The European Union aims to ensure carbon neutrality by 2050, a goal that will certainly be assisted by the positive effects of rail transport on the environment.

“Transport is one of the key sectors for achieving the 2050 emission neutrality target set by the EU in the Green Agreement. Reducing transportation’s negative impacts on the environment and the population will not be possible without serious measures targeting railways. The crisis has shown how quickly the EU can lose efficient transport links, whose loss threatens the very foundations of the EU. On the other hand, we must use the crisis as an opportunity to develop sustainable and resilient forms of transport in light of the Green Agreement's objectives. Railways should be at the top of the list of our priorities,” said Minister Vrtovec.

The Minister stressed that Slovenia supported activities toward the promotion and decarbonisation of the transport sector. To this end, we need an attractive and competitive rail passenger and freight railway transport in the EU. According to the Minister, we will achieve this by improving infrastructure, eliminating bottlenecks, establishing new connections, modernising the vehicle fleet and more efficient digitisation. “We also need integrated public passenger transport to access railway stations and continue transport from the final station to the destination of the journey. Passengers will exchange private cars for railway passenger transport only when it becomes more efficient, comfortable, faster and at the same time more easily accessible,” added Minister Vrtovec.