The Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on Monday evening (18 December) on a revised regulation on EU guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) (see EUROPE 13315/27).
“The guidelines on the TEN-T network are a key instrument of the EU’s transport policy which will contribute greatly to strengthening the EU’s cohesion and to stimulating growth and jobs”, commented Spain’s Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, in a press release.
The provisional agreement stipulates that the Member States will decide how to prioritise projects of common interest on the basis of realistic technical and priority requirements, with the aim of establishing a unified, high-performance and fully interoperable infrastructure to contribute to the decarbonisation of the transport sector and to its multimodality. These requirements, as defined by the new regulation, are proportionate to the expected benefits, functionalities and investments required by the Member States.
The provisional agreement also takes into account the financial resources available in the Member States and the investment needs for infrastructure development.
Deadlines for completion of the network. The three-tier approach of the original proposal has been maintained. The TEN-T network will be developed or modernised in three phases: the core network before 2030, the extended core network before 2040 and the overall network before 2050.
Rail transport. The co-legislators wanted to strengthen the modal shift and the performance of the future trans-European rail network. They added provisions relating to the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) on the extended core network and the global network, the migration to the European standard nominal track gauge and the increase in the number of freight trains that are 740 metres in length, and the minimum speed of 160 km/h for passenger trains. The agreement guarantees faster and better connections for passengers and rail freight, as well as better integration of ports, airports and multimodal freight terminals into the TEN-T network.
Air transport. Airports in major European cities with total annual passenger traffic of more than 12 million will therefore be linked to the trans-European rail network, including the high-speed rail network where possible, enabling long-distance services to be offered by 31 December 2040.
Road transport. All roads in the core network and the extended core network will be specially designed, built or equipped for motor traffic, with separate carriageways for the two directions of traffic, separated from each other by a dividing strip not intended for traffic or, exceptionally, by other means.
The co-legislators agreed to deploy safe and secure parking areas on the core network and the extended core network, with a maximum distance of 150 km, to guarantee better working and resting conditions for professional drivers.
Military mobility. MEPs convinced EU governments to take account of specific needs when building or modernising infrastructure that overlaps with the military transport network. The European Commission will have to carry out a study on large-scale movements in the short term.
Urban nodes. The co-legislators have agreed that the 424 major cities along the TEN-T network must draw up a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) for freight and passengers by 2027.
“With this new framework for the trans-European transport network, we are creating the conditions for a shift towards more environmentally-friendly modes of transport, while encouraging the mobility of Europeans and the competitiveness of our economy”, announced Parliament’s rapporteur, Dominique Riquet (Renew Europe, French), in a press release.
Parliament and the Council must formally approve the agreement before it can enter into force. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)