The European Commission has fired the opening shot in a long-delayed effort to dismantle one of the single market's stubbornest barriers: the inability to buy a cross-border train journey on a single ticket. On 13 May the Commission tabled a Passenger Package of three legislative proposals, comprising a regulation on rail ticketing, a regulation on multimodal booking that repeals the 2009 computerised reservation rules, and a revision of the Rail Passenger Rights Regulation.

Brussels has set out the most far-reaching overhaul of European rail ticketing in more than a decade, proposing rules that would force operators to offer single-ticket bookings for journeys spanning multiple carriers and borders. The European Commission's "Passenger Package", unveiled on 13 May, bundles three legislative proposals: a regulation on rail ticketing, a regulation on multimodal booking, and a revision of existing rail passenger rights rules. The reforms, champione

Europe's rail supply industry has called on the European Union to ring-fence proceeds from its emissions trading system to help finance an estimated €546bn expansion of the bloc's high-speed network, in the latest sign that European policymakers are struggling to close a yawning gap between climate ambition and infrastructure funding. UNIFE, the Brussels-based association representing manufacturers including Alstom, Siemens Mobility and Stadler, published its financing propos

Italo, Italy's largest private high-speed rail operator, is preparing a €3.6bn push into Germany that would mount the most ambitious challenge yet to Deutsche Bahn's grip on Europe's largest long-distance passenger market. Chief executive Gianbattista La Rocca has confirmed the carrier intends to launch services in mid-2028, deploying an initial fleet of 26 Siemens Velaro trainsets across roughly 1,300km of network linking 18 German cities. An option for a further 14 trains s

London-based infrastructure investor John Laing has reached financial close on a roughly €800 million transaction to finance 61 Siemens Mobility battery-electric trains for regional services in north-west Germany, marking the firm's return to the country's rolling stock market and one of the largest private investments in European zero-emission rail this year. John Laing has taken an 89 per cent equity stake alongside specialist asset manager Rock Rail, with MetLife Investmen

Cargounit, Central and Eastern Europe's largest independent rolling-stock leasing company, has taken delivery of its 50th Siemens Vectron MS multi-system locomotive, marking a milestone in a procurement programme that could ultimately exceed 150 units and reshape the region's cross-border freight market. The handover of the latest unit, named "Ignacy", was confirmed by the Polish lessor at the start of May. Cargounit has more than 60 additional Vectrons on firm order with Sie