Why Train Travel Is Slower in Europe Now Than Fifty Years Ago
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.
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 can slow international journeys. 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.
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