Brussels Accelerates High-Speed Rail Vision with €18 Billion Investment Blueprint

The European Commission launched an ambitious plan to halve journey times across the continent's rail network, targeting completion of priority high-speed corridors by 2040 through coordinated public-private investment totalling €18 billion between 2028 and 2034.

Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas unveiled the strategy on 5 November, promising passengers Berlin-to-Copenhagen travel in four hours instead of seven by 2030, whilst connecting Sofia and Athens in six hours by 2035. The plan envisions new cross-border links spanning the Baltic states and a Paris-Lisbon route via Madrid.

Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking, successor to the Shift2Rail programme, welcomed five new associated members in February including technology specialists from Slovenia, Spain, and across Europe. The organisation's 2025-02 research call allocates €148.2 million in EU funding for projects valued at €245 million, targeting rail network management, automation, digitalisation, and sustainable freight solutions.

The Commission's framework addresses persistent barriers to high-speed rail expansion: removing cross-border bottlenecks through binding 2027 timelines, eliminating entry barriers for new operators, and harmonising track capacity allocation. Revised train driver certification rules, scheduled for 2026, will facilitate cross-border services whilst the European Train Control System deployment plan ensures interoperability.

To date, the EU has committed €34.4 billion through the Connecting Europe Facility supporting 804 rail infrastructure projects—representing 68.76 per cent of total CEF investment. The sector recorded 443 billion passenger-kilometres in 2024, with Germany leading volumes, though freight performance declined slightly to 375 billion tonne-kilometres.

Industry progress includes Eurostar's announcement of up to 50 double-decker Celestia trains by 2031, whilst European Sleeper confirmed revival of the Paris-Berlin-Vienna overnight service from 26 March following Austria's withdrawal. Women now constitute 23 per cent of the railway workforce, up from 21 per cent in 2018, according to the 2025 Women in Rail Report.