Eurostar train on HS1. Photo: N Chadwick / Geograph, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Europe is planning to set up a high-speed railway network connecting its major cities. The European Commission intends to improve connectivity and journey times between these cities, with the aim of making train travel more competitive with air travel. The more ambitious version of the project may cost around €546 billion.
The plan would connect the continent’s railway routes in order to reduce travelling times. Some of the proposed times may be of particular interest. For instance, the EU plans for Berlin and Copenhagen to be only four hours apart by train in 2030, while currently it takes around seven hours. By 2035, the journey between Sofia and Athens could take around six hours, compared with almost 14 hours today. Improvements are also being considered for connections between the Baltic states, as well as between the capital cities of Portugal, Spain and France.
At the same time, financing such a project could prove to be very expensive. The European Commission estimates the cost of building the railway network according to the current plans at around €345 billion.
A more ambitious project could cost around €546 billion, which would roughly triple the existing EU high-speed rail network.
The exact amount is not derived from any particular or existing budget but is an estimate of the cost of the project.
The difficulty of the project is not limited to the construction of higher-speed railway tracks.
The issue is that there are still borders and different railway systems in Europe, which makes travel between EU countries more complicated compared to travelling within one country.
Nevertheless, the intended goal of the project is to remove some of these barriers and improve the chances of travelling across Europe by train.
In addition, it could have a positive impact on the railway industry, since passengers may be more willing to take longer trips if travel time is reduced.
Now, the Commission is continuing to look for funding for the project, including EU funds, national funding and private investment.
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