17/12/2019 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 16 December, the European Commission authorised an aid scheme to support noise reduction in rail freight traffic in Poland. The aid has a total budget of €234 million. It will be granted in the form of a reimbursement of up to 50% of the cost of equipping rail freight wagons operating in Poland, which were put into circulation before 1 January 2015, with less noisy brake blocks. This modernisation will reduce the noise emissions of older cars. The scheme is open to all railway companies and owners of wagons established in the European Economic Area, which are entered into the Polish national vehicle register and operating freight transport on the Polish railway network. The aid will be granted on non-discriminatory terms. (LC)