Not all infrastructure managers compensated for low railway charges
Many countries in Europe have enabled access to rail at a reduced or even nullified rate in order to support railways during the pandemic. This…
What happens when the COVID discounts for rail are gone?
Much of the European rail network is currently free of charge. This is thanks to the regulation that allows for a waiver, or reduction of…
Zero-emission truck and electric train should be charged the same
European policy makers should find a way of charging for infrastructure that incentivises the greenest possible choice of modality. This requires a multimodal approach, rather…
Germany wants to almost nullify track access charges
Germany has proposed to continue the reduction of track access charges until the end of 2021. Interestingly, the charges will almost be nullified; from the…
Free online event: charging for access to transport infrastructure
A level playing field for road and rail transport can only be achieved when charging for access to road or rail happens on an equal…
How Latvia segments the railway market for infrastructure charging
There are different ways in which countries determine segments on the rail market for infrastructure charging. In a webinar on 17 March, an online seminar…
Poland refrains from increase track access charges next year
The Polish infrastructure manager PKP PLK has withdrawn its request to increase track access charges of the network in 2022. As a result, the fees…
Belgium reduces track access charges until end of June 2021
The Belgian government has announced to financially support the rail freight industry. Until 30 June, a reduced tariff applies for freight trains, and cancellation and…
Rail operators fear high railway rates in the Netherlands from 2023
Rail freight operators fear that from 2023 onwards, the track access charges in the Netherlands will be higher than those in neighboring countries. In particular,…
Recommendations for the setting of track access charges published
The Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE) has published a report outlining a series of recommendations to guide the European Commission, infrastructure managers and regulators…
‘Apply one single price on European rail corridors’
On European rail freight corridors, one single price should apply. Currently, the method for calculating track access charges differs greatly among countries, which means procedures…
‘Discounts for noise reduction in trains should be mandatory in EU’
The Dutch government pleads for a mandatory bonus scheme on EU level incentivising the retrofitting of wagons. Retrofitting is the most cost-effective way to reduce…