Ursula von der Leyen Promises Easy Train Travel in Europe

In her recent political guidelines, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the ongoing difficulties citizens face with cross-border train travel. This statement accompanied her re-election speech on July 18, emphasizing the need for improved multimodal ticketing services as part of the Commission’s ‘Sustainable & Smart Mobility Strategy’ initiated in December 2020. However, progress on the Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS) initiative has stalled, with no discussions held since September 2023. Victor Thévenet, rail policy manager at NGO Transport & Environment, outlined two potential paths for the MDMS: creating an independent booking platform that consolidates ticket sales from various operators or developing a simpler search platform that merely displays existing offers. A Commission spokesperson acknowledged the complexity of the MDMS, indicating that technical work is ongoing but has yet to reach a conclusion. Concerns have been raised regarding lobbying from rail operators, who fear that a new ticketing system could threaten their revenue streams and disadvantage new entrants in the market. The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) has echoed these sentiments, with Executive Director Alberto Mazzola warning that regulatory changes could harm service quality due to the industry's already narrow profit margins. As the Commission navigates these challenges, it remains uncertain whether it will prioritize von der Leyen’s streamlined proposal or attempt to revive the broader MDMS initiative, leaving the future of cross-border train travel in a state of ambiguity.