Demand for the EU elections

Green proposal: Vienna – Berlin for just 68 euros

(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)

The Greens have made their first substantive demand in the EU election campaign: a price cap of a maximum of 10 cents per kilometer should be introduced for train connections between the EU capitals. The route from Vienna to Berlin (680 kilometers) would thus only cost 68 euros, top candidate Lena Schilling calculates for the "Krone" newspaper.

"With the so-called "European tariff", you could travel from Vienna to Rome (760 kilometers) for 76 euros, to Paris (1,230 kilometers) for 123 euros and to Stockholm (1,240 kilometers) for 124 euros. This should make train travel cheaper and more predictable compared to flying with supposedly "cheap" airlines and their opaque additional charges.

Current route prices:

Vienna - Berlin: 237 euros

Vienna - Rome: 190 euros

Vienna - Stockholm: 310 euros

Vienna - Paris 280 Euro

(standard fare without special offers or additional services)

EU should subsidize train tickets
"Flights over short distances are particularly bad for the climate. With our European fare, we are making the train an affordable and climate-friendly alternative," says Schilling, explaining the Greens' demand. He continues: "The fact that we can travel anywhere in Europe without complications is one of the EU's greatest achievements. This should be affordable, uncomplicated and convenient for everyone."

The difference to market prices should be reimbursed to rail companies from EU funds so that they can further expand international connections.

Schilling in Brussels(Bild: Grüne)

CO2 emissions from transport on the rise
CO2 emissions in the transport sector still have the greatest need to catch up in the EU. While emissions are falling in all other areas (industry, agriculture, buildings, etc.), they rose by 33.5 percent in the transport sector between 1990 and 2019. "We all want to be mobile and have a right to be. Whether it's to get to work or for our leisure time. It is the job of politicians to ensure that we can get from A to B in a climate-friendly way," says Schilling. In addition to affordable tickets, this also requires the further expansion of national and international train connections and investment in modern trains.

There is currently a jungle of fares
There are currently a wide variety of fares for train routes throughout Europe. ÖBB's Sparschiene offers, for example, are very cheap but strictly limited, so they sell out quickly and are not always available. The "Europa-Tarif" creates a reliable standard price for journeys that can be accessed at any time.