The Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants (ALLRAIL) has submitted evidence to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee scrutinising the Government’s Railways Bill, warning that the Bill as currently drafted is unfairly skewed in favour of Great British Railways (GBR) services and risks not delivering on the Government’s objectives of growth and investment.
ALLRAIL vítá nadcházející zahájení nové komerční dálkové osobní železniční linky provozované soukromým dopravcem Leo Express, která nabídne přímé přeshraniční spojení mezi Polskem, Českou republikou a Německem – a vyšle silný signál pro evropskou železnici v roce 2026.
New Leo Express Service from 2026
ALLRAIL welcomes the upcoming launch of a new long-distance Open Access passenger rail service by the independent operator Leo Express, delivering a direct cross-border connection between Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany - and sending a strong signal for European rail in 2026.
According to media reports, the new CEO of the vertically integrated German state-owned rail incumbent DB (Deutsche Bahn) wants to “eliminate half of the top management posts”.
Newly published figures from France’s South Region (Région Sud) show that the country’s
first competitively tendered regional Public Service Obligation (PSO) rail contract — won by an independent operator — is already delivering impressive results.
From 4 May 2026, the independent rail operator Snälltåget will introduce a brand new daytime direct service connecting Stockholm - Malmö - Copenhagen - Hamburg. Departures from both Stockholm and Hamburg in the late morning will bring passengers to their destination the same evening, offering a comfortable, relaxing and climate-friendly way to travel between Germany and Scandinavia.
ALLRAIL welcomes yesterday’s announcement of the European Commission’s High-Speed Rail Plan — an important step towards a more connected rail system that all parts of society can afford. The plan rightly recognises that the success of Europe’s high-speed network depends on it being open, interoperable and competitive, so that every European can benefit.
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Last month, the New Statesman published a booklet highlighting the significant benefits that open access operators continue to provide on Britain’s railways. It is clear that open access operators, in competition with each other and with the state-owned operator LNER, have delivered for customers and communities. |
As Trilogue negotiations advance, ALLRAIL takes this opportunity to highlight key concerns regarding Commercial Conditions, a crucial element in shaping the future of the European rail market and the future Regulation on Rail Capacity Management.
At the weekend, Greater Anglia (GA) — one of Britain’s most successful rail operators — transferred to public ownership, under the government’s plan to renationalise passenger rail.
The announcement that the Paris–Vienna night train will be cancelled is yet another example of how Europe continues to fail at making cross-border passenger rail work. ALLRAIL fully supports night trains – several of our members operate them successfully. But this cancellation exposes two persistent structural problems that keep Europe’s cross-border rail sector stuck in the past.
Bringing train operations under public control was meant to facilitate closer working between SWR and infrastructure manager Network Rail to deliver better outcomes for customers. The recent performance figures simply do not bear this out.
200 years ago, the world’s first train ran between Stockton and Darlington – a private initiative that showed how bold ideas could transform mobility and society. As the UK celebrates this anniversary, the government plans to centralise the system under Great British Railways (GBR). But with no clear KPIs, untested promises of savings, and fares set to rise by a whopping 5.8% next March, a giant new public body risks delivering less choice and little innovation.
This week, in its newly published document “Key Points for the Reform of Deutsche Bahn” , the German Federal Ministry of Transport said that it: “expects that the DB Navigator app, together with its associated online presence, will be transferred to the responsibility of DB InfraGO AG in order to strengthen the common good and competition neutrality". This is encouraging, and it must include ticket sales as well.
ALLRAIL is delighted to announce that John Thomas is joining the ALLRAIL team on 8 September 2025, as our Policy Director.
Een nieuw wetsvoorstel dat momenteel besproken wordt in de Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in België, wil systematisch voorrang geven aan binnenlandse passagiersdiensten die worden uitgevoerd in het kader van openbare dienstverplichtingen (PSO) - zoals de diensten van de nationale operator NMBS - boven commerciële en internationale treindiensten.
Hoewel het doel wellicht is om het binnenlandse spoorvervoer te beschermen, druist deze aanpak fundamenteel in tegen het principe van eerlijke, niet-discriminerende toegang tot de spoorweginfrastructuur.
Un projet de loi actuellement examiné à la Chambre des représentants vise à accorder systématiquement la priorité aux services nationaux de transport de personnes exécutés dans le cadre d’un contrat de service public (CSP), tels que ceux assurés par la SNCB, au détriment des services ferroviaires commerciaux et internationaux.
Bien que l’intention affichée soit de protéger les services nationaux, cette approche contrevient fondamentalement aux principes d’accès équitable et non discriminatoire à la capacité de l’infrastructure ferroviaire.
A new proposal currently under discussion in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives seeks to give systematic priority to domestic passenger services operated under Public Service Obligations (PSO) - such as those provided by the national operator NMBS/SNCB - over commercial and international train services.
While the intention may be to protect domestic rail services, the approach fundamentally contradicts the principles of fair, non-discriminatory access to railway infrastructure.
We warmly congratulate the independent operator Transdev and the French Région Sud (South Region) on the official launch of the Marseille-Toulon-Nice passenger rail service on 29 June 2025.
This is the first time in France that a regional Public Service Obligation ("PSO") rail concession has been awarded to and is operated by an independent operator, following a competitive tender.
This is a major milestone in EU rail reform.
As the United Kingdom and the European Union met yesterday in London for a high-profile summit to reset their relationship, one sector stands out where closer alignment would bring immediate, tangible benefits: Rail.
To bring the UK into the Single European Railway Area (‘SERA’) would embrace a forward-looking, practical partnership that delivers for citizens, businesses, and the climate.
ALLRAIL, the Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants welcomes the conclusion of trilogue negotiations on the Rail Infrastructure Capacity Management Regulation. This long-awaited reform will help harmonise capacity planning across Europe, making it easier to run reliable cross-border services and ensuring fair treatment for all operators.
The new Railways Bill could deliver growth and better services - but only if Great British Railways (GBR) is designed as an open, investment-friendly framework - rather than a closed system.
ALLRAIL’s new Briefing Note gives a detailed response on how to make that happen: transparent decision-making, room for open access, and a genuine partnership with the private sector.
The Energy Technical Specification for Interoperability (ENE TSI) plays a vital role in ensuring efficient and truly seamless rail transport across Europe through the creation of an interoperable energy subsystem. Yet, more than a decade after its entry into force, the situation remains deeply concerning: tangible progress towards energy subsystem interoperability is minimal, and users continue to face serious challenges in several countries - particularly as more locomotives operate across multiple national networks.
In the attached joint statement, AERRL, ALLRAIL and ERFA highlight the significance of this issue - not only for leasing companies and new entrants, but for the health and efficiency of the entire European rail sector.
As Trilogue negotiations advance, ALLRAIL takes this opportunity to highlight key concerns regarding Commercial Conditions, a crucial element in shaping the future of the European rail market and the future Regulation on Rail Capacity Management.
The ten signatory associations representing Europe's railway sector - including passenger and freight transport operators, infrastructure and terminal managers, rolling stock lessors and rail equipment suppliers - welcome the proposal of the European Commission for the continuation of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) as part of the EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034, published on 16 July 2025.
The EU can create competitiveness globally – but only if it has competitive markets within its own border first of all.
Now, just 2 and a half years after its launch, Lumo is already profitable and significantly boosting the profits of its parent company, First Group.
What is the difference to the EU?
▶ In the UK, there is impartial retail – All Rail Tickets Sold At All Rail Ticket Vendors – e.g. it is regulated that LNER sells Lumo (and vice-versa). The priority is Full Transparency for passengers.
▶ There is a vibrant rolling stock market. Despite being entirely Open Access, Lumo has a brand-new fleet, funded by a leasing company.
▶ Track Access Charges are much lower, especially for new Open Access services - unlike the 17.7% increase that is foreseen in Germany next year.
Conclusion: Open Access works – but sadly, we are still a long way from achieving Lumo-style newcomers in the EU.
The EU needs to move from annual, manual and national system to a flexible, digital and European one. There must be cooperation in a competitive market.Therefore, there are Six Key Success Factors that are necessary.
AERRL, ALLRAIL, CER, EAL, EIM, ERFA, UIP, UIRR and UNIFE support the implementation of the centralised registration function as the European Vehicle Register (EVR) defined in the Commission Implementing Regulation 2018/1614 of 25 October 2018 and the corresponding transfer of the relevant data of registered vehicles from the National Vehicle Registers to the EVR.
22 September 2023: today, the privately owned passenger rail operator Brightline will start regular, scheduled Intercity services between the two largest transport hubs in Florida: Miami and Orlando.
ALLRAIL congratulates Brightline on the milestone that it has achieved today and hopes that this will be the start of a new era of privately owned operators playing a major role in the US Intercity rail market.
ALLRAIL supports the EU Commission's new Interpretative Guidelines concerning Regulation (EC) 1370/2007 on public passenger transport services by rail and by road, that were published on 22nd June 2023.
Our colleague and Legal Officer, Guillem Ochoa i Pérez, has published an opinion article in the Spanish press analysing the regulatory reforms that ALLRAIL is closely monitoring across Europe, with a particular focus on Spain’s passenger rail market.
👉 The article explores how current and forthcoming regulatory developments risk affecting national passenger rail markets, with a particular focus on Spain. It highlights the implications for competition, market access, and passengers, and explains why these issues matter not only nationally, but also for the wider European rail sector.
Article in The Daily Telegraph covers how ALLRAIL Secretary General Nick Brooks gave evidence to the
Transport Committee of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament.
New Statesman
has published a new Report today on Open Access rail in the country, and our Policy Director
John Thomas
has contributed to it.
Commenting on Belgium’s proposed ‘domestic-first’ rule for train paths, ALLRAIL said it “breaches non-discriminatory access and limits passenger choice, Belgium should expand capacity, not restrict it.”
ALLRAIL wordt vermeld in een recent artikel van Duurzaam Mobiel.
Het artikel bespreekt het spanningsveld tussen openbare dienstverlening en vrije toegang tot het spoor, naar aanleiding van een resolutievoorstel in de Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers dat prioriteit wil geven aan binnenlandse ODV-treinen. In plaats van de toegang van openaccess-exploitanten te beperken, zou België moeten inzetten op meer spoorcapaciteit en eerlijke concurrentie – in het belang van álle reizigers.
As a member of ALLRAIL, the association of independent rail operators, RegioJet says it continues to advocate genuine liberalization, cross-border harmonization and a single European rail market. For the time being, however, it warns that the gap between policy and practice continues to widen.
The scheme was welcomed by Nick Brooks, Secretary General of the AllRail alliance of New Entrants to the passenger market. He said it ‘is a move in the right direction, because it is a non-discriminatory development that treats all operators the same way, helping new services with high up-front investment costs to shoulder the burden in the ramp-up period’.
ALLRAIL remarks how the Scottish government cancelled competitive tendering among public and private operators and reverted to a state-owned operator with a directly awarded exclusive contract subsidised by the Scottish taxpayer….
But ticket prices have risen at more than double the rate of inflation. Hundreds of services were cut as part of a ‘temporary’ timetable that lasted four months. No new trains have been ordered, leaving Scotland with one of Europe’s oldest and most polluting rail fleets. Punctuality has worsened compared to the previous competitively tendered service.
Commenting on Gemini’s announcement, the ALLRAIL alliance of new entrants the passenger market said it "welcomes all newcomers — they will bring more choice and more trains to a market that is chronically under served."
According to a joint statement from ALLRAIL, AERRL, and ERFA, the costs of deploying ETCS have become unsustainable, and the current implementation of ERTMS is jeopardising the competitiveness of the European rail sector. ALLRAIL, is calling for urgent reform to avoid a "paralysis" of the market.
In this article for the US passenger rail sector, ALLRAIL stresses how, in the EU, private and public and private operators compete with each other by enhancing service, offering better fares, punctuality, amenities and more. Without any similar competitive pressure, Amtrak will lack the incentive to innovate.
Selon un nouveau rapport, la pression exercée sur les opérateurs à accès libre, en particulier en Grande-Bretagne, devrait être remise en question. L’Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants, plus connue sous le nom de groupe de pression ferroviaire européen AllRail, s’est prononcée en faveur des opérateurs à accès ouvert sur l’ensemble du continent.
UK: FirstGroup has published Moving Forward Together: Why open access is essential for a better railway, a report setting out its case for retaining a ‘thriving’ open access sector as part of the restructured railway.
In einer Serie stellt Tagesspiegel Background einflussreiche EU-Lobbyisten der Mobilitätsbranche vor. Im letzten Teil geht es um die Bahnbranche.
Nick Brooks (ALLRAIL)
Der Verband ALLRAIL ist gemeinnützig und vertritt unabhängige Personenverkehrsunternehmen und Tickethändler. Das gemeinsame Ziel der 17 ALLRAIL-Mitglieder ist die Schaffung eines einheitlichen europäischen Bahnbinnenmarktes, den es nach vier EU-Eisenbahnpaketen „noch lange nicht gibt“, so Generalsekretär Nick Brooks im Background-Porträt“
"O preço extremamente baixo do novo passe ferroviário é claramente insustentável; irá canibalizar todas as tentativas de abertura do mercado", sustenta a associação ALLRAIL.
”Det, som vi ultimativt har brug for i Europa ifølge os er et system, en eller flere digitale platforme, som giver passagerer muligheden for at tage fra én jernbanestation til en anden et sted i EU,” lyder det fra Nick Brooks.
Han er generalsekretær i Allrail, en sammenslutning af selvstændige passagertogselskaber, der arbejder som en NGO for at skabe mere åbenhed blandt jernbaneselskaber i Europa.
Nick Brooks, Secretary General of ALLRAIL, shares his insights on the challenges, successes and future innovations in the rail industry, highlighting the importance of liberalisation, innovation and private investment in shaping a sustainable and customer-focused rail sector.
Nick Brooks, secretary general of ALLRAIL, a pressure group representing non-state train operators, told CNN that national rail companies have an unfair advantage over new entrants.
“Politicians must be clear: the night train market will be effectively closed for a very long time,” he says. “This runs contrary to the goals of the single EU rail market – which is madness when a clear and efficient alternative model already exists.”
The proposed strategic investment in rail infrastructure in the recently announced Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) grants will only be optimised if there are modern, interoperable trains that can use it, says The Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants (ALLRAIL).
Our Policy Director John Thomas gave evidence to this Committee in the UK parliament, London, alongside Steve Montgomery of our member operator First Rail and Maggie Simpson OBE of Rail Freight Group.
On 15th December 2025, ALLRAIL Secretary General Nick Brooks had the privilege of joining a special event celebrating a milestone for Belgian rail – the full deployment of ERTMS by Infrabel.
A big step forward for Belgium, and a tangible win for the wider European project.
Nick Brooks spoke at the Transport Committee of the UK House of Commons (Parliament) on 26th November.
An ALLRAIL delegation took part today in the workshop of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Working Party on Rail Transport (SC.2), entitled “Making liberalisation work for passengers and freight – challenges and opportunities.”
On 5 November, an event on the Future of EU Rail Ticketing took place at the European Parliament, hosted by TRAN Vice-Chair Sophia Kircher with the participation of MEP Kai Tegethoff. The discussion brought together Members of the European Parliament, the European Commission, passenger rights organisations, and independent rail operators to address one of the biggest barriers to a true Single Market for Rail: the lack of fair, transparent, and innovative ticketing.
ALLRAIL took part in very open, concrete, and constructive discussions at the high-level event “Cutting Cost in Rail”, co-organised by the Danish Ministry of Transport, Trafikstyrelsen, the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), the European Commission, and the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking.
ALLRAIL Secretary General Nick Brooks was a special guest at the 36th General Meeting of Mofair (mofair.de), our partner association in Germany.
ALLRAIL was pleased to take part in the Florence Academy on Smart Transport Regulation,
organised by the Florence School of Regulation (FSR).
John Thomas, ALLRAIL's Policy Director, attended the Conservative Party Conference on 6th and 7th October 2025 in Manchester, UK. Among others, he met with Iain Stewart, the ex-chair of the Transport Select Committee, and Jerome Mayhew Member of Parliament (MP), the Shadow Minister (Transport).
ALLRAIL Secretary General Nick Brooks was pleased to take part in the panel discussion on “An Open and Fair Market” during the Europe 2025 Congress – Seminar “The Open Mobility Ecosystem: Collaboration with Buses” at the Busworld Exhibition and Conference in Brussels, Belgium.
Our Legal Officer, Guillem Ochoa, attended the 2025 annual conference of the Association Française du Rail (AFRA) – the French Association representing new entrants in passenger and freight rail.
ALLRAIL Secretary General Nick Brooks took part in the mid-term event of Flagship Project No. 6 on regional passenger rail, managed by Europe’s Rail — the EU body supporting research and innovation in the European rail system. ( https://rail-research.europa.eu/ )
ALLRAIL attended the 2025 UK National Rail Awards, held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in central London.
On 16 September 2025, ALLRAIL attended the GRB Plenary Session which took place in the format of a “Quiz with Oana Gherghinescu”, Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA).
Our Legal Officer, Guillem Ochoa, attended the Summer School in Vienna on the Future of Capacity Management organised by the infrastructure managers’ platform RailNetEurope (RNE).
This week, our colleague Arthur Kaminga attended the Benelux Union workshop on cross-border rail which took place in Brussels.
On 4th June 2024, Laurent Mazille, Public Affairs Director at Transdev, received the insignia of Chevalier of the National Order of Merit during a ceremony at the French Senate.
ALLRAIL speaks at 13th International Railway Summit, in the session "Integrated ticketing: seamless cross-border and multimodal travel.
Together with other prominent European rail sector players, ALLRAIL’s Secretary General Nick Brooks participated in the Envision.2025 Global Conference held in Shanghai.
In January 2024, the Global Ukraine Rail Task Force delegation visited Kyiv, accompanied by representatives from WE AID and Rail Partners, to present a donation cheque of €130,000 to the rail workers of Ukrainian Railways.
This event was covered In July 2024 by PBS News.
Salim was interviewed by the British leading TV channel ITV
ALLRAIL's Secretary General Nick Brooks introduces to our new ALLRAIL podcast series, in which we will discuss the latest policy developments in passenger rail transport in Europe.
We consider the future of passenger rail in the 2020s. There can be little doubt that the coronavirus pandemic has shaken faith in public transport, but rail remains fundamentally attractive for its ability to move people efficiently with minimal land take and an extremely low carbon footprint. This discussion will assess the outlook for passenger operators and how they might adjust to a ‘new normal’.
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
• 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)
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)
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.
