TransiRede 2021: Golden opportunities for Public transport and Rail!

It’s not just election week: the TransiRede also took place! In this important yearly event for the Public Transport & Railway industry, Railforumexplores the future of the sector. The common theme of this edition? The road to the future is paved with golden opportunities!

The EU has declared 2021 the “European Year of Railways”. For example, it wants to stimulate the use of the train as a safe and sustainable means of transport, in line with the pursuit of more environmentally friendly transport and achieving climate neutrality by 2050 (in the context of the European Green Deal). Railways transports 7 percent of all passengers in Europe and 11 percent of all goods, but produces only 0.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions!

European ticketing

Part of the European plan is to make it easier to buy and use cross-border train tickets. That is why the Commission will launch a bill in 2021 that will enable innovative and flexible ticketing for combined modalities. Our Marketing & Sales director SIX & GTS (and board member Railforum) Menno Nobel spoke about these developments at the event. "The Netherlands is at the forefront with the OV-Chipkaart and the current implementation of new payment methods. This means we can and must take a leading role in this!"

The Europe ambition is to double the number of journeys per high-speed train by 2030. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Schiphol, ProRail, KLM and NS aim to promote the choice of international train for medium distances (up to 700 kilometers). Pre-corona, for example, 13 percent more international train tickets were sold in the Netherlands in 2019 than in 2018. In the report 'Substitution options from aviation to rail', KLM states the potential to replace approximately 1.9 million air journeys with the international train before 2030.

Aviation lessons valuable for public transport

Menno: “In addition to the price, reliability and duration of a train journey, comfort determines the choice between plane and train. That comfort depends on the ease of booking, using and paying for a ticket, plus the availability of travel information before and during the trip. For aviation, this is an integrated part of the entire "traveler journey" – the international train industry can implement these practices too.

Digital Transformation

The European Union sees an important role for the digital transformation in the ambitious “Sustainability and Smart Mobility Strategy” and accompanying action plan. The question to the participants of the debate was how the digital transformation can accelerate the road to European Ticketing. Is technology the biggest bottleneck or is it the political act of bringing local national interests together?

Political debate April 13th

The most important insights and lessons from TransiRede 2021 will be included in an online political debate next month. The brand-new cabinet (or cabinet in the making) will then consider a new action plan… To be continued!