The “Our Railways” initiative of the Austrian transport union vida and the Vienna Chamber of Labor invites you to an online press conference on November 7, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
The current results of a short study by the University of Cologne on the subject of “Mistaken decisions towards competition – success criteria for shifting transport to rail” are presented. Future scenarios and the effects on employees in the railway sector are presented using examples.
What is needed for a European mobility transition?
The effects of liberalization and competition on the quality, ticket prices and punctuality of railways were examined in Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden using concrete examples by Tim Engartner, Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Cologne.
The deregulation and privatization driven by the European Commission has often negatively changed the railway system in recent decades. In contrast, there are successful models such as the direct awarding practiced in Austria and Switzerland, which show what is really necessary to ensure that more people switch to the train in times of climate crisis.
Austria: Direct awarding as a successful model
A new record of 329 million passengers in 2023 illustrates the Austrian population’s need for climate-friendly mobility. In order for even more people to travel by train in the future, we need secure long-term infrastructure financing, more investment in well-trained staff and the direct awarding of passenger transport services as a stable backbone of public transport.
The examples in the study show that the tendering competition leads to a weakening of the railway: routes have been discontinued, wages have fallen and working conditions and the quality of services have deteriorated massively.
What would a move away from direct awarding mean for the railway industry in Austria? Which scenarios can be derived from the study results for railway employees and passengers? This political classification will be carried out by Olivia Janisch, deputy. Chairwoman of the Austrian transport union vida and the railway department.
Your conversation partners:
- Mag.a Olivia Janischdeputy Chairwoman of the vida union and deputy. Chairwoman of the vida railway department
- Prof. Dr. Tim Engartnerhead of studies, professor of social sciences at the University of Cologne
Media representatives are cordially invited to the online press conference!
Appointment details & organizational information:
- Thursday, November 7, 2024; 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m
- Please register at presse@vida.at by November 5th at the latest
- Registered participants will receive a participation link for the MS Teams Call
- You are welcome to send your questions to the interviewees in advance by email to presse@vida.at
INVITATION Online press conference: Liberalization and competition in rail transport – siding instead of success track
Datum: November 7th, 2024, 10:00 a.m. – November 7th, 2024, 11:30 a.m
Art: Press conference
Ort: Online, MS Teams Call