European railway competition plans still on different tracks

A new study provides insight into the varied state of national

Railway organisation and regulation across Europe has become a complex patchwork of approaches, despite the formal existence of a pan- European set of principles laid down by the EU. And competition and private sector involvement is still at significantly different stages.

In part, the diversity is a result of historical backgrounds and national government policies, in part because the European edict is only partial and sometimes unclear, and in part because national governments and railway...