photo: Uwe Schwarzbach / Flickr/Freight trains in the train station of Kufstein in Tyrol, Austria
UNIFE, UIRR, and several European rail and intermodal associations argue that without immediate political action, Europe risks losing control of its critical rail infrastructure while simultaneously widening the competitiveness gap that already favours road transport.
UNIFE: Europe Must Protect Its Rail Network from Unfair Foreign Competition
According to UNIFE, last week's Council meeting gave ministers a rare opportunity to address the growing security risks posed by foreign suppliers in strategic segments of Europe’s rail system. With Austria’s Minister for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure Peter Hanke chairing the discussion, UNIFE urged Member States to take decisive steps to safeguard signalling systems, core infrastructure and military-mobility-relevant assets, warning that these must not fall under the control of actors with whom the EU has no reciprocal procurement agreements.
UNIFE stressed that Europe requires a strong "toolbox" to ensure infrastructure security and calls for a European-preference approach in public procurement when critical or security-related technologies are involved. The organisation argues that rolling stock lifecycles of 30–40 years make life-cycle costing essential, not optional, and warns that relying solely on the lowest purchase price exposes Europe to unacceptable long-term operational and security vulnerabilities.
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The Wuppertal Schwebebahn, the world’s oldest suspension railway still in operation, has been carrying passengers above the River Wupper since 1901. Suspended…
UNIFE Director General Enno Wiebe issued an unusually direct warning: "Europe is facing a very real and serious scenario – losing control of its own rail networks. We are raising the alarm today, as we believe we are close to crossing a threshold we cannot return from."
Wiebe called on ministers to support an EU-level procurement reform that strengthens resilience, protects strategic autonomy, and ensures that Europe’s industrial base remains capable of delivering secure, state-of-the-art rail technology. He added: "We are calling on all stakeholders in the rail sector and policymakers to come together and address this issue to ensure Europe’s strategic autonomy."
UIRR and Rail Associations: Heavier Trucks Undermine EU Climate and Competitiveness Goals
While ministers discuss rail resilience, European rail and intermodal associations are raising urgent concerns about a parallel policy shift: the Council’s adopted position on heavier and longer trucks. According to UIRR, the move threatens to undermine the Greening Freight Transport Package and widens the long-standing cost imbalance between road and rail.
The associations warn that enabling easier cross-border operation of European Modular Systems (EMS) trucks will make it harder for rail to compete, particularly in price-sensitive markets. This, they argue, runs counter to the EU’s stated ambition to strengthen high-capacity, energy-efficient transport modes and reduce emissions. Instead of supporting combined transport, the proposed rules risk accelerating a reverse modal shift back to road.
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France has shifted its priorities in favour of rail freight. Track repairs are being carried out during the day so that night freight services can run…
UIRR recalls that the Weights and Dimensions Directive was meant to be advanced together with a revision of the Combined Transport Directive — a revision the Commission now intends to withdraw. Rail stakeholders describe this as a "negative signal" that contradicts the EU’s own climate and industrial strategies.
The associations say that EMS trucks could overload infrastructure, increase congestion, and complicate efforts to build interoperable multimodal supply chains. Many terminals and wagons cannot accommodate EMS dimensions, threatening investments already made in combined transport. They urge EU legislators to ensure that incentives under the Weights and Dimensions Directive apply only to zero-emission vehicles and to transport movements that support intermodality. They also call for mandatory public assessments of the safety, environmental, and infrastructure impacts of EMS deployments.
The warning is grounded in evidence: a 2024 study by d-fine for CER, ERFA, UIC, UIP and UIRR found that weakening rail’s competitiveness through heavier trucks would increase emissions, raise external costs, reduce safety and accelerate road infrastructure degradation.
The messages from UNIFE, UIRR and other associations converge on a single point: Europe’s transport policy choices in the coming months will determine whether the EU strengthens its rail backbone or inadvertently accelerates the shift to road.