{"id":17210,"date":"2024-03-04T19:46:48","date_gmt":"2024-03-04T09:46:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=50510"},"modified":"2024-03-04T19:46:48","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T09:46:48","slug":"cef-unlocks-1-billion-for-alternative-fuels-rail-doesnt-get-a-penny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=17210","title":{"rendered":"CEF unlocks 1 billion for alternative fuels, rail doesn\u2019t get a penny"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) unlocked one billion euros through its Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) to boost the deployment of alternative fuel supply infrastructure across the European Union. However, rail seems to be the only transport sector currently excluded from this project.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The initiative is aimed at \u201croad, maritime, inland waterway and air transport along the trans-European transport network (TEN-T)\u201d, with no mention of rail. It is open for projects regarding \u201csupport to Megawatt recharging stations for Heavy Duty Vehicles, support to electricity and hydrogen supply at airports and support to electricity supply and ammonia and methanol bunkering facilities in ports\u201d. The EU Commissioner for Transport, Adina V\u0103lean underlined that countries in Southern and Eastern Europe are strongly encouraged to make of the funds.<\/p>\n

Alternative fuels in the rail sector<\/h2>\n

The AFIF scheme was extended to the rail sector in May 2023<\/a>, within the Regulation for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure. Back then, industry players claimed that EU ambitions should aim higher concerning the rail industry. More specifically, no clear goals have been set when it comes to rail, whereas other transport modes can count on clear guidelines. Moreover, if for the other sectors many options are considered (hydrogen, LNG, ammonia), the rail segment seems to agree that battery\\electric trains are the way to go<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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