The 29th of March 2021 marked the start of the European Year of Rail with an on-line event organized by the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union in cooperation with the European Commission. This kick-off event brought together key actors of the sector: government representatives, train operators and end-user representatives and counted on the presence of the European Passengers’ Federation.

EPF was represented by Sandra Lima during the discussions on the panel “Inclusive Means of Transport with Rich History and Attractive Career Opportunities”. Here she mentioned key points to get passengers to “hop on” the Year of Rail train:

  • Put passengers at the center of our action, addressing their needs and preferences to encourage them to come choose rail over other modes;
  • Attend to the full passenger experience, before and after the train ride. The passenger journey is not limited to the train ride itself but an integrated experience that starts with the planning and ticket booking and ends with after-trip customer service;
  • Cooperation is key. Passengers want an integrated, affordable, reliable and sustainable public transport system. For that to become a reality, cooperation in rail and between companies is crucial;
  • Rail is at the center of an integrated multimodal trip and can only benefit from open communication with other actors, such as passengers, municipalities and mobility providers.

The Kick-off of the European Year of Rail was streamed on-line and its recording can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYw5WvME7GI