Europe needs to start investing in railways again

The Portuguese Minister for Infrastructure and Housing has stated that “more investment” is necessary than what is planned at present if the European Union’s rail transport goals are to be reached.

After the informal video conference with Transport i Ministers, Pedro Nuno Santos stressed that “to attain the great ambition of duplicating rail freight transport and high-speed passenger transport, and achieve climate goals, we shall have to invest more than what is planned for at the moment”.

After the previous day’s event that launched the European Year of Rail 2021, and the ministerial meeting in which the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean i, also took part, the Minister underlined that there has been, in the last three decades, “stagnation in the increase in rail freight transport and negligeable growth in passenger transport. We have to understand what has failed. It is very clear to us that a lack of investment is one of the main reasons”.

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Nuno Santos stated that, among the 27, there is “broad European unity on investment in rail, and a commitment to it, as the main means of transport that will help us to make the climate transition and build a better future, with better mobility and a better environment”.

The Minister for Infrastructure and Housing noted, however, that it is also important “to be able to mobilise the resources necessary for the investment that is necessary”, recalling that not all countries have the resources to achieve that on their own.