Ministerial calls to action urge more rail freight on a more seamlessly connected network

Ministerial calls to action urge more rail freight on a more seamlessly connected network

Today, Czechia, Belgium and Greece urged the European Commission and EU Transport Ministers to take decisive action for rail transport. Czechia appealed for support to European rail freight, while Belgium and Greece called to accelerate the switch to a single European rail signalling system, generating broad support from the other countries. The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) warmly welcomes these strong political signals at a critical juncture when rail has never been more essential to Europe's competitiveness, decarbonisation, and energy independence.

At the EU Transport Council, ministers discussed Europe's post-2030 decarbonisation plans. Rail already delivers major climate and energy benefits: it saves Europe 364,000 barrels of diesel-equivalent oil each day, avoids 54.8 million tonnes of CO₂ each year, and generates €11.5 billion in economic savings. Shifting more traffic, including freight, to rail is therefore crucial to decarbonise transport. Yet progress has stalled, with rail accounting for only around 17% of land-based goods transport. Czechia's initiative in support of rail freight provides much-needed momentum, and CER urges the European Commission and ministers to turn it into concrete action.

One positive step, confirmed today in the Council Conclusions on the EU Ports Strategy prepared by the Cypriot Presidency, is stronger cooperation between rail and ports. At the same time, CER is concerned by the Commission's intention to withdraw its revision of the Combined Transport Directive, a key instrument for linking long-distance rail with last-mile road transport for goods. Ministers debated the call to continue discussions on the file, a call echoed by CER in a recent paper published with other concerned stakeholders. The paper puts forward a pragmatic path that can deliver real progress on modal shift and fair competitiveness across transport modes.

Accelerating rail digitalisation is also a major priority and CER thanks the Belgian and Greek Ministers of Transport for calling for faster rollout of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). ERTMS makes cross-border rail operations smoother by providing a single system for signalling, speed control and train safety. Although ERTMS deployment has been under way for decades, with Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Czechia among the leaders, fewer than 20% of major lines across the EU network are equipped (17% of the TEN-T core network). Together with costs and compatibility issues between different system versions, a lack of integrated governance at EU level has led to slow implementation. CER hopes the Belgian and Greek appeals will help expedite progress and calls on the European Commission to take the lead in bringing together the various railway stakeholders to deploy ERTMS in a synchronised and cost-efficient manner.

CER is working closely with fellow European rail sector associations to improve the efficiency, quality and attractiveness of rail services across Europe, and is encouraged to see Member States voicing shared concerns. We will continue engaging with EU institutions and Member States on all fronts to strengthen rail competitiveness, promote innovation and investment, and drive the strategic shift Europe needs towards sustainable and competitive transport.

CER Executive Director Alberto Mazzola said: "Today's Council sent a clear message: Europe needs and wants stronger rail freight and a more connected rail network. The Czech, Belgian and Greek initiatives come at exactly the right moment, with several leads ready to pursue, such as safeguarding combined transport, strengthening the port-rail interface, governing and accelerating ERTMS deployment."

Download below the press release.