On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic and governments worldwide adopted wide-ranging measures to contain the spread of the virus.

Keeping European mobility operational during such critical times is key. Railways did their utmost to keep essential freight and passenger services running, while protecting their customers and staff. This short video produced on the occasion of the 2021 European Railway Award shows that when Covid-19 brought the world to a standstill, rail kept us moving!

CER continues to closely monitor the economic impact of the pandemic on rail operations. In collaboration with all our members, we collect data in particular on the financial losses, the effects of which will require considerable EU-level as well as national support for transport. 

On this page, you can find all our latest news and related information. You can also follow us on Twitter @CER_Railways.

CER and joint communications

• CER press release "Latest CER COVID Impact Tracker: railways lose €50 billion since the start of the pandemic" (10 February 2022)
• CER press release "Latest CER COVID Impact Tracker: partial improvement over summer months" (28 September 2021)
• CER press release "Latest CER COVID Impact Tracker: continued losses for rail in 2021" (13 July 2021)
• Joint CER-AllRail-ERFA-UIP-UIRR letter calling for the 'Extension of Regulation Establishing Measures for a Sustainable Rail Market in View of the COVID-19 Outbreak' (18 May 2021)
• CER press release "CER COVID Impact Tracker: a bleak first quarter for railways" (4 May 2021)
• CER press release "COVID 19 economic impact: a difficult start to 2021 for railways" (18 March 2021)
• CER press release '2020 figures reveal € 26 billion loss for railways due to COVID-19' (27 January 2021)
• Joint CER-ETF Declaration of the European social partners in the railway sector 'The situation of railways including railway workers during the COVID-19' (3 December 2020)
• Joint Letter with CEEP, Eurocities and UITP to the European Commission 'Public transport during and after COVID-19' (2 December 2020)
• Joint Statement 'Europe needs predictable and harmonised approaches to travel rules under COVID' (1 October 2020)
• CER press release and position paper 'Europe's economic recovery after Covid-19: help finance it by applying user-pays and polluter-pays principles in transport' (1 July 2020)
• CER position paper 'Comments on Commission’s Guidelines on the progressive restoration of transport services and connectivity' (10 June 2020)
• Declaration of Karima Delli and the rail freight transport sector calling on the European Commission and Member States to foster modal shift (28 May 2020)
• Rail CEO letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen supporting a strong MFF and Recovery Plan (20 May 2020)
• Rail sector follow-up to the 14 May teleconference with European Commission Executive Vice-President Timmermans on the recovery of the EU economy and rail relief measures (19 May 2020)
• CER and AllRail letter to Transport Commissioner Vălean and Internal Market Commissioner Breton 'Guidance document for the recovery of services' (11 May 2020)
• CER letter to Internal Market Commissioner Breton and Transport Commissioner Vălean 'The Commission's Tourism Recovery Strategy' (4 May 2020)
• CER/UNIFE joint letter to European Commission Executive Vice-President Timmermans, Transport Commissioner Vălean, Cohesion & Reforms Commissioner Ferreira, and the EU Transport Ministers 'An EU budget that integrates rail into the European post-COVID-19 recovery' (20 April 2020)
• Joint press release on the rail sector's reaction to the European Parliament's COVID Resolution (17 April 2020)
• Joint Letter to the European Commission and ERA 'Implementation of the 4th Railway Package's Technical Pillar - Transposition by the Member States' (30 March 2020)
• Joint Letter from the European rail sector to the Commissioners for Transport and Cohesion & Reforms and to the Vice-President for Competition on 'concrete measures to face the COVID‐19 pandemic and its economic consequences' (27 March 2020)
• CER Letter to DG COMP, DG MOVE and DG REGIO on State aid, regional policy and CEF (26 March 2020)
• Joint Open Letter to the Presidents of the EU Institutions Continuity of public transport in Europe (25 March 2020)
• Joint Statement with 32 associations ‘Transport keeps us going’ (24 March 2020)
• CER letter to DG TAXUD 'Exceptional measures to allow rail cargo operators to perform customs settlement during COVID-19 outbreak' (20 March) and follow-up letter (24 March)
• CER Press Release ‘Railway operations during COVID-19’ (19 March 2020)

CER was also a partner in the CEEP Platform "Services of General Interest facing COVID-19", which provided coordination and examples of how SGI providers from all sectors across Europe contributed to fighting COVID-19 (launched 26 March 2020)

EU response

For relevant information from the European Commission, visit their ‘COVID’ webpages below:

• General webpage on the Commission’s response to the COVID-19 crisis: www.ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/health/coronavirus-response_en
• Travel and transportation: www.ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/health/coronavirus-response/travel-and-transportation_en
• Restrictions to transport by Member States: www.ec.europa.eu/transport/coronavirus-response_en
• Economy and State aid: www.ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/health/coronavirus-response/economy_en
  State aid applicable in land transport sector:
  www.ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/what_is_new/land_transport_overview_rules_during_coronavirus.pdf
• DG MOVE Director-General's note on exceptional measures in transport: www.ec.europa.eu/transport/news/2020-03-27-exceptional-measures-inability-comply-legislation_en

For rail-related legislative updates linked to COVID-19, you can also visit the CER Railway Law Portal. Simply enter the keyword ‘covid’ into the search function.

Other resources

• Belgian Government: www.info-coronavirus.be
• International Transport Forum: www.itf-oecd.org/covid-19
• World Health Organisation: www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019