The European Commission has approved an investment of over €234 million from the cohesion fund to upgrade almost 117km of the Skawina-Zakopane railway line in Southern Poland. The project will improve the quality, efficiency and safety of railway transport between the towns of Skawina and Zakopane, and more generally on the Kraków-Zakopane corridor. Commissioner for…
Transport
Brussels Airport Runway Renovation Completed on time
Renovation of runway 07L/25R at Brussels Airport has been completed on schedule. The contractors worked day and night, 7 days a week, to limit the duration of the runway closure and the impact of these works. Because of the corona crisis, this happened in a period with much less air traffic than usual. The thorough…
Airport COVID-19 testing
Testing for COVID-19 will soon be possible at Brussels Airport thanks to the installation of a mobile laboratory. From the beginning of September, the mobile laboratory at Brussels Airport will enable passengers to obtain tests for Covid-19. This means that passengers returning from a red zone can be tested as soon as they arrive at…
Flights Over Brussels
Good news for the economy, but less so for noise and air pollution affecting residents living near Zaventem Airport. Since the resumption of non-essential flights on 15 June this year, the number of passengers handled at Brussels Airport has risen, but remains 80% below July 2019 figures. This means that in July, for the first…
2021 Year of the Rail
Rail should play a prominent role in the EU’s future mobility and become the primary form of transport. For this reason, the EESC is pleased to support the European Commission in proposing to mark 2021 as the Year of Rail. In the opinion approved at the July plenary session and drafted by Alberto Mazzola, the Committee…
MEPs Call for Stronger Controls to Curb Air Pollution from Cars
To ensure that cars meet EU limits on NOx emissions, tests under real driving conditions must be more stringent, said the Parliament’s Environment Committee. The Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee adopted an amendment to EU rules on measuring emissions from light passenger and commercial cars with 55 votes to 14 and 11 abstentions….
Reducing Emissions from International Shipping
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), international shipping accounts for about 2.2% of global CO2 emissions. Although shipping is considered one of the most energy-efficient modes of mass transport, a global approach to improving emissions is needed. Poul Woodall, Director of Environment and Sustainability at DFDS, says that he sees companies across Europe accepting…
Belarus Electric Buses Take Europe and India by Storm
In the European Union, with the Green Deal aiming to make the continent ‘climate neutral’ by 2050, low-carbon technology in transport will be key to reducing emissions. A Belarusian electric bus manufacturer has caught the attention of transport authorities in the UK, Poland and Spain with its innovative electrical system. BKM Holding is a tram,…
Lisbon Metro Improvements Set to Cut CO2 Emissions
The European Commission has approved an investment of €83 million from the cohesion fund to improve the metro network in Lisbon, Portugal. The project will improve the connection, efficiency and safety of the metro lines. It will better link Lisbon’s busy Yellow line, which serves the area with the highest employment density, with the Green line,…
Brussels Airport Prepares to Increase Passenger Flights
Starting 15 June, Brussels Airport will considerably increase its passenger flights for all travel in the Schengen Area. The flight offer will increase progressively to exceed one hundred destinations in July, thus restoring the connectivity with Europe in a first stage and with the rest of the world at a later stage. Thanks to the…