The European Commission has proposed to make 2021 the European Year of Rail, because it marks several important anniversaries for rail: the 20th anniversary of the first EU Railway Package, the 175th anniversary of the first ever rail link between two EU capitals (Paris-Brussels), as well as 40 years of TGV and 30 years of ICE.(http://industrialheritage.eu/2021/European-Year-Rail)
As railways and trams, buildings, infrastructure and rolling stock are an important industrial heritage, EFAITH (European Federation of Associations of Industrial and Technical Heritage) has developed a questionnaire on “railway heritage at risk”, which is decaying and in danger of being lost. A database is to be created. COVID-19 could also threaten volunteer historical railways, as the necessary income has been missing for more than three months and the next months are uncertain. EFAITH sees itself as a platform for the promotion of contacts and cooperation between volunteers and non-profit volunteer associations in Europe. The questionnaire is available in six languages.
