Enhancing rail connectivity across Europe – particularly through high-speed rail – brings substantial benefits by fostering European integration, promoting the decarbonisation of the transport sector, and strengthening the competitiveness, cohesion, and productivity of businesses. However, the fragmentation of the TEN-T high-speed rail network across national borders remains a significant obstacle.
The lack of cross-border sections and the technical barriers to operating across different national networks prevent the full realisation of major investments made by various Member States, with Eastern Europe still poorly connected. Furthermore, technical, legal, financial, and operational challenges continue to hinder the entry of new operators into the market and the development of new rail services.
Establishing fast, comfortable, and reliable rail connections across the EU is crucial to achieving the objectives of the 2020 Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, which aims to reduce EU transport emissions by 90% by 2050 and reach net-zero emissions by that date. The strategy sets out ambitious goals, including doubling high-speed rail traffic by 2030, tripling it by 2050, and achieving carbon neutrality for scheduled collective journeys under 500 km within the EU by 2030.
A number of ongoing initiatives already provide a strong foundation for advancing European high-speed rail. The 2021 action plan to promote cross-border and long-distance rail services outlined key measures to remove obstacles to service provision across the network. The 2024 TEN-T Regulation further identifies the essential infrastructure required to connect Europe’s major urban centres to high-speed rail.
Strategic reports by Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta have both underlined the development of a pan-European high-speed rail network as a vital priority for driving economic growth and boosting Europe’s competitiveness. The 2025 Communication titled “EU Competitiveness Compass” reaffirmed this priority and announced plans for an ambitious European high-speed rail network.
In this context, the European Commission is preparing to present a communication this week addressing the main barriers to high-speed rail development. These include delays in implementing national and cross-border infrastructure projects, insufficient national investment and high construction costs, poor interoperability at EU level, lack of rolling stock funding, limited harmonisation of operations, restricted access to facilities and related services, and concerns about the affordability of high-speed rail for passengers and the difficulties in booking and selling train tickets across the EU.
This initiative, along with the expected growth in rail activity, is also intended to contribute to reducing transport emissions and the environmental and health impacts associated with them, as set out in the 2025 Zero Pollution Monitoring and Outlook Report.
The forthcoming communication will therefore address infrastructure, technical, environmental, commercial, and financial dimensions, along with the connectivity of cross-border high-speed rail in the EU. It will propose targeted actions to coordinate the planning, financing, and implementation of interoperable infrastructure, support the development of a passenger-oriented, attractive, and affordable rail offering based on a competitive and sustainable business model for operators, and reinforce the competitiveness of the European rail supply industry.
The overarching goal is to establish an enabling framework capable of meeting the growing demand for sustainable transport and promoting a greater shift towards rail across Europe.
Our team is available for further information.
