Everyone talks about rail: a sustainable alternative to the emissions-heavy road and aviation. 

Brussels has been repeating the mantra of boosting railway transportation for decades, Europeans increasingly choose train over plane. Now, that the EU’s Green Deal is on the agenda and the climate movement is stronger than ever — there’s a momentum for change.

So what’s the matter? Why is it this change taking so long, and why is the train travel across Europe still so difficult? What can be done to advance the cross-border train system and mobilise passengers to change their travel habits? 

In a follow-up to Investigate Europe’s recent publication on this topic, we hosted the following panelists to discuss this topic with us: 

– Jon Worth; Rail expert and political commentator
– Pio Guido; EU Agency for Railways
– Tobias Holle; Fridays for Future Germany 
– Tom Buchhold, FlixMobility
– Kristian Schmidt, European Commission (Director for Land Transport)

Moderation: Maria Maggiore, IE Reporter and Trains Investigation Lead