The transport sector is responsible for about 25% of the European Union’s greenhouse gas emissions. The European Green Deal, the EU’s plan to be climate neutral by 2050, aims for a 90% reduction in transport emissions during this period by prioritising cleaner and healthier means of transport.
Contributing only 0.4% of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe, and as the safest mode of land transport, rail is both a safe and sustainable means of transport. Despite this, only about 7% of passengers and 11% of goods in Europe currently travel by rail. Increased use of rail will significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions and pollution coming from EU transport. To promote rail transport – both passenger and freight – the EU has designated 2021 as the European Year of Rail.
2021 is the first year of implementation of the EU’s Fourth Railway Package, which aims to remove institutional, legal, and technical obstacles to achieve its vision of creating an integrated European railway area. One such obstacle to passenger rail transport is the fragmented local and/or regional Mobility as a Service (MaaS) providers across Europe.
Led by Achmea, the project UMOS aims to overcome this by building a pan-European open service platform for optimised, customised, and seamless mobility for the traveller. As a mobile and web application it will be a one-stop platform, integrating various mobility services to provide real-time service data. Digital technology innovation, as seen by the UMOS application, plays a critical part in removing obstacles to rail use and increasing the attractiveness of train transport.
Do not forget to register for our Future Mobility Open Innovation Day (18 February, 13.30-15.30 CET) to hear from thought leaders and get inspired by corporate and organisational pitches on technology innovations impacting urban mobility.
