It is more crucial than ever to uphold the ‘polluter pays’ principle and ensure a level playing field.

Rail already bears the costs of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) through electricity and is already contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions for both freight and passengers.

The reform of the EU ETS should complete the logic of carbon pricing by channelling a fair share of EU ETS revenues back to the cleanest mode of transport: rail.

Investing EU ETS revenue in rail will accelerate decarbonisation, strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and contribute to achieving the EU’s climate, competitiveness and sustainable development objectives.

🚨 Read the call from eight rail associations, setting out concrete proposals: https://aerrl.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/2026-07-14_FINAL_Joint-statement-on-EU-ETS.pdf