The European trade association of the railway supply industry Unife has called for the revival of rail transport in Cyprus. For the first time in more than 70 years, trains could run on the island again. The association sees Cyprus' current EU Council Presidency as a good opportunity to take concrete steps towards the return of the railways.

According to Unife, Cyprus could build a railway system for the first time since 1951 and thus not only modernize its own transport infrastructure, but also strengthen the European rail industry. The association emphasised that strategic railway projects could be implemented throughout Europe by companies from the EU according to common European standards and declared its explicit support for such projects.

Unife said Cyprus now has the chance to end the more than 70-year interruption of passenger and freight transport by rail by starting concrete plans for a new railway network.

At the same time, the association called on the Cypriot government to set a key political course during the six-month EU Council Presidency in order to ensure the security and stability of Europe's transport networks in the long term.

Specifically, Unife spoke out in favour of adjustments to the EU Directive on public procurement. The ongoing consultations on possible changes will end on 26 January. The aim is to ensure that only products manufactured in the EU are used for the construction and operation of European railway networks in order to strengthen security of supply and technological independence.

In addition, the association called for the introduction of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) to be given the highest priority. This uniform system for controlling and securing rail traffic must be implemented in particular on the most important European transport corridors.

According to Unife, this is crucial to make both civil and military rail transport faster, more efficient and, above all, safer.

In connection with military transport by rail, the association referred to the European Commission's package of measures on military mobility presented in November. This must be implemented consistently.

Among other things, the package provides for a simplification of cross-border military movements within the EU and is intended to make existing military mobility corridors more resilient and efficient. The Commission describes these plans as a further step towards a so-called "military Schengen zone".

Unife emphasized that the planned harmonization of railway standards is a central building block for the future use of rail in both the civil and military sectors.

In addition, the association spoke out in favour of reducing costs in the entire railway sector. This could be achieved by further standardising technical standards and simplifying regulatory requirements, especially with regard to cybersecurity.

The demand for a return of the railways to Cyprus comes against the background of recent statements by EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas. He had explained that the construction of a new railway line on the island was quite realistic.

He stressed that the idea of a Cypriot railway network should not be ridiculed. In his view, a connection between Larnaca Airport, Limassol and Nicosia would be a significant gain for the country's transport infrastructure. The European Commission is in principle prepared to support such a project – also financially.

In addition, Tzitzikostas pointed out that the Cypriot EU Council Presidency offers a good opportunity to discuss and advance such a project at the European level.

Cyprus has had no rail transport since 1951. At that time, the British colonial administration finally stopped operating the Cyprus Government Railway.

The railway line was opened in 1905 and reached its greatest extent between 1915 and 1932. It connected the Troodos mountain village of Evrychou with the port of Famagusta and led via Morphou and Nicosia, among other places. It was mainly used to transport goods, raw materials and timber as well as to supply the interior of the island from the port of Famagusta.

However, the operation was never economically profitable in the long term. From 1932 onwards, the route network was gradually reduced until the last train ran from Nicosia to Famagusta on 31 December 1951. In 1952 and 1953, the tracks were completely dismantled.

Previous considerations on the return of the railway

The idea of a new railway line in Cyprus had already been taken up again in 2022. At that time, former Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos had stated after talks with the then EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valean that corresponding studies were already available.

Karousos stressed that it is possible to connect the island's main cities and the airport with a light rail or regional train. Such a solution could also make a noticeable contribution to relieving road traffic. According to the available studies, a railway line could be realized largely within the existing road network.







Author: Redaktion
Source: CyprusMail.com with kind permission for editorial use.