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Europe looks ahead...

Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:35 am
by AE-NMidlands
While the UK festers in the 1960's.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... w-strategy (faster-trains-and-cheaper-tickets-to-boost-european-rail-travel-in-new-strategy) says
Faster trains and cheaper tickets to boost European rail travel in new strategy: European Commission proposals aim to encourage cross-border and long-distance train journeys
Trains will run faster on key routes across Europe and ticket prices and provider costs could be slashed under a Brussels plan to boost faltering efforts to make rail Europe’s default mode of transport.

A new speed requirement to ensure trains on a core network of track are able to travel at 160 km/h or faster would be introduced by 2040, the European Commission has proposed.

Cross-border travel, including by night trains, would be encouraged by making ticketing easier and potentially through cutting the track access charges faced by rail companies.
The commission vice-president Frans Timmermans, who presented the proposals for the bloc’s 27 member states to agree, said the EU’s executive would also look at introducing a VAT exemption for rail tickets.

Timmermans, a former Dutch foreign minister, said: “We will speed up travel times and make it easier to build a competitive rail network across Europe. Next year work will start on 15 pilots to improve long-distance rail services across main train corridors – train tickets need to be easier to find, to book and buy at attractive prices. In this context we will also look at a VAT exemption for international rail tickets.”
which is all good news - as long as we can get out of the UK!
A

Re: Europe looks ahead...

Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 5:50 pm
by Oliver90owner
Not sure about your conclusion. My thought was it is just another step towards the United States of Europe.

Re: Europe looks ahead...

Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 6:17 pm
by AE-NMidlands
I didn't realise it needed saying. If we want to decarbonise transport (40% of UK emissions) we have to move to less energy-intensive modes, which means making middle-distance (and long-distance overnight) journeys more attractive by train than by plane or driving. A better network and lower fares seem like a good start.
Instead we are continuing to freeze road fuel duty, extending subsidies to regional airports and flights, maintaining road spending. At least they have a policy to reduce intra-European flights. Has anyone heard of a unified/integrated UK transport policy, or any evidence of joined-up thinking on decarbonising transport? You keep seeing headlines like "Treasury blocking [rail] electrification plans" here.
A

Re: Europe looks ahead...

Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 8:21 pm
by spread-tee
Joined up thinking? forward planning? in the dis-UK? are you mad Sir?

I suggest you get your bumps felt immediately!!

Desp

Re: Europe looks ahead...

Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:07 pm
by Stinsy
I remember when I used to travel to Amsterdam frequently. The train from AMS to the city centre was €3.30. Whereas LHR it was £30.

Re: Europe looks ahead...

Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:19 pm
by Mr Gus
Snow / alps train from after the chunnel to the valley floor of Sallanche then the hourly train up the valley to chamonix, argentiere, then continuing over to the likes of verbier would be very welcome.

There was something of a joined up Swiss French ski resort train network but it died a death leaving only driving (packed car park areas now built on at the other end) in snow season

Or a snow train that went the same way to sallanche with your car even better.
(they 'd still get the mont blanc tunnel fees that way between Italy & france)

Re: Europe looks ahead...

Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:37 pm
by Joeboy
For me the beauty of a well managed rail network is best represented with JR in Japan.. would go back just to ride the rails again. The Best. :D

Re: Europe looks ahead...

Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:56 pm
by billi
well , i drove to Ireland 3 weeks ago , would i consider to go through the UK ? in those days ?

I hope the "Irish" stay as clever as they always have been !

There was the former option of a so called "Land bridge" that is still there , but honestly why the hell should i from Germany drive through the UK now ?


Was a goosebumps 3500 km( total) travel for me , trough Germany , Belgium , Netherlands , France and a ferry to Ireland and back and had a good night on the ferry with Polish workers and Spanish tourists ....

So i hope the UK does not sail away , and the Youth should be asked what they want , as most of my life i could travel freely , as you mentioned .... it might be an "European Dream"


Billi

Re: Europe looks ahead...

Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 10:31 pm
by billi
Puplic transport needs to get more support , to get used and re established , to overcome the need for every individual having the need of a single vehicle

Re: Europe looks ahead...

Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2021 1:58 am
by Mr Gus
Not going to happen for a long time billi, 2015 migrant stream breaking down fences & demanding entry marked a massive change point in European psyche in so many ways.
The Eu's actions on Poland's border gathering is waiting to be seen, & either way will end badly within an already fractured society under financial stress because it will cause anger every which way.locally & internationally.

& Ukraine Russia / Poland troop build up, posturing or not, it makes countries stick together (often in inaction but as a perceived tour de force),
Incidentally, whilst reviewing a slated film on Amazon I pointed out how many incursions Russia has made across the globe in recent history (1917- 2015 =56) there are a few countries in / around Europe they are getting more vocal 're leavingI don't think voting is what The European wants to "allow" for the foreseeable lest it highlight more fractures & loss perceived or real.

The kids will vote to have back what they've always had access to its all they ever knew,, the older folk have seen European coupling happen several times over, from common market entry onward, leaving a real see-saw dilemma (with Facebook as a cold sore virus of bile.& misinformation amping up discontent till it spills off the page.

Sorry, we are therefore doomed to suffer a good while yet, unless there is an @rsekicking to London parliament because govt will retain that Eton boy (type) sense of ownership unless it loses a bit chunk of the map overnight, cannot & will not happen, loss of map, face & much more in reality to the self proclaimed "world players" & grouse moor owners.

You know how that Scotland thingy went down last time. :|

A few months ago when it was found out (UK army got cagey) that a "small" group of British soldiers had gone to "view" the area!? ..then it mind of disappeared, resurfaced & was disclosed they were "logistics", & finally "helping" with fencing, no idea if more were sent over or not as it was info UK forces wished to keep quiet, whether to form our own form of assistive disruption to polish rumblings of their own eu exit because some illegal migrants would be trying to get to the uk (thus monitoring faces in crowds)I cannot tell.
I bet Poland are swallowing hard now that their border is being probed via Russian partnership.

I don't think Putin really cares about Gazprom current denied access to Germany, their are plenty of other politicians to crack so lots of opportunity & leverage to come, so that ups renewables & Chinese deals for solar supply (mainly) ..panel flooding? blind eye? tariffs?

Bearing in mind all the HS2 type work that will be required of Europe to make a new rail service (& what's been lost to hs2 in terms of other industries materials) ..more hardship or the wholesale depletion of European forests for all that required lumber, metal, etc for such a mega project that requires unfettered access through various countries, ..& to that effect lucky that the UK is out of that due to ineptitude & lies re HS2. ..not forgetting we recently turned a blind eye to reinvesting in the faltering but normally profitable Eurostar channel operations finance needs, which would have to be our Euro gateway for this enterprise.
( We got HS2 out of london & screwed the North over ...well, I saw that happening, should have started in the North & gone South rather than start in the South & everything went south!

Wonder what the HS2 material shortage has on housing for the next few years? (see desp for insight) ..how would the same thing all over Europe pan out?
Will it start in places like Poland first (unofficial sweetener) ? ..how will they tackle it as a low carbon build to send it in the right direction do you think!?

Will it all be enforced as 100% electrified rolling stock & routes? or hybrid, do you think?