Skip to main content

EU identifies priorities for trans-European transport network until 2030

The European Commission has published nine studies on the state of play and the development needs of the Ten-T core network corridors. The studies have identified infrastructure development needs which represent approximately US$811 billion of financial investment until 2030. They highlight the importance of optimising the use of infrastructure along the corridors, notably through intelligent transport systems, efficient management and the promotion of future-oriented clean transport solutions. This is the
January 20, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The European Commission has published nine studies on the state of play and the development needs of the Ten-T core network corridors. The studies have identified infrastructure development needs which represent approximately US$811 billion of financial investment until 2030. They highlight the importance of optimising the use of infrastructure along the corridors, notably through intelligent transport systems, efficient management and the promotion of future-oriented clean transport solutions. This is the first time that tens of thousands kilometres of rail, road, inland waterway connections, ports, airports and other transport terminals have been studied in such a comprehensive way and with a common methodology.

Violeta Bulc, EU Commissioner for Transport said, "We have to step up our efforts to make sure the core network will be fully operational by 2030, to ensure smooth transport flows for passengers and goods throughout the EU. Now is the time to invest in TEN-T projects and to maximise the benefits of the Connecting Europe facility and the Commission's US$365 billion investment plan. After all, the Trans-European Transport Network is crucial for a Union striving for more growth, jobs and competitiveness. As Europe is slowly stepping out of the economic crisis, we need a connected Union, without barriers, in order for our single market to thrive."

A team of external experts undertook a comprehensive study for each Trans-European Transport corridor. They analysed the current infrastructure status, located problems hampering traffic flows for passengers and freight, and identified action to be undertaken from now to 2030. They include preliminary lists of projects which aim at completing cross-border and other missing links, removing bottlenecks, inter-connecting transport modes and enhancing interoperability – notably for railway traffic.

The results of these studies will be taken into account when deciding on the allocation of EU funds for the period 2014-2020, under the Connecting Europe facility. The project pipeline resulting from these corridor studies constitutes a particularly important source for the US$365 billion European Investment Plan, which was published by the Commission in November 2014.

Related Content

  • Underinvestment in infrastructure threatens economic growth
    January 24, 2012
    The 2011 Urban Mobility Report from the Texas Transportation Institute highlights the dangers of continued underinvestment in transportation infrastructure but also offers some hope in terms of possible solutions
  • Finalists for 2014 SUMP and EMW awards announced
    February 24, 2015
    Launched in 2012, the European Commission's Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) Award aims to encourage local authorities across Europe to adopt and develop their Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs). It also recognises outstanding achievements in each year’s SUMP chosen priority area. Seventeen applications from ten EU countries were submitted for the 2014 awards and the finalists announced as: Bremen (Germany); Dresden (Germany); and Ghent (Belgium). European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bul
  • Project CROCODILE wins award for smart use of data
    May 16, 2016
    Project CROCODILE, which was launched in 2013 to establish a trans-national data exchange infrastructure to end breakdown of cross-border traffic has won the 2016 Transport Achievement Award in the freight category. The prize is awarded by the International Transport Forum (ITF), a Paris-based intergovernmental organisation and policy think tank with 57 member countries. The project is co-financed by the European Union’s TEN-T programme and aimed to establish a framework to collect and exchange data for
  • EU to co-finance study on Spanish intermodal hub
    November 12, 2013
    The European Union (EU) will use US$831,000 from the Ten-T Programme to co-finance study on the creation of an intermodal hub in the Spanish region of Asturias. The aim is to foster intermodality and modal shift from road to other modes of transport. The study, which was selected for funding under the 2012 TEN-T Annual Call, will support the construction of an intermodal hub located within the area of industrial and logistic activities of Asturias (ZALIA) near the Spanish cities of Aviles, Gijon and Ovie