The European Commission has unveiled an action plan for high-speed trains to significantly shorten travel times between European metropolises by 2040. Central hubs will be connected at speeds of at least 200 km/h. Examples include a trip from Berlin to Copenhagen in four hours instead of seven.
The European Commission presented a plan in Brussels to improve cross-border rail travel and make trains a more attractive alternative to short-haul flights. The goal is to halve or more travel times between capitals by 2040. The Berlin–Copenhagen route could drop from over seven hours currently to four hours; after a general overhaul next year, it is planned for around seven hours. The Berlin–Vienna trip via Prague would shorten from more than eight to four and a half hours.
New connections are envisioned for Paris–Madrid–Lisbon and Warsaw to the Baltic capitals. “The improvement of travel times between Europe's capitals is a tangible and pragmatic result of our will to make Europe greener and more efficient,” said Commission Vice-President Raffaele Fitto. The project aims to bring citizens closer together and facilitate business travel.
To implement it, the Commission plans to remove barriers, improve conditions for rail companies, and promote research. Costs for the TEN-V high-speed network are estimated at 345 billion euros by 2040; for speeds over 250 km/h, it could reach up to 546 billion euros by 2050. Financing will come from private investments, loans from the European Investment Bank, and national funding, supported by EU funds.
Additionally, the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP) was introduced, calling for 100 billion euros in investments by 2035 in low-carbon fuels for air and sea transport to achieve 20 million tons of sustainable fuels.