Greece’s deadly rail tracks  Large investigation in depth

Greece takes the bloody lead in terms of deaths and injuries in rail accidents in the EU, with about 25 victims per year. Problems are mainly caused by unsafe level crossings, poor infrastructure and traffic management systems, and understaffed companies.

‘Flight shame’? Europeans have never flown as frequently 

Many people claim they are flying less to protect the environment, but figures from 2018 say otherwise. The aviation industry is doing better than ever and its emissions have more than doubled since 1990. 

It is difficult to reach school in Italy's least connected provinces  Large investigation

In certain areas of Italy the distance to the nearest railway station makes this form of transport impractical. Below, we take a look at how well or poorly – and how many – schools in these areas are connected to households' places of residence.

“Warning, No Signal”  Large investigation in depth

Only 30 km of the whole rail network in Greece has functioning train traffic lights. The installation of new European Train Control System has derailed in the country because of mismanagement – costing tens of millions of public funds and several fatalities.

Road deaths in the EU are still way off target 

The number of victims of road accidents is decreasing year after year in Europe, but its reduction is slower than anticipated. Every year, about 25,000 people still die in accidents in the EU. More decisive measures are needed, from further lowering alcohol limits to investment in infrastructure.

Europe is getting warmer, and it’s not looking like it’s going to cool down anytime soon  Large investigation

An exclusive analysis of over 100 million meteorological data points shows that every major city in Europe is warmer in the 21st century than it was in the 20th. Subarctic regions, Andalusia and southern Romania are most affected.

Railways in Greece: poor service, no competition 

Passenger train services are heavily subsidised in Greece, taking advantage of loopholes and delays allowed by EU law. A new memorandum signed by the government keeps state aid and TrainOSE’s monopoly in place, despite the fact that many routes are not operated and citizens are not happy with the service they receive. 

Are speed cameras saving lives, and are old cars dangerous?  

The number of fatal accidents in the European Union is steadily decreasing, with the exception of Malta. However, the data shows a high degree of variation: while in Romania, 98 victims die on roads for every million inhabitants, in Sweden, that rate is only 25.

Don't miss the train: Methodology

What we did and how we did it

This article tries to answer a seemingly straightforward question: how easy it is for citizens in Europe to travel by train, and what explains differences within countries? In our attempt to answer this, we wanted to look at two measures – distances to train stations and the proportion of people who are well connected to (less than 10,000 steps to a station) versus poorly connected from (at least 30,000 steps to a station) the railway network.

Europe is dangerously hooked on air travel 

Europeans may see themselves as climate champions, but they just keep flying more and more. The number of passengers has risen by 20 per cent in the last 5 years, and carbon emissions have exploded. It is not just a matter of offsetting them – they must be cut.