Position Paper on the European Commission’s proposal for a Regulation on Alternative Fuels Infrastructures (AFIR)

Rail is by far the greenest mode of mass transportation: it is responsible for less than 0.5% of transport-related greenhouse gas emissions and it improved its energy efficiency steadily. However, a significant amount of diesel trains/locomotives are still in service today. Considering the life cycles of rail industry assets are very long (several decades for rail rolling stock), urgent decarbonization measures need to be put in place now to achieve the ambition of reaching net-zero emissions, in line with the Green Deal’s targets.

The European Commission’s proposal for a Regulation ‘on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure’ (AFIR), as part of the  'Fit for 55' package, marks an unprecedented opportunity to set-up a European legal framework to support deployment of alternative fuels infrastructures for rail, especially for those lines that are not mandated to be electrified under the TEN-T. The AFIR should support transport decarbonization in Europe and enable rail to lead the green transition.