANY: Invest in the Infrastructure, not in a Company! The Planned Equity Increase for DB Risks Delaying Urgent Upgrades to the Network
Last week, the media reported about plans by the German government to increase the equity capital of the state-owned rail incumbent Deutsche Bahn (DB).
Not only would this distort competition - because equity injections into the DB Group parent company mean that its commercial subsidiaries can also benefit from support intended for its infrastructure subsidiary, but also, it comes at a time when the EU Commission’s competition authority is already investigating both DB and French incumbent SNCF for cross-subsidisation of their commercial freight operator subsidiaries.
EU Multimodal Digital Mobility Services proposal should be targeted at the average EU citizen – and not the wealthy
Searching and buying tickets for trips combining different means of transport is difficult in the EU. That is why the upcoming proposal on Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS) must better integrate ground public transport and rail services to achieve seamless multimodal passenger transport, delivering on the CO2 reduction goals in the EU Green Deal.
Therefore, it is astonishing that the least sustainable transport mode – aviation – is not only involved, but it is driving the agenda. Not only that: the first multimodal products primarily serve The Wealthy. MDMS urgently needs to reconsider its purpose and who it is meant to serve.