The European Commission on Wednesday presented an ambitious plan to cut travel times between European capitals by expanding the continent's high-speed rail network by 2040. The goal is to make train journeys a viable alternative to short-haul flights.
"Improving travel times between capitals across Europe is a tangible and pragmatic result of our commitment to making Europe more united and efficient," said Commission Vice-President Raffaele Fitto. The plan would connect major hubs at speeds of 200 km/h or more, with travel times such as Berlin-Copenhagen dropping from seven to four hours.
One of the most striking proposals is a new high-speed corridor linking Lisbon and Paris via Madrid, which would allow passengers to travel between the French and Spanish capitals in just six hours.
MEP Kathleen Van Brempt (Vooruit) welcomed the initiative but warned that previous Commission goals to double high-speed rail use by 2030 had fallen short, with growth of only 17 per cent since 2015. "This is mainly due to poor connections and a lack of infrastructure," she said.
The Commission now plans to set binding deadlines by 2027 to remove cross-border bottlenecks and will gather Member States, financial institutions, and industry partners next year to agree on funding. The estimated cost is €345 billion, rising to €546 billion for an even faster network exceeding 250 km/h by 2050.
To encourage more passengers to switch to rail, Brussels will propose new rules early next year to simplify ticketing across multiple train operators and strengthen competition by improving access to stations, depots, and rolling stock.
Rail currently accounts for just 0.3 per cent of transport emissions in the EU, compared to 73.2 per cent from road, 14.2 per cent from shipping, and 11.8 per cent from aviation.
