24/7 Space News
FAST TRACK
Venice sleeper setback indicates EU train troubles
Venice sleeper setback indicates EU train troubles
By Umberto BACCHI
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Feb 6, 2025

The maiden run of a sleeper train from Brussels to Venice ended well short of its destination on Thursday, in a telling tale of the troubles of cross-Europe rail travel.

The European Union wants to greatly boost rail connections to cut carbon emissions from air transport, with plans to double high-speed train traffic and link all big cities by 2030.

With stops in a dozen cities across five countries, the new line operated by European Sleeper -- a Dutch-Belgian startup -- is a poster child for such ambitions.

European lawmakers, the Italian and Austrian ambassadors and industry representatives attended a launch event with beer, bubbles and EU flags at a Brussels station ahead of departure Wednesday evening.

Yet, like the political hopes it represents, the train rubbed up against the fragmentation of the European network, which is broken into national systems with different rules and authorities.

A last-minute issue with the Italian rail management office left it unable to enter the country, the operator said.

Passengers had to disembark in Innsbruck, Austria, and hop on another train to complete their journey.

- Derailed plans -

It was the latest in a string of headaches for the firm that observers say underscore the challenges for rail to become a viable alternative to flying in Europe.

The first was securing financing to buy new carriages or renovate old ones, said European Sleeper co-founder Elmer van Buuren.

Private firms compete for funds with national rail operators backed by the public purse, which are a much preferred, low-risk option for investors, he lamented in an interview with AFP.

Risk would be lower if companies could secure a train path for a long period of time but that is currently not the case, he added.

"Every year you have to apply for capacity, every year you are uncertain if you will get it," he said.

Unable to secure funding, European Sleeper diverted some carriages from its established Brussels to Prague route.

The Venice train will run only six times between February and March -- low season on the Prague line -- hoping to attract skiers heading for the Alps.

Bureaucracy is another issue.

Under EU rules, national railway infrastructure managers should coordinate to ease cross-border travel.

But despite months of work and "hundreds of emails and phone calls" to five different authorities, European Sleeper secured a definitive timetable for its train only last week.

Then on Tuesday, the Italians pulled the plug on the last section of the route for unclear reasons, van Buuren said. Italy's rail infrastructure office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

- 'Railway nationalism' -

Proponents say demand for train travel is high.

Night trains in France carried one million people in 2024, up 23 percent from the previous year, according to clean transport advocacy group T&E.

Several passengers on the Venice line cited climate concerns as a reason they decided against flying, which is much more polluting.

But they also complained about high rail prices.

A 2023 report by Greenpeace comparing the costs of flight and train tickets on 112 European routes found trains were on average twice as expensive.

Rail sector operators blame a decades-long tax exemption on commercial aviation fuel.

"As long as kerosene is not taxed, rail cannot compete on an equal footing," said Enno Wiebe, head of the Union of European Railway Industries.

Cutting red tape would also help, he added, complaining that vehicles need to be "re-authorised" -- a months-long process -- after changes affecting anything from engines to trains' interior design.

More competition would be another boon, said Victor Thevenet of T&E.

The EU is investing billions in upgrading and integrating railways, pushing a single European signalling system that will replace the current mix of national systems and smooth traffic.

But national authorities are often reluctant to expose public operators to external competition, critics say.

A 2024 EU report by former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta criticised national tax incentives that disadvantage international operators.

EU plans for a single booking system allowing passengers to buy one ticket for a journey supported by different national rail operators are facing strenuous resistance.

"We need to finish with the railway nationalism," Kristian Schmidt, the European Commission director for land transport, told the Venice sleeper launch event on Wednesday.

Train users are patiently waiting.

"The change was not super well communicated," Benoit Cambier, a passenger on the maiden Venice trip, said of the Innsbruck hiccup. "The view and trip are great though".

Related Links
Great Train Journey's of the 21st Century

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FAST TRACK
France-Italy trains to return after 19-month landslide closure
Paris (AFP) Jan 21, 2025
The hugely popular train line linking Paris with the Italian cities of Turin and Milan is to reopen in March and April after a 19-month closure forced when a landslide damaged a tunnel, French railway operator SNCF and Italian counterpart Trenitalia announced Tuesday. SNCF said connections between Paris and Turin and Milan, which has whisked passengers from a breakfast of croissants in the French capital to a hearty pasta for lunch in Italy in six or seven hours, would resume on March 31. Trenit ... read more

FAST TRACK
Momentus to conduct multi sensor rendezvous trial with US Air Force

Crew Wraps Spacewalk Duties and Expands Crop Research in Orbit

Will the US get to Mars quicker if it drops or delays plans to visit the Moon?

Spacewalkers Complete Radio Hardware Removal and Microbe Search

FAST TRACK
Ride completes Deep Blue mission marking new chapter in satellite launch services

European Partners Expand Ariane 6 Commitment with Arianespace

Caltech takes first steps toward lightsails that could reach distant star systems

SpaceX launches more Startlink satellites from California

FAST TRACK
Texas A&M scholar secures NASA funding to examine Martian dune dynamics

New Martian Crater Reveals Far-Reaching Seismic Signals

Approaching the Red Planet from the Kitchen

Explaining persistent hydrogen in Mars atmosphere

FAST TRACK
Astronaut insights from mid mission aboard Tiangong

Chinese Satellite Companies Expand Global Services with Advanced Networks and Constellations

China launches additional satellites for Spacesail Constellation

Shenzhou XIX crew completes second spacewalk mission

FAST TRACK
UK Gains Advanced Space Simulation Facility from Amentum

Vodafone utilizes US satellite array for milestone mobile call

SiriusXM's SXM-9 Satellite Begins Full Operation After Successful Testing

York Space Systems Expands Satellite Offerings with Enhanced M-CLASS Platform

FAST TRACK
Alloy discovered that barely changes with temperature

Big Tech's AI spending rattles markets

Orbex lands D-Orbit deal prior to first mission this year

EdgeCortix unveils SAKURA-I with proven radiation immunity for orbital and lunar ventures

FAST TRACK
Asteroid Bennu comes from a long-lost salty world with ingredients for life

IGRINS on Gemini South Detects Surprising Signatures in Dynamic Atmosphere of Exoplanet WASP-121b

PLATO mission set for late 2026 launch aboard Ariane 6

Dwarf planet Ceres has rare organic material delivered by asteroids

FAST TRACK
NASA Juno Mission Discovers Record-Breaking Volcanic Activity on Io

SwRI models suggest Pluto and Charon formed similarly to Earth and Moon

Citizen scientists help decipher Jupiter's cloud composition

Capture theory unveils how Pluto and Charon formed as a binary system

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.