| Draft: | Shifting Europe's Transport Infrastructure Towards Sustainability and Justice: The European Rail Network at the Centre |
|---|---|
| Party: | Groen |
| Status: | Published |
| Tabled: | 18/11/2025, 16:37 |
| Tag: | Political |
– The immediate end to night flights
- A moratorium on flights within the European continent of 500 km or less by 2030, scaling up to 1000 km by 2050, when suitable rail alternatives would be already available
Gathered in Lisbon the European Greens demand:
– A massive European investment plan in the rail network, including high-speed
lines, cross-border connections, and the renaissance of night trains connecting
European cities
– Affordable train prices that make rail competitive with cars and planes
– An end to unfair aviation subsidies
– An end to fiscal exemptions for flight tickets, and the regulation of low-cost
flights
– An immediate moratorium on airport and port expansions in Europe
– The immediate end to night flights
- A moratorium on flights within the European continent of 500 km or less by 2030, scaling up to 1000 km by 2050, when suitable rail alternatives would be already available
– Prioritisation of rail freight and local distribution hubs instead of endless
last-mile delivery vans
The European Greens propose to:
– Build a European rail system that guarantees affordable mobility, protects
biodiversity, and reduces Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels
– Learn from countries that have efficient and innovative public transport
systems, like Luxembourg, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland
– Create a single, integrated train booking system for travel across all Europe,
following the model of a single-ticket system currently used in European
countries
– Build rail lines in ways that minimise environmental damage, e.g. through
bridges and tunnels, and ensure accessibility and sufficient space for people
with disabilities and visual impairments
– Make rail the backbone of Europe’s transport system, both for people and
freight, replacing short-haul flights and reducing car dependency
- Create a EU-funded pool of rolling stock (including for night trains)
available for leasing by undertakings
Along with massive investment and improvement of our international railway infrastructure, we must also discourage short-distance flights within the European continent to increase train ridership.