▶ New EU Commission and new governments in some key countries;

▶ Innovators in passenger rail are keen to create modal shift;

▶ But historical regulation is holding back the market;

▶ 2025 is a new opportunity to push ahead with market opening.

2024 finished off well, with new EU Transport Commissioner Apóstolos Tzitzikóstas laying out an ambitious plan to help grow passenger rail. 

Meanwhile, new governments are already in place (or will soon be) in several key countries, e.g. in France, Germany and the USA.

New independent operators are starting, such as Arenaways this month in Italy or planning to do so in the future, such as ilisto in France. They will innovate and attract new passengers to rail – one of the most sustainable modes of transport.

At the same time, old school protectionism still keeps the rail market small:

• Recently, it was revealed that bus passengers now exceed rail passengers on long-distance journeys in Portugal. 

• This is no surprise: the bus market was liberalised in 2019, whilst the rail market remains a subsidised monopoly for the state operator CP.

People vote with their feet when there are attractive and affordable rail services that they can easily find. This can only be ensured through market opening. That means:

• All rail tickets must be shown and sold at all rail ticket vendors;

• Equal financing terms for all operators – both independent and state-owned. That is, until there is a vibrant rolling stock manufacturing market and as long as state-owned operators still benefit from implicit state guarantees. After all, new rail services cannot begin if there are no trains available.

ALLRAIL’s new President Elmer van Buuren says: “Passenger rail growth can be one of the great achievements of the 21st Century. However, one quarter of the century has already passed – and so 2025 must finally be the opportunity to push ahead with market opening”.