High-speed rail services have designed a new way of living, working and moving around Europe, improving the accessibility of major cities and connecting European capitals. Such services are an essential part of the solution to some of Europe’s most pressing mobility challenges and to reaching our ambitious transport goals, including those set out in the European Green Deal. This essay looks at the Italian experience with high-speed rail, and how high-speed services – once integrated with land and air collective mobility solutions – can be leveraged to promote multimodality.

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The EU is home to some of the world's largest outbound markets and most visited destinations, while emissions from tourism are expected to grow in the coming years. New patterns of tourism development are needed to address its environmental impact. Railways can help develop touristic destinations that are not adequately served by aviation, open new routes and foster new value chains. This essay looks at how rail plays a role in creating a more sustainable tourism for the future.

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Rail is a perfect example of a capital-intensive business with long-term returns on investment that is key to delivering the European Green Deal. To finance rolling stock, maintain and build new rail infrastructure while also progressing on digitalisation, rail companies must find adequate finances beyond customer-driven revenue streams. Drawing on the Polish experience, this essay outlines the bases for viable financial conditions for rail to prosper and offer maximum societal & environmental benefits.

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The EU Smart and Sustainable Mobility Strategy (SSMS) sets out ambitious targets to shift more traffic to rail and achieve a 90% reduction in transport emissions by 2050. One of the tools to ensure rail can deliver is the TEN-T network, which should support a European high-speed network. This essay shows the benefits of high-speed rail within Czechia but also for the wider region, giving an example to other Member States to follow suit for rail to be the backbone of sustainable mobility in Europe.

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The EU Fit for 55 package seeks to ensure the EU meets its climate goals. Transport emissions are key to making that happen. Already around 25% of EU emissions come from transport. This figure is rising while rail’s emissions have fallen by 32% over the last three decades. This CER Essay explains that rail must be recognised as the most energyefficient transport mode and an intelligent policy mix is needed to put a price on carbon and use the revenues from emissions trading to improve sustainable mobility.

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With the EU Green Deal the moment is right for Europe to convert modal shift targets into concrete policy measures. Switzerland has had a dedicated modal shift policy for cross-alpine freight transport since the 1990s. Today more than 72% of cross-alpine freight traffic in Switzerland is on rail. This shows that a modal shift to rail freight is possible. A closer look at the Swiss  experience can give ideas and inspiration.

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