EU countries soften push to stop Chinese tech buyouts
Capitals are set to weaken rules that would require them to scrutinize foreign investments in sensitive technologies such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence, a draft document shows.
rail transport
From London to Lviv: how Trump’s new world order has shaken Europe
At each stop on 1,000-mile trip, discombobulated Europeans are grappling with new and unsettling realities as the US reforges its alliancesEurope live – latest updatesWhile Donald Trump talks of the “big beautiful ocean” separating the US from the war …
Virgin aims to raise £700m to rival Eurostar on cross-Channel trains
Richard Branson’s group plans rail routes linking London to Paris and Brussels, and maybe Amsterdam Richard Branson’s Virgin Group is aiming to raise £700m to fund its plan to launch cross-Channel rail services that would compete with Eurostar.Virgin, …
Grief and anger over rail disaster brings protests back to Greece’s streets
Kyriakos Mitsotakis survives vote of confidence but sense of a cover-up grows two years after 57 died in head-on collisionUntil recently, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, appeared unassailable. He was the poster boy of the European centre…
Athens: protesters clash with police during demonstration over 2023 train crash – video report
Protesters launched burning projectiles and fireworks in clashes with police outside Greece’s parliament on 7 March in renewed nationwide protests calling for politicians to be held accountable for a 2023 rail disaster that claimed 57 lives. The protes…
WW2 bomb defused on rail tracks near Paris after day of transport chaos
Unexploded device found near Gare du Nord, France’s busiest train terminal, halting Eurostar and other servicesA second world war bomb found on rail tracks north of Paris was successfully defused on Friday after a day of transport chaos in which the Ga…
Greek PM vows to upgrade railways as government faces confidence vote
Kyriakos Mitsotakis says protests over train disaster emphasise the need for ‘safe and modern’ transport system The Greek prime minister has vowed to upgrade the country’s railways as his embattled government braces for a vote of no confidence after hu…
St Pancras and Channel tunnel plan rail routes to Germany and Switzerland
Partnership comes as London station looks at ways to almost triple passenger numbersLondon’s St Pancras railway station and the Channel tunnel operator have agreed to work together to open up more trains from Britain to France, and routes to Germany an…
Storm Éowyn hits UK: 1,000 flights cancelled amid ‘danger to life’ warnings
Met Office says 100mph winds could cause serious disruption with red, amber and yellow alerts in place Storm Eowyn live – latest updatesMore than 1,000 flights have been cancelled and a number of main roads closed as millions of people in the UK and Ir…
On a 17-hour train journey I glimpsed our future – and it was ugly | Zoe Williams
The climate crisis will cause dramatic, life-threatening events, but also a general, broad-brush worsening of everythingThe concept of “enshittification” was invented by the Canadian-British sci-fi writer Cory Doctorow, only last year, to describe onli…
Like ‘using Lego blocks’: record-breaking tunnel connecting Denmark and Germany takes shape
Tunnel being built with innovative engineering is final step of project to connect Denmark – and the Nordics as a whole – to the rest of EuropeFrom the quayside of the Danish town of Rødbyhavn, the Baltic sea sparkling in the sunshine, Germany is so cl…
French general wants to slash ‘unbelievable’ red tape to move troops faster across Europe
EU needs to up its game on military mobility, but it’s no easy task, General Bertrand Toujouse tells POLITICO.
Far left behind rail sabotage before Olympics, French minister suggests
Gérald Darmanin says activists may have been encouraged to carry out arson attacks that caused disruptionFrance’s interior minister has suggested that far-left activists were behind the sabotage of the country’s high-speed rail system on the eve of the…
Further Eurostar cancellations hold up Paris 2024 passengers
The rail operator has pulled four of 15 trains from its Saturday schedule, affecting more than 3,000 peopleEurostar passengers hoping to catch the start of the Paris Olympics have continued to face difficulties after an arson attack in France caused tr…
Who launched attack on the French rail network – and why?
Arsonists used crude methods but disruption to opening of the Olympic Games in Paris was severeIt was about 1.15am when the SNCF maintenance workers, carrying out repairs by moonlight, spotted the group of people a little further down the railway line …
French rail network hit by arson attacks before Olympics opening ceremony
‘Massive’ coordinated attacks on TGV bring severe disruption to France’s busiest rail linesParis 2024 Olympics – live updatesFrance’s high-speed rail network has been hit by coordinated “malicious acts” including arson attacks that have brought major d…
Germany to close key rail corridor for months to tackle ailing train network
Start of overhaul project follows Deutsche Bahn becoming butt of jokes at Euro 2024 due to unreliability of servicesOne of Germany’s main rail corridors is to be closed for months as part of a major overhaul of the ailing train network of Europe’s larg…
Collision between train and bus in Slovakia causes multiple deaths
At least six dead in crash at railway crossing near Nové Zámky, which involved Prague to Budapest serviceAt least six people have been killed and five others injured after a passenger train and bus collided at a railway crossing in southern Slovakia, r…
Eurostar reverses wheelchair policy that left user stranded, after Observer campaign
Passengers were left abandoned and humiliated after operator banned staff from providing assistanceEurostar has reversed a new accessibility policy that left a wheelchair user stranded and has retrained its London staff following pressure from the Obse…
The families risking everything to keep Ukraine’s trains running – photo essay
Dutch photographer Jelle Krings has been documenting the workers of the Ukrainian railway since the war began. Here, he revisits the families that have kept a war-torn country moving, often to great personal sacrificeWords and pictures by Jelle KringsI…
Struggling train maker Alstom plans to cut debt with €1bn rights issue
Delayed orders from clients hit French manufacturer, including at Derby site where 1,300 jobs at riskAlstom plans to raise €1bn (£861m) to help cut its debt as the world’s second largest train maker struggles with delayed orders amid concerns about the…
Efficient, reliable – and fragrant: German rail firm announces plans for the future
Deutsche Bahn’s vision includes hi-tech cabins and more efficient engineering work amid growing dissatisfaction with the railwayGermany’s national rail company, Deutsche Bahn, has announced its plans for the future, with a multi-billion euro revamp whi…
Chinese train maker withdraws from Bulgaria tender after EU probe
Chinese rail giant CRRC has withdrawn from a tendered project in Bulgaria after the EU last month launched a probe into it over suspected subsidies, the European Commission said on Tuesday (26 March).
SNCF, France’s national railway calls for investment in infrastructure
Making rail transport more competitive, investing in infrastructure, and greening transport are top priorities for SNCF, France’s state-owned railway company, according to its manifesto outlining recommendations for the next European Commission and Eur…
Deutsche Bahn files legal action over German rail strike
GDL union has announced its sixth strike in a dispute over wages and hoursThe German rail operator Deutsche Bahn has taken urgent legal action in an effort to stop a strike by a train drivers’ union.The GDL trade union, which has about 40,000 members a…
Public transport workers join climate activists for week of strikes across Germany
Verdi union in unusual alliance with Fridays For Future, founded by Greta Thunberg, based on common goalsPublic transport workers across Germany are joining forces with climate activists for a week of strike action culminating in a collective nationwid…
Eurostar may cap services due to post-Brexit passport checks, warns station owner
Facilities at St Pancras too ‘inadequate’ to process new checks without ‘hour-long queues’ at peak times, says operator HS1Eurostar could be forced to limit passenger numbers travelling from St Pancras each day under post-Brexit plans to bring in biome…
Tourists heading to Europe could face 14-hour queues at Dover from October
New EU entry-exit system could lead to gridlocked roads if scheme goes ahead as planned, MPs hearTourists heading to Europe could face waits of up to 14 hours at border controls under a scheme to be launched in October, MPs have been told.The Port of D…
Passengers snub ‘expensive’ London-Paris Eurostar train for plane
Many travellers are opting to take a plane rather than train between London and Paris despite climate concerns and the Eurostar rail service connecting the two capitals in just over two hours.
Germany expected to grind to a halt during country’s longest train strike
GDL union, which has 40,000 members, prepares for industrial action in dispute over pay and hoursMuch of Germany is expected to grind to a halt on Wednesday when train drivers go on strike for almost a week in the longest industrial action in the histo…
The Channel tunnel should have made the UK truly European, but didn’t. We must get back on track | Christian Wolmar
As the 30th anniversary approaches, it’s worth remembering the hopes even Margaret Thatcher shared. There’s opportunity here for Keir StarmerThis year marks the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Channel tunnel, Britain’s first fixed connection to …
‘Absolute mayhem’: Eurostar passengers tell of stress and tears
Those affected decry ‘disgusting’ lack of communication, while others had to pay £1,000 to travel the next dayWhat promised to be a romantic New Year’s Eve in Paris ended in tears and travel trauma for Sean Winterbottom and his partner, Amy. The couple…
Eurostar Channel services restarting on Sunday as flooding is cleared
Tunnel under Thames near Ebbsfleet was closed not by weather, but burst pipe, with Southeastern Railway also affected Eurostar said services through the Channel tunnel would resume on Sunday but there were warnings of further delays and busy stations….
‘Not what I had in mind’: Eurostar cancellations leave thousands stranded
Dismay at St Pancras International in London as services cancelled due to flooding of Thames tunnelUK weather: Eurostar services from London cancelled for day due to floodingWhen Ilse Deurloo arrived at St Pancras station after a festive holiday with h…
Berlin’s plan for driverless magnetic trains derided by climate groups
Local government proposal to revive 1980s M-Bahn described as energy-hogging and vain fantasy projectPlans for a driverless magnetic train that would swoop through Berlin and carry passengers and goods are under way as part of the local government’s at…
Christmas getaway disruption continues amid Dover, road and rail delays
Eurostar and Eurotunnel services resume on Friday but drivers face 60-minute queue for French border controlsChristmas getaway disruption was continuing on Friday with long queues for cross-Channel journeys, motorway closures and train cancellations on…
EU fingerprint checks for British travellers to start in 2024
Under new entry/exit system, facial scans will also be taken from UK passengers on first trip after launchA new EU digital border system that will require fingerprints and facial scans to be taken from British travellers on first use is expected to lau…
Eurotunnel owner predicts new direct high-speed rail routes from London
Getlink CEO says competing services to Germany and Switzerland could be using Channel tunnel within five yearsNew direct high-speed train routes from London to Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva and Zurich could be up and running within five years, according t…
Berlin to Paris night train runs for first time in almost a decade
‘Berlin link’ journey hailed as milestone moment in rise of cleaner alternatives to air travel in EuropeThe first night train from Berlin to Paris in almost a decade pulled into Paris Gare de l’Est at 10.24am on Tuesday morning, hailed as a milestone m…
German travel chaos blamed on lack of investment in railways
Travellers advised to cancel journeys as heavy snow brings much of country’s rail network to a haltDecades of underinvestment in the German railways have been blamed for chaos in parts of the country after heavy snow led to much of the network grinding…
Eurostar services from Amsterdam to London to be suspended for six months
Blow to passengers as direct trains from Netherlands cancelled from June 2024 to early 2025Rail passengers will be unable to directly travel from Amsterdam to London for six months next year as a big revamp of the Dutch capital’s largest railway statio…
Taxation is not a ‘burden’. It’s Brexit that weighs Britain down | William Keegan
Taxes spent wisely improve lives and attract investors – and in fact leaving the EU has made cutting them harder than everOne of the phrases which do little to help public discussion of economic and social policy is “the tax burden”. Often when I come …
Why high-speed trains may not be right for us in the UK | Letters
Cathy Swann argues that the high-speed rail networks seen in Spain and France may not be suitable for our small, densely populated landscape, but Steven Clark says the negativity about HS2 is a blight on progressHaving recently returned from my favouri…
Rail signalling error diverts Strasbourg-bound MEPs to Disneyland
‘We are not a Mickey Mouse parliament,’ jokes one MEP after diversion causes 45-minute delayWith a heavy workload pushing through EU laws, members of the European parliament know a thing or two about amendments. But an unscheduled Mickey Mouse experien…
Spain’s high-speed trains aren’t just efficient, they have transformed people’s lives | María Ramírez
A fiasco like HS2 could never happen here – our fast train network is so popular that no Spanish government would dare give up on itWhen I was a child, in the 1980s, it was almost inconceivable to take the train to travel between most cities in Spain. …
Night train extended to link Brussels and Amsterdam to Prague
European Sleeper to run its Berlin service to Czech capital amid EU revival in long-distance trainsRail passengers will be able to leave Brussels or Amsterdam in the evening and wake up the next morning in Dresden or Prague – and vice versa – from Marc…
The Guardian view on HS2 cancellation: mind the north-south gap | Editorial
Rishi Sunak promotes himself as a leader who takes long-term decisions for the national benefit, but this one is the exact oppositeFlying into Granada for the European political community summit on Thursday, Rishi Sunak may have noticed that the Andalu…
All aboard! Can Luxembourg’s free public transport help save the world?
In 2020, in a bid to cut carbon emissions, Luxembourg made all its public transport free. But what is it like to use? And why are there still so many traffic jams? I took a trip to find out …It’s not quite John o’Groats to Land’s End, let alone Flori…
European governments shrinking railways in favour of road-building, report finds
Rail networks in most countries have been starved of funding while motorways lengthen, study showsEuropean governments have “systematically” shrunk their railways and starved them of funding while pouring money into expanding their road network, a repo…
Sustainable Future for European Transport with Magrail [Promoted content]
MagRail offers a revolutionary change in rail transport, combining traditional high-speed rail systems with ultra high-speed visions inspired by the hyperloop. MagRail is set to redefine European transport, promising sustainability, efficiency and a mo…
Transport minister refuses to say if government still committed to extending HS2 to Manchester and Euston – as it happened
Richard Holden responds to urgent question from Labour about HS2 but refuses to say if HS2 will still reach Manchester or Euston in London. This live blog is closedQ: Should the Bank of England remain independent?Truss says she thinks its mandate shoul…
France to launch German-style cut-price monthly rail pass
Pass will cost about €49 a month and allow users unlimited travel on TER regional trains and intercity trainsFrance is to launch a cut-price monthly rail pass valid on certain trains nationwide next summer, copying a hugely successful move in Germany t…
Night train between Berlin and Paris to return after nine years
Austrian rail operator ÖBB says service will resume partly in December and daily from October 2024A night train linking Berlin and Paris will return in December, nine years after the service was cancelled, the Austrian rail operator ÖBB has announced.Ö…
Train hits and kills five track maintenance workers in northern Italy
Mayor of northern town of Brandizzo speaks of ‘chilling scene’ after accident near TurinFive railway workers in northern Italy were killed when they were hit by a train while carrying out overnight maintenance work.Paolo Bodoni, the mayor of Brandizzo,…
Inside EU, no clear financial options to reduce Ukraine grain transport cost
The EU has no money in the budget and no clear way to help finance the extra transport costs Ukrainian grain exports will face with the end of the Black Sea deal, leaving an opportunity for Moscow to cash in.