THE European Union’s decision to allow competition on international rail corridors, which came into force at the beginning of this year, is already stirring up acrimony even before the wheel of a competing train has turned. Some countries, such as Austria, Britain, Germany, Italy and Sweden, have already gone a stage further by allowing competition on domestic inter-city routes, but while the legal framework may be in place to allow competition, all too often new private operators discover numerous obstacles to starting their services.