European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) chief Oana Gherghinescu has called for a radical shift in how Europe builds, funds, and manages its railways, stressing that rail should be functional, standardised, and affordable — not fine art.
Tag: Rail
Subsidies for night trains? “You cannot fix this until someone builds more sleeper and couchette carriages”
“I’m so tired of these arguments about small pots of money (or not) for night train operations. You cannot fix this until someone builds more night train carriages”, independent railway commentator Jon Worth posted on Bluesky. That last sentence in all caps. “Because then we can start to run night trains that aren’t with knackered…
European Sleeper to operate Paris – Brussels – Berlin night train route from March 2026
European Sleeper, the community-owned Dutch night train operator, will run a Paris–Brussels-Berlin night train connection by the end of March 2026, stepping in to fill the gap left by the cancellation of ÖBB’s Nightjet service.
Italo targets the German high-speed rail market
Germany’s long-distance rail market is about to see a shake-up. After decades of dominance by Deutsche Bahn, Italian private high-speed operator Italo is preparing to challenge the ICE with its own trains.
Trenitalia eyes expansion into Germany’s high-speed trains market
The Italian state railway group Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS), better known under its brand name Trenitalia, is considering a major expansion into Germany’s long-distance rail network with a fleet of around 50 high-speed trains, a move that could introduce the first large-scale competition for Deutsche Bahn on its home market.
REVIEW | ‘Belgian Railways Under Occupation: Between Collaboration and Resistance’ at Train World in Brussels
Opened in late September 2025 at Train World in Schaarbeek / Schaerbeek in Brussels, the exhibition ‘Belgian Railways Under Occupation: Between Collaboration and Resistance‘ examines the complex and often painful history of the Belgian railways during World War II.
European Commission wants to link all EU capitals by high-speed train by 2040… and that’s not going to happen
On Wednesday 5 November 2025, the European Commission unveiled a comprehensive plan to accelerate the development of high-speed rail across the European Union, offering passengers significantly reduced travel times. By boosting fast, comfortable, safe, and reliable rail services, the plan supports the EU’s twin goals of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050 and strengthening Europe’s global competitiveness.
SBB CFF FFS announce night train to Malmö from April 2026
Starting on 15 April 2026, the Swiss Federal Railways SBB CFF FFS, together with RDC Deutschland, will introduce a new night train connection from Basel in Switzerland to Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden. The EuroNight will run three times per week, strengthening Switzerland’s international night train network.
Travellers in Europe increasingly open to choosing trains over planes for short-haul journeys
A study published in May 2025 suggests that many travellers across Europe are increasingly open to choosing trains over planes for short-haul journeys, particularly when high-speed rail alternatives are available. A study commissioned by Hitachi Rail, based on responses from over 11,000 people in Europe and North America, found that around two-thirds of Europeans support…
Japan’s maglev bullet train delayed to 2035 or later as costs rise to ¥11 trillion
Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone and…
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