EU grants €2.8 billion for 94 eco-friendly transportation initiatives
The European Commission has announced its plans to invest nearly €2.8 billion in grants for 94 transport projects under the EU's Connecting Europe Facility. This ambitious initiative aims to modernize and improve cross-connections within the European transport network.
The selected projects span a wide range of transport modes, including railways, inland waterways, and maritime routes, across the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). One of the key focuses is on railways, with 77% of the total funding earmarked for infrastructure upgrades. High-speed rail lines will be developed in Czechia and Poland.
For road transport, safe and secure parking areas will be built or upgraded across ten Member States, including Germany, France, Italy, and Romania. Urban mobility is set to benefit, with funding for the preparation of the construction or upgrade of multimodal passenger hubs in cities such as Leuven (Belgium), Norrkooping (Sweden), Nice and Marseille (France), and Bolzano (Italy). These hubs will provide seamless connections between different modes of transport, making it easier for people to get around cities.
The projects also aim to reduce the environmental impact of maritime and inland waterway transport. Upgrades in several countries will include the introduction of shore-side electricity at ports. Digital traffic management systems will be deployed in France and Spain to improve short-sea shipping safety and efficiency.
In addition, the projects will facilitate seamless cross-border rail traffic and boost regional trade. For instance, EU support will help Ukraine adopt the standard EU railway gauge, while projects will improve rail connectivity and border crossing points between Slovakia and Ukraine, and between Romania and Moldova.
The funding will also support the roll-out of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) in various countries, improving road safety and traffic flow, particularly in urban areas. In 11 Member States, 46 projects will implement the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) on trains and tracks.
For inland waterways, upgrades along the Rhine will occur, and digitalization of waterborne transport will be advanced in Belgium. The projects include the construction of Rail Baltica in the Baltic region and Poland, and improvements in Greece and Slovakia.
More information and a list of selected projects can be found on the CINEA website. This investment is a significant step towards a more connected, efficient, and sustainable European transport network.
