The European Commission has adopted a ‘comprehensive’ transport package that will accelerate the development of Europe‘s high-speed rail network, as well as increase investment in renewable and low-carbon fuels for the aviation and maritime sectors.
According to the Commission, the aim of the new package is to ‘make the EU transport system more efficient, interconnected, accessible, clean and resilient’.
The new High-Speed Rail Action Plan sets out an agenda to create a faster and more interconnected rail network by 2040, building on the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), and setting a goal of linking major cities across Europe at speeds of 200 km/h or higher.
This would mean that passengers would be able to travel from Berlin to Copenhagen in four hours instead of the current seven, and from Sofia to Athens in six hours instead of nearly 14. Cross border links, such as Paris–Lisbon via Madrid, and improved connectivity between the Baltic capitals, are also on the agenda.
‘Cohesion in action’
“High-speed rail is cohesion in action,” commented Raffaele Fitto, executive vice-president for cohesion and reforms at the European Commission.
“Improving travel times between capitals across Europe is a tangible and pragmatic result of our will to make Europe more united and more efficient. It will bring citizens closer together, make business easier throughout the EU, and contribute to what we call the ‘right to stay’.”
To achieve its high-speed rail objectives, the Commission plans to remove cross border bottlenecks; identify high-speed options (including above 250 km/h); develop a coordinated financing strategy; improve conditions for rail operators through regulatory and digital measures; and strengthening EU-level governance on infrastructure, standardisations and authorisations.
Sustainable Transport Investment Plan
Alongside the rail initiative, the Commission introduced the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan, or STIP, which will seek to scale up the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in both the aviation and maritime transport sectors.
The STIP aims to mobilise at least €2.9 billion through EU funding instruments by 2027 to accelerate the clean energy transition, including €2 billion under InvestEU, €300 million from the European Hydrogen Bank, and €446 million through the Innovation Fund.
“Today’s package is about strengthening Europe’s competitiveness while moving decisively towards a net-zero future,” added Apostolos Tzitzikostas, commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism. “By investing in faster, better-connected rail and scaling up renewable and low-carbon fuels, we are making Europe’s transport system cleaner, more resilient and more affordable for citizens.” Read more here.
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