Press Release: EU triples funding for rail innovation

Author (Corporate)
Series Title
Series Details IP/13/1250 (16.12.13)
Publication Date 16/12/2013
Content Type

The European Commission on 16 December 2013 adopted 'Shift2Rail', a new public-private partnership to invest just under €1 billion in research and innovation to get more passengers and freight onto Europe's railways.

Rail is amongst the most efficient and climate-friendly forms of transport, but currently it only carries about only 10% of European cargo and 6% of passengers each year.

'Shift2Rail' is an ambitious public-private partnership which will manage a 7-year work programme of targeted research and innovation to support the development of better rail services in Europe. It will develop and accelerate the bringing to market of technological breakthroughs.

According to a Eurobarometer survey published on 16 December 2013, 58% of Europeans are satisfied with rail services in their country. However, comparatively few Europeans take the train.

The results of the survey confirm that more needs to be done to make railway a customer-friendly mode of transport. In January 2012, the Commission tabled the 4th railway package with far-reaching proposals to open domestic passenger rail services to competition.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-1250_en.htm
Related Links
European Commission: RAPID: Memo, MEMO/13/1143: The Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking – Frequently Asked Questions http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-1143_en.pdf
European Commission: Public Opinion: Flash Eurobarometer: Survey 326: Survey on passengers’ satisfaction with rail services: Analytical report http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_326_en.pdf
European Commission: RAPID: Press Release, IP/13/1239: Eurobarometer: Half of all Europeans are satisfied with their railways, but more needs to be done to improve the service offer http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-1239_en.pdf
European Commission: RAPID: Speech, SPEECH/13/1075: EU triples funding for rail innovation http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-1075_en.pdf
ESO: Background information: EU transport to benefit from the new research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020 http://www.europeansources.info/record/memo-eu-transport-to-benefit-from-the-new-research-and-innovation-programme-horizon-2020/

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