Captrain Deutschland CEO and Poland's Deputy Minister call for 'level playing field' structural reforms in European

Lifting rail freight's competitiveness against trucks remains a central transport objective for the European Union. Speaking at the annual ERFA (European Rail Freight Association) event in Brussels on 6 May 2026, Captrain Deutschland CEO Henrik Würdemann summed up the issue: \"Give us a level playing field and we are happy.\" Both Würdemann and Polish Deputy Minister for Infrastructure Piotr Malepszak outlined what they believe needs to change to make that happen.

Würdemann argued that rail freight has a strong product but is structurally disadvantaged by political design. He cited truck parking as an example: such infrastructure is provided and paid for by the state and not loaded onto road carriers, while in rail the private sector covers both the equivalent infrastructure and parking and shunting fees. The result is an unfair burden on rail freight in first-mile and last-mile operations. Würdemann also pointed to the need for harmonised European policy on track access charges (TAC), saying it is impossible to write a uniform cancellation policy for clients when national infrastructure managers apply different terms.

Polish Deputy Minister for Infrastructure Piotr Malepszak stressed the same payment imbalance between rail and road: railway companies pay for every kilometre run on the tracks, while trucks do not pay equivalently across all routes. Poland's plan is to extend heavy-truck road pricing across high-capacity roads to tilt the balance toward rail. Malepszak also flagged the power of \"small investments,\" saying that reopening modest stations with a few sidings — closed roughly 20 years ago — does not require multibillion-euro spending but adds tangible capacity.

Malepszak underlined the contrast in current usage: about 7,000 passenger trains run in Poland on a daily basis, against just 1,500 freight trains. Würdemann and Malepszak agreed that fixing the structural cost gap is not a matter for individual operators but a question of EU-level policy — implying alignment with the European Commission's Capacity Regulation, expected to enter into force this summer, and the planned revision of the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA).

Key Takeaways:
1. At the annual ERFA event in Brussels on 6 May 2026, Captrain Deutschland CEO Henrik Würdemann highlighted the structural disadvantages of European rail freight against road haulage.
2. Würdemann said truck parking infrastructure is funded by the state, while rail freight private operators pay for both equivalent infrastructure and parking and shunting fees, loading first-mile/last-mile costs unfairly onto rail.
3. Lack of harmonised track access charges (TAC) policy across Europe — with national infrastructure managers applying different cancellation terms — makes it impossible to offer customers standard contract conditions.
4. Poland's Deputy Minister for Infrastructure Piotr Malepszak said heavy-truck road pricing should be extended across high-capacity roads to tilt the balance toward rail, adding that reopening small stations adds capacity at modest cost.
5. Poland today runs about 7,000 passenger trains daily versus only 1,500 freight trains; both speakers argued structural reform must be pursued in the same window as the EU Capacity Regulation and ERA revision.