European Sleeper Train Brussels-Berlin

Photo by Amol Tyagi on Unsplash

Photo by Amol Tyagi on Unsplash. A new Brussels to Berlin night train is due to start services from next month. The first service of European Sleeper is scheduled to depart on 25 May. The launch comes amid growing enthusiasm in long-distance trains across Europe, as the travelling public look for more sustainable alternatives to aviation. The service,…

Curbing Aviation Carbon Emissions

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Photo by Jerry Zhang on Unsplash The aviation industry is taking a “broad set of actions” to curtail carbon emissions, says the Aerospace Industries Association.  Such action is urgently needed as aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of the greenhouse gas emissions driving global climate change.  Flying is a highly controversial topic in climate debates and accounts…

High Speed Rail Goes Slow

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Photo by Winston Chen on Unsplash Following his invention of the Rocket, in 1829 Robert Stephenson inaugurated the first inter-city railway in the world: connecting Liverpool and Manchester in the country’s northern manufacturing heartland was an obvious priority. Since then other countries have leapt into the future with high speed trains, while the UK struggles with one of…

New Funding for Jobs at Liege Airport

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Photo by Handy Wicaksono on Unsplash Some 559 employees of TNT Belgium at Liège Airport who lost their jobs following a transfer of operations to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport should receive €1.9 million in EU aid, say MEPs. On Thursday, the Committee on Budgets approved Belgium’s request for support for the workers. MEPs acknowledged that “the COVID-19 pandemic…

Highway to Hospital

Photo by Luis Wittenberg on Unsplash A 20 km/h factory-set speed limit, larger wheels, a ban on passengers and pavement riding, compulsory helmets and a minimum age of 16.  These are some of the recommendations set out in a new report on safer technical standards for e-scooters and safer e-scooter usage rules in Europe, published by the European…

Reform of Driving Licence Rules

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Photo by aranprime on Unsplash The Commission has presented proposals to modernise driving licence rules, including the introduction of a digital driving licence valid throughout the EU, and new provisions to facilitate the enforcement of traffic rules across borders.  More than 20,000 lives were lost on EU roads last year and the majority of victims were pedestrians, cyclists and users of…

Improving European Road Safety

Photo by LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash

Photo by LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash The European Transport Safety Council has welcomed significant changes to EU rules on driving licences and cross-border enforcement of traffic offences. It says these could significantly reduce injuries and deaths among novice drivers and help ensure that dangerous drivers face penalties for a wider range of traffic offences committed across…

Ukrainian Railways Wins Europe’s Rail Champion Award

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Photo by Todd Trapani on Unsplash The 2023 European Railway Award has been held in Brussels in a 16th edition strongly marked by current events in Ukraine and the sector’s commitment to diversity.  The Rail Champion prize was presented to Ukrainian Railways (UZ) for their “remarkable resilience and continuation of transport services in times of war and unimaginable hardship.” Additionally, Eglė Šimė was recognised as…

Electrification: Alarming New ETUI Report

Electrification has simply substituted dieselisation, without any change in the business model or in the EU regulatory framework, reveals an alarming ETUI report.  The ‘Fit for 55’ revision of the CO2 regulation for new cars and vans will not only keep reinforcing the trend towards heavier and more powerful vehicles but it will also drastically…