Dutch transport and railway authorities have called on European rail companies to deploy special trains for the Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place next year in Rotterdam. They are also advocating for broader European train cooperation for other major European events.
To enable additional direct trains to Rotterdam, the Dutch railway infrastructure manager will establish a special desk for carriers and operators to consolidate the entire European train route for special events.
For the Song Contest, direct trains to destinations such as Barcelona, Milan, Prague, Vienna, and Munich are being considered. Moscow and Stockholm are also among the possibilities.
Promotion
State Secretary Van Veldhoven supports the idea from railway manager ProRail. For short distances within Europe, the train should not only be the most sustainable option but above all the most attractive option, she says. On some connections, this is already the case; fans of the Song Contest coming from Paris will soon be in the center of Rotterdam within three hours.
Earlier, The Netherlands decided that air traffic must be restricted, starting with very short distances. Flights from Amsterdam to Brussels have already been targeted for this, and there are talks about "less flying and more trains" between Amsterdam and London as well.
Railway manager ProRail hopes that expanding cooperation with European carriers for the Song Contest will be a success so that it can be repeated at other events such as Formula 1 races or the UEFA European Football Championship EK2020 elsewhere in Europe.