The impact of the crisis on passenger rail transport in European Union countries

The time of crisis necessitates continuous monitoring of changes occurring in the global economy, analyzing the causes of their emergence, and constantly seeking solutions to mitigate the effects of the crisis. The European Union, experiencing the effects of the economic crisis, mobilizes the economies of individual countries to implement recovery programs that could protect against or mitigate its negative impact. The crisis has also caused many negative effects in the functioning of the transport sector, including rail transport, which is part of the branch system of the sector. In the article, the authors analyzed the economic results achieved in the rail transport sector in European Union countries during the ongoing economic crisis. In the first part of the study, in a synthetic approach, issues concerning the impact of the crisis on the functioning of the transport sector and its significant part, rail transport, were discussed. These issues were presented in the context of assessing the formation of selected macroeconomic indicators, i.e., Gross Domestic Product (GDP), unemployment rate, inflation rate, and budget deficit. In the second part, an attempt was made to assess the effects of the crisis on the functioning of rail transport by presenting the trends in the volume of passenger rail transport in European Union countries.
INFLUENCE OF THE CRISIS ON THE PASSENGER RAIL TRANSPORT IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
The current crisis makes it necessary to continuously monitor changes in the economy, analyze the causes and consequences of their formation, and constantly prospect for solutions associated with relieving the effects of the crisis in countries of the European
Union. These issues also apply to rail transport. The authors analyzed the economic performance achieved in the rail transport sector in the European Union in the era of economic crisis. The first part of the synthetic approach discussed issues concerning the impact of the crisis on the functioning of the transport sector and its material parts – rail transport. (…)

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