What changed

A. whereas high-speed rail is an element of the rail network that is among the most energy efficientenergy-efficient and is, despite being subject to the electricity generation mix, among the lowest-emission modes of transport for medium- and long-distance mass mobility,mobility; andwhereas high-speed rail constitutes a strategic asset for the EU’s objectives in terms of competitiveness, territorial cohesion, modal shift, climate neutrality and strategic autonomy; whereas its development should contribute to reducing territorial disparities and strengthening the connectivity of peripheral and less-developed regions;

B. whereas the political legitimacy of large-scale European investment depends on the delivery of benefits to more regions; whereas conventional rail remains the most widely used mode of transport for workers, making it the primary instrument of territorial cohesion;

B. whereas rail emissions decreased by 68.1 % between 1990 and 2019 despite growing rail transport activity and higher overall emissions in transport; whereas high-speed rail can shift demand away from more carbon-intensive transport modes, provided it remains reliable, available and competitively priced;

C. whereas rail faces a structural fiscal disadvantage, while aviation continues to benefit from kerosene and VAT exemptions; whereas this asymmetry distorts competition and undermines the EU’s climate and modal-shift objectives;

C. whereas Europe is a global leader in the rail sector, generating more than EUR 45 billion in annual revenues across the rail supply industry and high-speed rail technologies, thereby contributing to the EU’s competitiveness, industrial leadership and highly skilled employment; whereas maintaining and strengthening this leadership and supporting high-quality employment is important for the continued expansion, modernisation and integration of the European rail network, as this will help to strengthen the Union’s industrial sovereignty and high-quality employment;

D. whereas the long-term performance of rail networks requires continuous financing of maintenance, renewal and modernisation, to be achieved by means including appropriate track access charges, while bearing in mind that affordable services attract more passengers and generate more revenue;

D. whereas the fragmentation of the European rail network increases costs and reduces efficiency, discourages investment in innovation, skills and expertise, and limits the sector’s capacity to develop highly competitive solutions, achieve economies of scale and maintain its global technological and industrial leadership; whereas a competitive and sustainable European manufacturing base, and sustained investment in skills and technological leadership and strategic resilience, are essential to strengthen the EU’s industrial sovereignty and maintain high-quality employment, which would help to avoid strategic dependency on suppliers from non-EU countries;

E. whereas social factors, including transport poverty and barrier-free accessibility, must be addressed as an obligation under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; whereas the EU rail sector employs over 1.3 million workers and is facing labour shortages and a gender gap;

E. whereas the political legitimacy of large-scale European investment depends on the delivery of tangible benefits throughout the EU and the delivery of a truly connected and integrated European rail network that should improve connectivity and close infrastructure gaps between western, central and eastern Europe, ensuring that all Member States can benefit from the economic, social and environmental advantages of high-speed rail; whereas high-speed rail has a key role to play in enhancing long-distance connectivity, thereby supporting modal shift, labour mobility and sustainable tourism;

F. whereas conventional rail remains one of the most widely used modes of transport for citizens and freight, making it one of the primary instruments of territorial cohesion; whereas investment in high-speed rail should complement and reinforce, rather than divert funding from, conventional, regional and suburban rail services, improving accessibility and the overall resilience of the European rail network;

G. whereas the development of a high-speed rail network remains uneven across the EU, with some Member States lacking lines capable of operating at higher speeds and persistent missing cross-border links; whereas closing these infrastructure gaps and ensuring a more balanced geographical distribution of investment, particularly in regions where high-speed rail remains underdeveloped, must be a priority, so that the tangible benefits of a European high-speed rail network are shared across all regions;

H. whereas rail continues to face a structural disadvantage compared to other modes of transport; whereas addressing VAT asymmetries would help to mitigate the distortion of fair competition between modes of transport and foster the EU’s sustainability, connectivity and modal-shift objectives for both passenger and freight transport;

I. whereas closing the estimated EUR 345 billion investment gap by 2040 requires public and private investment that takes into account regulatory predictability, stable project pipelines and appropriate risk allocation; whereas governments investing in the development of high-speed rail infrastructure can face persistent budgetary constraints, requiring the exploration of complementary long-term financing mechanisms capable of mobilising additional sources of long-term capital, provided that the public interest and long-term affordability for rail users are safeguarded; whereas such financing decisions must be guided by objective socio-economic cost-benefit assessments, taking into account implementation schedules, the network’s contribution to the completion of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), and maintenance costs, and by the efficient use of public resources;

J. whereas the long-term performance of rail networks requires stable, predictable and ring-fenced financing for maintenance, renewal, modernisation and digitalisation, in order to increase interoperability, safety and reliability; whereas this should be achieved through different measures, including reasonable and appropriate track access charges and the efficient use of EU and national public resources, while bearing in mind that affordable and attractive services in the rail market attract more passengers and generate more revenue; whereas strengthening fair competition in the European rail sector should be regarded as part of the solution to increasing rail demand and unlocking the full potential of the Single European Railway Area;

K. whereas accessible and affordable rail services are essential to reducing transport poverty and ensuring equal mobility across the EU; whereas the EU rail sector, which employs over 1.3 million workers across manufacturing, construction, maintenance and operations, faces labour and skill shortages and a gender gap and therefore requires investment in wages, working conditions and skills development to attract and retain the diverse workforce needed to sustain Europe’s industrial leadership and deliver future high-speed rail services;

L. whereas the ERA, established by Regulation (EU) 2016/7966, is the central EU authority for interoperability, safety certification and vehicle authorisation in the Single European Railway Area; whereas its reinforced mandate, resources and coordination capacity are indispensable to the timely delivery of the network;

M. whereas the delivery of a truly connected and integrated European rail network requires an interoperable system, achieved through the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) and the completion of cross-border missing links; whereas fragmented rules and insufficient interoperability continue to undermine the competitiveness of rail, while the EU should remain open to supporting flexibility or transitional mechanisms for Member States facing particularly high adaptation costs, where such measures can facilitate progress towards interoperability without undermining the long-term objective of a fully integrated European railway area;

N. whereas hyperloop technology, as a next-generation form of high-speed guided transport, is referred to in the TEN-T Regulation and is the subject of a Commission fact-finding study and the Hyper4Rail project under Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, while no EU regulatory framework for its testing and cross-border interoperability currently exists; whereas, in line with the mission letter addressed to the Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, the Commission should, before the end of this term, present a strategy for hyperloop technology as a potential complement to the European high-speed rail network, which should include a regulatory roadmap, enable support for cross-border pilot projects and ensure compatibility and full alignment with TEN-T planning objectives;

O. whereas the effectiveness of the European high-speed rail network depends on its integration with other modes of transport; whereas railway stations should function as fully connected intermodal hubs linking high-speed and conventional rail with urban and regional public transport, ports, airports, cycling and other first- and last-mile solutions, thereby strengthening regional competitiveness and improving the experience of commuters and business travellers while supporting a more sustainable tourism model;

P. whereas the simplification of ticketing and the integration of rail services are essential conditions for achieving modal shift; whereas such integration should foster a well-functioning and competitive rail market that serves the public interest and results in greater investment in the rail network;

1. Welcomes the 2025 Commission communication entitled ‘Connecting Europe through High-Speed Rail’(COM(2025)0903);Rail’ (COM(2025)0903); calls for a genuine European high-speed rail network that is interoperable, innovative, accessible and intermodal, delivering genuine value for citizens and public investment alike and connecting European capitals and regions in line with the EU’s climateobjectives with regard to the climate, competitiveness, territorial cohesion, connectivity, safety and competitivenessresilience; agenda;stresses that this network should also be developed to strengthen the wider rail system, including through time-differentiated mixed-use operations;

2. Stresses that this network must serve all major urban areasnodes, withwhether atthrough leastdirect 250high-speed 000rail inhabitants;services or effective connections to the high-speed rail network, ensuring that territorial equity extends beyond major metropolises to medium-sized towns and peripheral territories; calls on the Commission to enshrine this as a planning criterion, with mapping of areas not currently covered by high-speed rail networksnetworks, in close cooperation with the Member States, identifying missing cross-border links and proposalsproposing priorities and a timeline for connectivitytheir timelines;gradual integration into the network;

3. Stresses that the expansion of high-speed rail must complement – and never come at the expense of – conventional, regional and suburban services; calls for a ‘network-first’ approach, with intermodal standards at stations and funding to upgrade existing lines;

3. Stresses the importance of a planning methodology in which connectivity to the European core network is treated as a structural entitlement of every region – including peripheral, outermost and currently under-connected regions – as an instrument of territorial cohesion, integration and convergence of mobility opportunities across the EU;

4. Calls on the coordinators of the trans-European network for transport (TEN-T) to identify abandoned or underserved cross-border connections with high social, economic and territorial value and to channel funding from the Connecting Europe Facility to low-cost, high-impact projects;

4. Stresses that the expansion of high-speed rail must complement – and never come at the expense of – conventional, regional, suburban and rail freight services; calls for a ‘network-first’ approach, which should integrate high-speed infrastructure planning with regional and urban mobility networks, local public transport, active mobility and major multimodal transport hubs; underlines that this requires the upgrading, modernisation and interoperability of existing lines, which remain central to the European rail system in their own right, backed by sufficient, predictable and long-term funding;

5. Calls for the public authorities to be formally consulted during both planning and deployment; underlines that high-speed stations must function as intermodal hubs enabling seamless door-to-door journeys across Europe;

5. Highlights the fact that new high-speed rail infrastructure can substantially increase capacity on the conventional network for regional passenger services and rail freight, facilitating a greater modal shift of freight transport from road to rail; underlines that this strengthens the competitiveness of rail freight and the overall resilience of the European rail system;

6. Calls for the Member States to assess the impact of high-speed rail infrastructure expansion on conventional passenger and freight services, taking into account the mixed-use nature of infrastructure upgrades, and the extent to which this expansion frees up the capacity and improves the quality and operational performance of conventional rail services;

7. Calls on the TEN-T European Coordinators to identify missing links, abandoned or underserved sections or cross-border connections with high social, economic, territorial and European added value, paying particular attention to peripheral and semi-peripheral Member States where high-speed rail coverage remains limited, to ensure that the network’s expansion contributes to territorial cohesion rather than deepening existing connectivity gaps;

8. Calls for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), Interreg and other relevant shared-management funds to be channelled, on the basis of the principle of fully interoperable and standardised solutions, into low-cost, high-impact projects designed to bridge these gaps, thereby eliminating bottlenecks, modernising infrastructure and enhancing capacity, while prioritising the closest and fastest routes between major urban areas;

9. Calls on the Commission to give priority to projects contributing to the completion of strategic cross-border corridors, the completion of the TEN-T core network and the reduction of long-standing infrastructure disparities across the EU; highlights the fact that the Member States should ensure the coherence of their national transport and investment plans with the priorities established under the TEN-T Regulation, including the work plans of the TEN-T European Coordinators, and considers that EU funding should give due consideration to this consistency between national planning and jointly agreed European objectives;

10. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to coordinate a financing strategy – the high-speed rail deal – for the roll-out of the high-speed rail network; calls on the Commission and the Council to structure the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework (MFF) in such a way as to ensure adequate and dedicated funding for the development of the high-speed network, and to make full use of existing and future EU funds, financing instruments and European Investment Bank guarantees to ensure inclusive and equitable access to rail transport, including high-speed services, for all regions and citizens; underlines the need for any financing strategy to ensure that the use of high-speed rail infrastructure is optimised to serve a diverse range of services and passenger profiles, including through fair pricing, thereby maximising the public value of investments and ensuring that the benefits of high-speed rail are shared as widely as possible;

11. Calls for national, regional and local authorities, as well as relevant rail network users, to be consulted from the early stages of both planning and deployment, paying particular attention to cross-border regions; underlines that high-speed stations must function as fully integrated intermodal hubs, ensuring efficient connections with conventional rail, regional public transport and, where appropriate, airports and freight terminals, so as to enable modal shift and seamless door-to-door journeys across Europe;

12. Highlights the importance of providing adequate bicycle carriage capacity on high-speed rail services to strengthen consumer choice and intermodal connectivity and unlock the potential of long-distance and cross-border cycling tourism as a sustainable form of travel; considers that multipurpose carrying spaces within carriages, together with innovative services for transporting large items to destination, can foster the uptake of rail as a means of travel;

13. Emphasises that a European high-speed rail network should not be limited by the external borders of the EU; calls for closer cooperation with neighbouring countries, including Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, to integrate key destinations into a wider European high-speed rail network, thereby enhancing mobility, economic ties and passenger choice;

7.15. Welcomes the modal-shift ambition outlined in the 2025 communication, butcommunication; considers binding targets indispensable; calls onthat the Commission toshould set, by 2027,2027 and following a comprehensive impact assessment, EU objectives for high-speed rail deployment alongside a 2040 modal-shift targetobjective coveringtowards intra-EUrail, short-haulin aviationorder andto long-distancereduce roadthe transport,carbon measuredintensity acrossof allthe regionstransport andsector; notstresses onlythat capital-to-capitalany corridors;such target must respect Member States’ geographic specificities;

8. Supports competitive high-speed corridors with top speeds of at least 250 km/h, with an ambition of achieving connections with speeds of 350 km/h, subject to independent cost-benefit analyses integrating criteria relating to climate, geographic specificities, cohesion and life cycles;

16. Considers that the modal shift should be underpinned by rail becoming a genuinely competitive and attractive alternative to other modes of transport – in terms of travel time, cost, service quality and reliability – coupled with effective enforcement of passenger rights; considers, furthermore, that this requires market access, including for new entrants, and cross-border ticketing integration with particular attention paid to connectivity needs in peripheral and island regions, whose full integration into the high-speed rail network will often depend on effective connection with conventional rail services, and, where appropriate, intermodal connections;

9. Calls for fiscal alignment between transport modes in line with the ‘polluter pays’ principle, including the revision of the Energy Taxation2 and VAT3 Directives, as a contribution to Europe’s energy resilience and strategic autonomy;

17. Supports competitive high-speed corridors with top speeds of at least 250 km/h, with an ambition of achieving connections with speeds of 350 km/h, subject to independent cost-benefit analyses integrating criteria relating to geography, climate, demand, territorial cohesion, life cycles and the specific operational characteristics of individual corridors; considers that the potential for differentiated passenger and freight speeds should be explored, as should the possibility of express freight services using electric multiple units;

10. Welcomes the nationwide rail subscriptions available in several Member States as proof that predictable pricing drives ridership; takes note of the ongoing legislative work on rail ticketing, multimodal booking and rail passenger rights; expecting that these instruments will deliver mandatory through-ticketing across all rail operators, a legally enforceable guarantee of onward travel in the event of missed connections, and access to open data and public booking platforms;

18. Recalls that all high-speed rail infrastructure and rolling stock operating in the EU, including that operated by companies from non-EU countries, must, respectively, comply with the relevant Technical Specifications for Interoperability and be certified by the ERA;

19. Calls for fair and efficient competition across transport modes in line with the ‘polluter pays’ principle, taking due account of the specific characteristics of each mode of transport, including VAT and other aspects, thereby supporting the EU’s energy resilience, strategic autonomy and climate goals;

20. Welcomes the ongoing legislative work on the Passenger Package, which should contribute to the development of a transparent and interoperable European ticketing ecosystem that serves the public interest; expects the package to deliver interoperable, visible, accessible and easily comparable rail ticket offers, as well as a legally enforceable guarantee of onward travel in the event of missed connections involving multiple rail operators, while ensuring that the ticket distribution market creates fair value for passengers, railway operators and the wider European rail system;

21. Welcomes rail subscription initiatives in which all operators can participate as effective tools to simplify access to rail services; encourages Member States and railway undertakings to make high-speed train tickets more affordable, including through accessible fares and appropriate reduced fare or subscription schemes; calls for greater transparency in ticket pricing, and, in particular, stresses the importance of ensuring that personalised pricing practices do not undermine fair access to rail services, given that lower, more predictable fares can boost ridership and support modal shift;

22. In line with the newly adopted CountEmissionsEU framework, encourages rail operators to calculate, display and share emissions data with relevant third parties, including ticket vendors and mobility platforms, so as to ensure that consumers have access to transparent information and can make informed choices between modes of transport; considers that this will allow rail to fully leverage its environmental and energy-efficiency advantages in comparison with other modes of transport;

23. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, in the context of the Streamlining Directive7, to bring forward measures to simplify permitting and investment procedures for high-speed rail projects, and reduce administrative complexity – taking into account environmental assessment and public participation standards – including through one-stop-shop approaches and shorter approval timelines where appropriate, in order to accelerate investment and project delivery;

11.24. Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to deliver a European high-speed rail deal as an opportunity for a coherent financingkey architecturestep totowards addressclosing the estimated EUR 345 billion high-speed rail investment gap;gap, in line with the development of an EU rail financing strategy announced in its communication entitled ‘Connecting Europe through High-Speed Rail’; calls for a European industrialrail masterindustrial planstrategy to industrialisecoordinate how Europethe EU builds, signals and operates its network, avoiding Europeanfragmentation; Railconsiders Trafficthat Managementdelivering Systemthis (ERTMS)-stylerequires fragmentation;the accelerated uptake of standardised and interoperable technologies, and a coordinated roll-out across the EU to drive industrial-scale delivery; considers that a coordinated industrial strategy should include supporting EU manufacturers and strengthening technological sovereignty and resilient supply chains;

12. Calls on the Commission to mobilise Emissions Trading System (ETS) revenues, including via the ETS2 revision, to finance high-speed rail; supports green rail bonds, the monetisation of avoided emissions and an electricity-crediting mechanism equivalent to the mechanism that exists for road transport;

25. Stresses the need to preserve and strengthen the CEF as the dedicated instrument for financing transport infrastructure, complemented by the European Competitiveness Fund to support investment in strategic rail infrastructure, innovation, industrial capacity and rolling stock acquisition, taking all actors into consideration; calls for an ambitious CEF for 2028-2034, underpinned by adequate, stable, predictable and long-term financing to ensure the network’s successful deployment; calls for synergies with other financial instruments to be maximised and for impact at both cross-border and national level to be enhanced, through investment in last-mile sections and connectivity to urban nodes and multimodal passenger hubs, ensuring that investment in high-speed rail benefits the wider transport network and strengthens territorial cohesion, taking into consideration the Member States and regions with the largest infrastructure gaps and supporting both new construction and the modernisation of existing lines;

13. Recalls the fact that the revised Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Regulation4 sets binding ERTMS deadlines for the core (2030), extended core (2040) and comprehensive (2050) networks; stresses that the current pace is insufficient to meet those targets; calls for accelerated delivery under the Third ERTMS Work Plan, including binding milestones for the decommissioning of Class B legacy signalling and Connecting Europe Facility Transport funding conditionality linked to ERTMS from 2028; entrusts the European Union Railway Agency with technical oversight, the possibility of adopting EU-wide vehicle authorisation by 2027 and the elimination of national-only solutions;

26. Calls on the Commission and the Council to shape the 2028-2034 MFF in such a way as to ensure adequate and dedicated funding for the development of the high-speed rail network; recalls that cohesion policy and its successor instrument, the national and regional partnership plans, should continue to support rail investments that promote economic, social and territorial cohesion, including high-speed rail infrastructure upgrades, where cohesion policy contributes to the completion of the TEN-T network, strengthens cross-border connectivity, improves accessibility for peripheral and less-connected regions and delivers wider benefits for the European rail system;

14. Calls for climate resilience to be made a binding design and operational criterion, with mandatory climate stress-testing for EU-funded rail projects from 2027;

27. Supports the exploration of innovative financing mechanisms to cover the costs of a modern and expanded European high-speed rail network; underlines that attracting public and private investment in high-speed rail depends on projects capable of delivering high societal value while yielding sustainable economic results, within an attractive environment for long-term investment that is based on a robust socio-economic assessment; calls for the simplification and streamlining of procedures that increase costs and uncertainty for rail infrastructure projects; calls for de-risking measures to mobilise investment while ensuring that it remains aligned with the public interest;

28. Calls for the removal of cross-border bottlenecks and the full implementation of TEN-T commitments to be key priorities of EU funding for high-speed rail, including through the upgrading and interoperability of rail infrastructure where needed, the efficient integration of multimodal freight terminals, and the completion of the European rail network in areas essential to EU-wide connectivity; insists that CEF Transport rail funding under the 2028-2034 MFF should be prioritised for cross-border sections and ERTMS deployment, ensuring that the TEN-T targets for 2030 are reached, complemented by national and regional partnership plans, and maintaining the current earmarking system under the next CEF; underlines that the effectiveness of the TEN-T core corridors depends on the timely and coordinated implementation of all national sections, as delays or fragmented implementation risk undermining the performance and competitiveness of the network as a whole; calls for the mandate of the European Coordinators of the TEN-T core network corridors to be strengthened and calls on the Commission to present a report, accompanied by a roadmap and a clear timeline, setting out the measures needed to remove the remaining barriers and reduce journey times;

29. Considers that Emissions Trading System (ETS) revenues should be mobilised to finance high-speed rail in line with national priorities, and to promote innovative financing mechanisms, such as green rail bonds, guarantees, blended finance, public-private partnerships and, where appropriate, the Regulated Asset Base model, the monetisation of avoided emissions and an electricity-crediting mechanism equivalent to the mechanism that exists for other modes of transport;

30. Calls on the Commission to assess how investment in high-speed infrastructure can facilitate the development of a European night train network and the integration of cross-border rail freight as complementary alternatives to other modes of transport;

31. Stresses that the maintenance and modernisation of existing rail infrastructure are as important as the construction of new lines, and encourages the Member States to ensure stable long-term funding for maintenance to provide investment certainty and reliable rail services; acknowledges, in this context, the importance of track access charges in contributing to the sustainable financing of rail infrastructure, noting that high-speed rail services often face the highest charges in the sector and that Directive 2012/34/EU8 allows infrastructure managers to levy higher charges for major projects that would not otherwise be financially viable; stresses, however, that such financing arrangements must be carefully designed to avoid undermining the affordability and accessibility of rail services, and highlights the fact that track access charges must not undermine the competitiveness of rail vis-à-vis other modes of transport; calls for a balanced, transparent and predictable approach that provides long-term visibility on charging frameworks and access conditions, in order to encourage investment, strengthen cross-border connectivity, enable competition and innovative services, and improve infrastructure use, while keeping the network accessible and affordable for all passengers;

32. Recalls that the revised TEN-T Regulation sets binding ERTMS targets for the core (2030), extended core (2040) and comprehensive (2050) networks, and provides for the decommissioning of legacy signalling systems; stresses that the current pace of implementation and funding is insufficient to meet those targets; calls for accelerated delivery under the Third ERTMS Work Plan, with incentives for its execution, including realistic binding milestones – with penalties for missing them – for the decommissioning of Class B legacy signalling and CEF Transport funding conditionality from 2028, to incentivise a higher degree of rail standardisation;

33. Entrusts the ERA with technical oversight, the possibility of adopting EU-wide vehicle authorisation by 2027, the harmonised and coordinated deployment of ERTMS, and the progressive elimination of national technical and operational requirements that constitute a barrier for the development of an integrated and interoperable European rail network; calls for a strengthened and adequately resourced role for the ERA, so as to accelerate technical harmonisation, improve interoperability, reduce fragmentation and build capacity across Member States and stakeholders;

34. Calls for all EU-funded high-speed infrastructure projects located on the four priority military mobility corridors to enable and promote the dual use of the line, and invites the Commission to ensure that the military mobility envelope under the CEF is coordinated with TEN-T high-speed rail planning; considers that this dual-use approach should extend to strengthening the connectivity and capacity of railway hubs, including border regions of the EU, reinforcing both mobility and preparedness along strategic TEN-T corridors;

35. Highlights the potential of innovation and digitalisation – including digital twins and AI-based tools – to improve the performance, reliability and resilience of rail infrastructure; notes, in this context, the potential of the Future Railway Mobile Communication System to reduce signalling costs; welcomes the Commission’s commitment to bridge the gap between research and market deployment by accelerating the uptake of harmonised European rail technologies, including automated train operations, next-generation ERTMS, digital communication and traffic management systems developed through Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking; calls for continued joint investment in rail research, innovation and deployment under the 2028-2034 Horizon Europe programme and the proposed European Competitiveness Fund, in partnership with the rail supply industry, infrastructure managers and railway operators, to enhance interoperability, productivity and the global competitiveness of the European rail sector;

36. Considers that climate resilience should be integrated as a core design and operational criterion, including climate stress-testing and climate adaptation requirements for EU-funded rail projects from 2027; calls for all rolling stock in service to be equipped with efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems by 2040;

37. Believes that Europe’s high-speed rail competitiveness must be underpinned by the highest safety standards; stresses that the upcoming revision of the ERA Regulation should strengthen the ERA’s role in supporting a safe, interoperable and trusted European rail system; notes that, unlike aviation and maritime transport, rail currently lacks a systematic EU-wide safety occurrence reporting framework that enables lessons to be learned from incidents and near misses; considers such a system essential to identify emerging risks at an early stage, support evidence-based policymaking and enable timely corrective action, while streamlining all reporting requirements, thereby maintaining public confidence in rail as a safe mode of transport;

15. Calls for a green industrial strategy for high-speed rail anchored in the Clean Industrial Deal, moving from fragmented markets to a globally competitive industrial base embedding social, climate, decent-work and circular-economy criteria; calls for the full application of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation5 to safeguard a level playing field;

38. Calls for a green industrial strategy for high-speed rail anchored in the Clean Industrial Deal, supporting innovation, competitiveness, strategic autonomy and the resilience of the European rail supply industry and moving from fragmented markets to a globally competitive industrial base embedding criteria linked to sustainability, social concerns, the climate, decent work, EU export potential and the circular economy; stresses that the construction of the European high-speed rail network should serve as a major demand driver for European infrastructure companies, engineering firms, signalling and cybersecurity providers, manufacturers of critical components and rolling-stock producers; calls for the criteria for EU budgetary measures relating to high-speed rail to prioritise alternatives with higher European added value and economic resilience; calls for the full application of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation9, including its social safeguards, and other relevant EU instruments to safeguard a level playing field, in view of growing pressure from state-subsidised competitors from non-EU countries; calls for measures to strengthen the resilience and innovation capacity of the sector, including through transparent procurement procedures for rail infrastructure, rolling stock and digital systems, in this context;

16. Supports the co-creation, under Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, of harmonised multi-network trainsets with minimal national adaptation; calls for the European Union Railway Agency to be granted exclusive competence for EU-wide vehicle authorisations and the phasing-out of national technical rules, and for its budget to be increased so that it can fulfil its tasks;

39. Stresses that the lowest initial price should not be the sole determining factor in the award of contracts for strategic high-speed rail infrastructure; recommends that procurement decisions take into account total life-cycle costs, interoperability, operational resilience, safety, cybersecurity, and the economic and security value of maintaining European industrial capabilities, strategic knowledge and skilled employment; calls for procurement and financing frameworks that recognise European added value, industrial resilience, technological sovereignty and security of supply;

17. Insists on the need to shift towards a single harmonised European set of technical requirements; calls for targeted financial support to address barriers to entry in the rolling stock market, including acquisition guarantees and an EU framework, by 2027, for a second-hand rolling stock market with transparent registries, harmonised standards and dedicated financing instruments for regional operators and new entrants;

40. Calls on the Commission to conduct a dedicated risk assessment of the railway ecosystem, identify high-risk suppliers in critical infrastructure components, notably signalling and control-command systems, including in dual-use rolling stock and strategic dual-use railway infrastructure, and develop a framework to strengthen the resilience and strategic autonomy of the European railway sector while preserving fair and open competition; calls for a thorough assessment of the cyber resilience of ERTMS;

41. Notes that the successful expansion of high-speed rail will depend on the availability of a sufficiently skilled workforce and on improving workforce mobility for both train drivers and on-board staff, while facilitating cross-border rail services and maintaining the highest safety standards; welcomes the work of the ERA on the development of technical specifications for a tamper-proof EU-wide system for monitoring driving, working and rest times, with a view to ensuring railway safety and compliance with social legislation, including for workers operating across multiple Member States or railway undertakings;

42. Supports the co-creation, under Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, which should be prolonged under the 2028-2034 MFF, of harmonised multi-network trainsets with minimal national adaptation, and supports the progress of research and development that addresses the remaining interoperability gaps in infrastructure and provides scalable solutions supporting an at-scale European rail market, with a view to accelerating standardisation and reducing costs; calls for the ERA to be granted strengthened competence for EU-wide streamlined vehicle authorisations and safety certification procedures and the phasing-out of national technical rules and for its budget to be commensurately increased so that it can fulfil its tasks, while ensuring its procedures are kept transparent, effective and cost-efficient;

43. Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the ERA, to explore appropriate mechanisms that can facilitate the adoption of common European railway standards by Member States facing particularly high infrastructure adaptation costs, including through transitional arrangements, implementation roadmaps and technical support measures, while safeguarding the objective of a fully interoperable European rail network; underlines that the ERA should work in coordination with the relevant Member State authorities, taking due account of technical and safety requirements justified by specific national networks;

44. Insists on the need to accelerate towards a harmonised set of operational rules and technical standards with a view to shifting to a single European railway area; calls for targeted measures to address barriers to entry in the rolling stock market, including acquisition guarantees with risk-sharing mechanisms, and for the establishment by 2027 of an EU framework for a transparent and competitive second-hand rolling stock market, supported by interoperable registries, harmonised standards and dedicated financing instruments that guarantee equal, fair market conditions and access for all railway operators, public or private, across all Member States;

45. Stresses that a genuinely European high-speed rail market depends on fair, transparent and non-discriminatory access to essential rail service facilities – such as maintenance depots, train storage facilities, ticket counters and passenger information displays – and to second-hand rolling stock, the current lack of which remains a major barrier to market entry, increases operating costs and reduces affordability for passengers; welcomes the Commission’s commitment to revise the implementing regulation on access to service facilities and rail-related services and to bring forward legislation on the reselling and decommissioning of rolling stock, with a view to strengthening the competitiveness of rail and the efficient use of railway infrastructure, while guaranteeing the highest standards of safety, compatibility and interoperability;

46. Calls on the Commission to regularly evaluate completed high-speed rail projects, including in terms of passenger demand, financial performance, environmental impact and regional economic effects, in order to improve future investment decisions;

47. Calls on the Commission to review Directive 2007/59/EC10 on the certification of train drivers with a view to removing unnecessary barriers to cross-border rail services through the harmonisation of training, certification and language requirements; calls for the deployment of innovative technologies, including AI-based communication and translation solutions, to facilitate seamless and uniform communication across borders, provided that such measures maintain the current level of railway safety; calls on the Commission to submit legislative proposals to this effect;

48. Welcomes the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2026/118411 on the use of railway infrastructure capacity in the single European railway area, which strengthens EU-harmonised coordination of capacity planning and allocation, improves the efficient use of rail infrastructure, reduces congestion and bottlenecks, and lays the foundation for more seamless, punctual and reliable international passenger and rail freight services, thereby supporting a shift towards rail; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure its swift and effective implementation;