Rail R&D partnership must continue, EU advisers say

Expert group backs planned evolution of Shift to Rail public-private partnership

The EU needs to keep funding a public-private R&D partnership for modernising its railways, along the lines of its existing Shift to Rail scheme, an expert group on the competitiveness of the bloc’s rail supply industry has said.

In recommendations published on 21 October, the group backed the European Commission’s plan to evolve Shift to Rail in the EU’s 2021-27 budget period. The scheme is one of 44 public-public and public-private R&D partnerships the Commission has proposed should receive funding in a slimming down and simplification of existing initiatives.