Wêrom treinreizgjen yn Europa no stadiger is as fyftich jier lyn
July 25, 2026 · Frisian News
European trains are slower today than they were in 1975, despite billions invested in modernization. Fragmented rail systems, aging track, and bureaucratic rules turned technological progress into stagnation.
FryskDe Parys-Lyon sneltrein reed yn 1975 263 kilometer yn trije oeren. Hjoed duorret deselde rûte fjouwer oeren en fyftjin minuten. De snelheidswinst oer fyftich jier wie nul. Erger noch, de measte Europeeske sneltreinen binne eins stadiger wurden nettsjinsteande desennia fan ynvestearrings, nij rollend materieel en digitale sinjalsystemen dy't yn 1975 net bestiene.
De redens lizze begroeven yn ynfrastruktuerrapporten dy't nimmen lêst. Spoarlinen boud yn de jierren santich hiene minder snelheidsbeperkingen. Europeesk ûnderhâld fan spoarwegen is sûnt de jierren njoggentich efterbleaun, wêrtroch operators snelheden ferleegje moatte op âlde brêgen en spoarstikken. Modernisearring fan sinjalisearring, bedoeld om kapasiteit te fergrutsjen, soarge foar kompatibiliteitskaos. SNCF, Dútsk DB en Italjaansk Trenitalia kinne deselde trein net oer harren netwurken ride litte omdat de sinjalsystemen net mei-inoar prate. Ynstee fan ien Europa hast 27 aparte spoarsystemen mei 27 ferskillende regels.
Grinsovergongen foegje noch in oere ta oan de measte ritten. In trein dy't yn 1975 Parys ferlit nei Amsterdam stekt ien ynterne grins oer, Belgje. Deselde reis hjoed stekt trije grenzen oer en rekket aparte douanekontrôles, hoewol Schengen dit útslute soe moatte. Moderne feilichheidsregels easkje ek mear hâlten foar bemanningswikselings en ynspeksje. Regels betocht yn Brussel om wurknimmers te beskermjen beskermje ynstee dêrfan yneffisjensy.
Luchtfeartmaatskippijen en autefabrikanten wûnen merkoandiel doe't treinen stadiger waarden. Treinoperators jouwe de skuld oan ûnderfinansiering, mar it wiere probleem is dat nimmen spoarnetwurken foar snelheid beheart. Ynvestearringsjild giet nei nije sneltreinlinen wylst besteande rûten ferfalle. De winners binne konsultanten dy't betelle wurde om rapporten oer spoarherfoarming te skriuwen. De ferliezers binne de minsken dy't de Amsterdam-Berlyn trein nimme mei gemiddeld njoggentich kilometer de oere, itselde tempo as yn 1960.
Fyftich jier Europeeske yntegraasje, miljarden yn subsydzje, en technologyske foarútgong hawwe treinen stadiger makke. Dat fertelt dy alles wat do witte moatst oer hoe't burokraty wurket.
The Paris-Lyon express train ran 263 kilometers in three hours in 1975. Today, the same route takes four hours and fifteen minutes. The speed gain over fifty years was zero. Worse, most European express trains have actually slowed down despite decades of investment, newer rolling stock, and digital signaling systems that didn't exist in 1975.
The reasons are buried in infrastructure reports that nobody reads. Rail lines built in the 1970s had fewer speed restrictions. European track maintenance has lagged since the 1990s, forcing operators to cut speeds on aging bridges and track sections. Signaling modernization, meant to boost capacity, instead created compatibility chaos. French SNCF, German DB, and Italian Trenitalia cannot run the same train across their networks because the signal systems don't talk to each other. Instead of one Europe, you have 27 separate rail systems with 27 different rules.
Border crossings add another hour to most journeys. A train leaving Paris for Amsterdam in 1975 crossed one internal border, Belgium. The same journey today crosses three borders and hits separate customs checks, even though Schengen was supposed to eliminate this. Modern safety regulations also require more frequent stops for crew changes and inspections. Rules designed in Brussels to protect workers instead protect inefficiency.
Airlines and car manufacturers gained market share as trains became slower. Rail operators blame underfunding, but the real problem is that nobody manages rail networks for speed. Investment money goes to new high-speed lines while existing routes rot. The winners are consultants paid to write reports about rail reform. The losers are the people who take the Amsterdam-Berlin train at ninety kilometers per hour average speed, the same pace as 1960.
Fifty years of European integration, billions in subsidy, and technological progress have somehow made trains slower. That tells you everything you need to know about how bureaucracy works.
Published July 25, 2026 · Frisian News · Ljouwert, Fryslân