2019 Rail Sector Report
In its 7th sector report on the rail sector, the Monopolies Commission sets out proposals on how the quality of rail transport can be improved. Rail transport suffers from quality issues, which are particularly evident in its poor punctuality. Last year, for example, over a quarter of all long-distance trains were more than 5 minutes late. The poor condition of the infrastructure and the associated rise in the number of construction sites will exacerbate the problem in future. The political goal of shifting more traffic onto the railways is thus receding into the distant future.
Liability based on the polluter-pays principle, regulatory incentives for quality and greater competition in the rail sector would lead to a significant improvement in the quality of infrastructure and the punctuality of trains.
