Next MFF and CEF 3: The EU Must Avoid Funding ‘White Elephants’ By Ensuring Optimal Use
The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Will Only Be Optimised If There Is Modern, Interoperable Rolling Stock
The proposed strategic investment in rail infrastructure in the recently announced Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) grants will only be optimised if there are modern, interoperable trains that can use it. However, modern, interoperable trains come with very high acquisition and upgrading costs. Therefore, it is crucial that the EU enables sufficient non-discriminatory funding to support the implementation of the latest interoperability technologies.
France: How one European country is planning a ‘rail revolution’
ALLRAIL welcomes France's drive to expand its high-speed rail infrastructure to accelerate modal shift to rail.
However, like we stressed in the article, the only way to take full advantage of this is to make SNCF face more competition.
Smart and affordable rail services in the EU: a socio-economic and environmental study for High-Speed in 2030 and 2050
Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking – in collaboration with ALLRAIL, CER and UNIFE – commissioned a study exploring the socio-economic and environmental benefits of the establishing of a European High-Speed Rail (HSR) connecting the main European cities and regions, combining investments in constructing creating/upgrading new HSR lines and upgrading the digitalization and automation of existing ones, i.e. ERTMS.
The study's report confirms that investing in a comprehensive European HSR network will deliver added value to European society and massively reduce the environmental footprint of European passenger transport. The report proposes a master plan for HSR network connecting all EU capitals and major cities and calls for the Commission and Member States for a coordinated implementation with sufficient funding in the next decades. Such comprehensive network equalling at least tripling of the existing HSR network will certainly require high investment costs averaging to €550 billion but in return deliver a net positive benefit in the range of €750 billion to society.
A study on smart and affordable high-speed services in the European Union shows the way to future sustainable mobility
The study contracted by Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-RAIL) in collaboration with the Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants in Europe (ALLRAIL), the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and the European Rail Supply Industry (UNIFE) analyses the impact of the European High-Speed Rail (HSR) Network connecting the Capitals of Europe and the main European cities and regions. The study confirms that investing in a comprehensive European HSR network delivers added value to European society and massively reduces the environmental footprint of European passenger transport, creating a sustainable and equitable mobility.