Trans-European transport network

The European Parliament adopted by 567 votes to 35, with 29 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network, amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1153 and Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulation (EU) 1315/2013.

The European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure amends the proposal as follows:

Objectives of the trans-European transport network

The trans-European transport network should demonstrate European added value by contributing to the objectives laid down in the following four categories:

(1) Sustainability through: (i) the promotion of zero and low emission mobility; (ii) a greater use of more sustainable modes of transport, in particular by further developing an interoperable long-distance rail passenger network, including at high speed, and an interoperable rail freight network, a reliable inland waterway and short-sea shipping network for passengers and freight across the Union; (iii) increased environmental protection; (iv) the reduction of negative externalities, including those related to the environment, climate, health, congestion and accidents, for instance by means of eco-incentives schemes;

(2) Cohesion through: (i) accessibility and connectivity of all regions of the Union, paying particular attention to outermost regions and other remote, insular, peripheral and mountainous regions, as well as sparsely populated areas; (ii) the reduction of infrastructure quality gaps, and the promotion of interoperability between digital systems of all transport modes, with adequate network capacity between regions and Member States;

(3) Efficiency through: (i) the removal of infrastructure bottlenecks and the bridging of missing links, both within transport infrastructures and at connecting points between them, within Member States' territories and between them, in particular at cross-border sections, and connecting, where appropriate, to the trans-European transport network in third countries;

(4) Increasing the benefits for its users through: (i) ensuring the accessibility for users and meeting their mobility and transport needs, taking into account in particular the needs of people in situations of vulnerability, including persons with disabilities or reduced mobility and people living in remote regions.

The trans-European transport network should be gradually developed in three steps: (a) the completion of a core network by 31 December 2030; (b) the completion of an extended core network by 31 December 2040; and,

(c) the completion of a comprehensive network by 31 December 2050.

European Transport Corridors

The nine European Transport Corridors specified in the maps set out in Annex III are, namely: (i) Atlantic; (ii) Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Aegean Sea; (iii) Baltic Sea – Adriatic Sea; (iv) Mediterranean; (v) North Sea – Rhine – Mediterranean; (vi) North Sea – Baltic; (vii) Rhine – Danube; (viii) Scandinavian – Mediterranean; (ix) Western Balkans – Eastern Mediterranean.

Transport infrastructure requirements for the comprehensive network

Member States should ensure that, by 31 December 2050, the railway infrastructure of the comprehensive network, except certain connections: (i) is fully electrified as regards line tracks and; and (ii) enables, without special permission, the operation of freight trains with a train length of at least 740 m (including the locomotive or locomotives).

Transport infrastructure requirements for the core network and the extended core network

Member States should ensure that, by 31 December 2040:

- for rail sections linking the multimodal freight terminals of two urban nodes or the multimodal freight terminal of an urban node and a border crossing point, over 75 % of the length of each rail section, is designed for a speed of at least 100 km/h for freight trains on the freight lines of the extended core network;

- for rail sections linking the multimodal passenger hubs of two urban nodes or the multimodal passenger hubs of an urban node and a border crossing point, over 75 % of the length of each rail section is designed for a speed of at least 160 km/h for passenger trains on the passenger lines of the extended core network.

The Rail Freight governance should make all possible efforts to ensure by 31 December 2030, that the dwelling time of freight trains crossing a border between two Member States does not exceed 25 minutes on average and that most trains crossing at least one border of a European Transport Corridor arrive at their destination or at the external Union border at their scheduled time or with a delay of less than 30 minutes.

Member States should, by 31 December 2040, ensure the development of safe and secure parking areas along the roads of the core network and extended core network, or within 3 km driving distance from the nearest exit of the road of the trans-European network, with an average maximum distance of 150 km between two such areas, providing sufficient parking space for commercial vehicles.

Major European airports (processing more than 12 million annual passengers) will be connected to the trans-European railway network.

End cooperation with Russia - focus on Ukraine

Because of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and the position adopted by Belarus in that conflict, cooperation between the Union and Russia and Belarus in the field of the trans-European transport network policy is neither appropriate or in the interest of the Union. Hence, the trans-European transport network in those two third countries should be discontinued. As a consequence, improved cross-border connections to Russia and Belarus are no longer of high priority on the territory of the Member States.

The new geopolitical context arising from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine showed how important seamless transport connections are within the Union’s territory and with neighbouring countries.

A railway track gauge different from that of the European standard nominal track gauge of 1 435 mm severely hampers the interoperability of the railway networks across the Union and even impacts the competitiveness of those isolated railway networks. New railway lines of the core network or extended core network should therefore be built in European standard nominal track gauge of 1 435 mm.

Military mobility

EU governments should take into account military needs (weight or size of military transport) when constructing or upgrading infrastructure that overlaps with military transport networks, to ensure the seamless transfer of troops and equipment. Within one year after the entry into force of the rules, the Commission should conduct a study on short-notice large-scale movements across the EU, to facilitate military mobility planning.