Alberto Mazzola: EU Rail Must Secure Funding and Fix Competitive Imbalances by 2026

As Brussels prepares its next long-term budget, Europe’s rail sector is pushing for more than promises. Alberto Mazzola says 2026 will be a turning point for funding, digitalisation and fair competition.

As the European rail sector looks ahead to 2026, what do you see as the most pressing priorities for rail operators and infrastructure managers across the EU?

In the year ahead, the sector’s priorities centre on strengthening Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and connectivity. That means securing strong EU funding for rail in the EU’s next long-term budget (the EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034), reinforcing the Military Mobility framework, and supporting implementation of the European High-Speed Rail Plan, including financing, permitting, industrial capacity and cross-border coordination.

Advancing digital rail technologies such as ERTMS, while keeping deployment realistic and cost-efficient, is another key focus. The sector is also working to address structural challenges in rail freight to safeguard intermodal competitiveness and avoid reverse modal shift.

Alongside this, CER will continue pushing forward on ticketing and passenger rights, climate and energy policy, cost reduction, and implementation of the new Regulation on railway infrastructure capacity.

How does CER assess the current EU policy framework for rail, particularly in terms of funding, market regulation, and fair competition between transport modes?

The EU’s 2020 Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy put forward ambitious goals, including doubling high-speed traffic by 2030 and tripling rail freight by 2050. Attaining these goals is a work in progress, requiring major investment and supportive policies. The current framework falls short on several fronts in terms of the support needed for rail to thrive.

EU funding opportunities remain insufficient and oversubscribed, while regulatory measures have not yet created fair competition with road and aviation, which continue to benefit from tax exemptions and lower external‑cost pricing.

Rail bears higher costs and infrastructure charges despite being the cleanest mode of transport, and CER argues that this imbalance must be corrected.

Digitalisation and system interoperability remain key challenges for European railways. Which initiatives or technologies will be most decisive in improving network performance and reliability going into 2026?

One of the most decisive factors today to improve rail network performance is the EU-wide implementation of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). ERTMS is essential for boosting capacity, improving reliability and enabling seamless cross‑border operations, but its rollout remains fragmented without unified governance.

To unlock these benefits, we need to greatly accelerate ERTMS deployment across Europe, supported by a strong, central EU‑level programme manager to coordinate planning, financing and implementation. A programme manager with real authority to align national plans, manage industrial capacity and ensure deployment realism would be a game‑changer.

Alongside this, technologies such as the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) to replace GSM-R, and Digital Capacity Management will further enhance performance, but their success also depends on coherent, EU‑wide coordination anchored around the ERTMS programme.

What message would CER like to send to EU policymakers and national governments as they shape transport and infrastructure strategies for the next legislative cycle?

With 8 billion passenger trips and 378 billion tonne-kilometres of freight transported every year over the EU’s 201,000 kilometres of rail tracks, railways are at the heart of Europe’s transport system. Besides driving its green transition thanks to high energy efficiency and close-to-zero emissions, railways are crucial for European mobility both in times of peace and crisis.

On top of this, railways offer one of the largest economic footprints of any transport mode. In 2023 railways directly generated €67 billion for the EU GDP, which is more than the air transport sector, and with 888,000 employees, the rail sector provided as many jobs as the air and water transport sectors combined. Every 1 euro invested in rail generates 2.6 euros in added EU value. Overall, railways help contribute €247 billion to the EU economy, an economic impact matching the GDP of Greece, and support nearly 3.2 million jobs, which is more than the total workforce in Ireland.

Placing rail at the centre of transport policy not only makes sense, but it is also becoming an urgent imperative that requires stronger long‑term investment, a level playing field between transport modes, and rapid deployment of digital and green technologies.

Policymakers should treat rail as a strategic asset—one that delivers economic resilience, territorial cohesion, and major environmental benefits—and match that recognition with concrete financial and regulatory support.