Listen: Can the EU fix expensive train travel?

Production: By Europod, in co-production with Sphera Network.

EUobserver is proud to have an editorial partnership with Europod to co-publish the podcast series “Briefed” hosted by Léa Marchal. The podcast is available on all major platforms.

Find the full transcript below:

The potential of rail in Europe is still largely untapped.

For years, public authorities have said they want to support faster and more affordable train travel. But in practice, not much has changed.

So, is the EU actually capable of boosting rail?

If you want to travel from Barcelona to London by train, it’ll take you at least 12 hours.

But more strikingly, it could cost you up to 26 times more than flying.

That’s an extreme case. But on average, flights are cheaper than trains more than half the time. And prices are often two to three times lower.

Add to that the difficulty of booking cross-border tickets, and train travel — even though it’s the cleanest mode of transport — is anything but encouraged.

According to a study published on Tuesday (21 April) by the NGO Transport & Environment, it’s simply not possible to book train tickets on a single platform for certain routes between European capitals.

So what is the EU doing about all this?

For about twenty years now, the EU has been pushing to liberalise the rail sector.

In simple terms, that means allowing railway companies to offer their services across different EU member states.

The idea is to increase competition — which could help bring prices down.

There’s even talk of a Single European Railway Area, based on a directive adopted about 15 years ago.

So why, in 2026, is it still so hard to book a train from Paris to Budapest?

One reason is that in many EU countries, historic operators like SNCF still have near-monopolies over ticketing systems.

So when they’re asked to open up their platforms to competitors — who might offer cheaper options — they’re often reluctant.

In many European countries, rail is still seen primarily as a public service.

That means it shouldn’t be fully exposed to market forces.

For example, smaller rail lines — far from business hubs but essential for local workers — are expected to be maintained, even if they’re not profitable.

And there are concerns that these lines, along with overall service quality, could suffer if competition increases.

That’s at least what some examples from liberalisation in the UK and Italy seem to suggest.

The EU has actually had to scale back its ambitions for market opening to take national realities into account.

It allows for exceptions — which is why countries like Belgium can still maintain monopolies through their national operator, SNCB.

So when will train travel actually become cheaper in Europe?

Well, in Italy, it already has.

Since opening its market to competition in 2012, high-speed train prices have dropped by 30 to 40 percent.

But they’re still often too expensive to compete with low-cost airlines.

Why is that?

Because building and running rail infrastructure — especially high-speed rail — is expensive.

In France, for example, track access charges alone account for around 40 percent of the price of a high-speed train ticket.

What could bring prices down further is public subsidies.

Countries like Sweden and Austria, which invest heavily in rail and have opened their markets, tend to offer more attractive prices.

As with many issues, it’s a delicate balance between public support and competition.

So what can the European Union actually do?

First, it pushes liberalisation, as we have seen, but it also has funding capacity.

The EU invests in high-speed rail projects to improve the continental network.

And before granting funding, it requires operators to eliminate unjustified costs and avoid anti-competitive practices — all to support its goal of opening up the market.

In the long run, the idea is to make it easier for new operators to enter different markets — and finally offer more competitive prices.

Fifteen years after the push for liberalisation began, progress is being made — but there’s still a long way to go.