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REPORT (2026/2003(INI))

On connecting Europe through high-speed rail

A-10-2026-0262

Committee on Transport and Tourism · Rapporteur: Vicent Marzà Ibáñez

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✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 20 Oct 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

A committee report (motion for a resolution) on connecting Europe through high-speed rail. It welcomes the Commission's 2025 communication and calls for an interoperable, accessible network that serves all regions, complements conventional rail and delivers a modal shift. It asks the Commission to set EU high-speed deployment objectives by 2027 and a 2040 modal-shift objective, and to plan for speeds of at least 250 km/h with ambition for 350 km/h. It calls for dedicated funding in the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework to close the EUR 345 billion investment gap, a European rail industrial strategy, and faster ERTMS deployment. It also asks for simpler ticketing and permitting, stronger ERA powers, climate resilience criteria and measures on skills, rolling stock and service-facility access.

Committee position. The committee welcomes the Commission's communication and proposes a resolution calling for binding modal-shift objectives, territorially balanced planning, dedicated public funding for the network, and a reinforced industrial and interoperability framework.

Key points

  1. Calls for a European high-speed network that serves all major urban nodes, including medium-sized towns and peripheral regions, and asks the Commission to make this a planning criterion with mapping of uncovered areas.
  2. Says high-speed expansion must complement, not replace or divert funding from, conventional, regional, suburban and freight rail, and calls for a 'network-first' approach with upgraded existing lines.
  3. Calls on TEN-T European Coordinators to identify missing and underserved cross-border links, and for CEF, Interreg and other funds to target low-cost, high-impact gap-bridging projects.
  4. Welcomes the planned 'high-speed rail deal' and calls on the Commission and Council to provide dedicated funding in the 2028-2034 MFF, using EU funds, financing instruments and EIB guarantees.
  5. Asks the Commission to set EU high-speed deployment objectives by 2027 and a 2040 modal-shift objective, after an impact assessment, respecting member states' geographic specificities.
  6. Supports corridors with top speeds of at least 250 km/h and an ambition of 350 km/h, subject to independent cost-benefit analyses, and says all infrastructure and rolling stock must meet interoperability rules and ERA certification.
  7. Calls for fair competition across transport modes under the 'polluter pays' principle, including on VAT, and welcomes the Passenger Package's interoperable ticketing and missed-connection guarantees.
  8. Encourages more affordable high-speed fares, subscription schemes and pricing transparency, and asks the Commission and member states to simplify permitting for high-speed projects.
  9. Calls for a European rail industrial strategy, preservation of CEF, an ambitious 2028-2034 CEF, and use of ETS revenues, green bonds and other mechanisms to finance high-speed rail.
  10. Calls for accelerated ERTMS delivery with binding milestones and penalties, CEF funding conditionality from 2028, and a strengthened, better resourced ERA with EU-wide vehicle authorisation by 2027.
  11. Asks for climate stress-testing of EU-funded rail projects from 2027, HVAC systems on all rolling stock by 2040, and an EU-wide rail safety occurrence reporting framework.
  12. Calls for a green industrial strategy for rail, procurement based on life-cycle costs rather than lowest price, a risk assessment of high-risk suppliers, and an EU second-hand rolling stock market by 2027.

Who is affected

  • Member states and regions: asked to align national transport plans with TEN-T priorities and to fund maintenance and modernisation.
  • Rail passengers: would get simpler, more comparable ticketing, onward-travel guarantees and more affordable fares.
  • The European Union Agency for Railways: would gain stronger powers over authorisation, certification and ERTMS deployment.
  • The European rail supply industry and operators: targeted by industrial strategy, procurement rules and resilience assessments.
  • Rail workers: the text calls for investment in skills, working conditions and cross-border staff mobility.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 345 billion: the estimated high-speed rail investment gap to be closed by 2040.
  • 68.1 %: the fall in rail emissions between 1990 and 2019.
  • EUR 45 billion: annual revenues of the rail supply industry and high-speed rail technologies.
  • 1.3 million: workers employed in the EU rail sector.
  • 250 km/h: minimum top speed supported for competitive high-speed corridors; ambition of 350 km/h.
  • 2030, 2040 and 2050: binding ERTMS targets for the core, extended core and comprehensive networks.
  • 2027: deadline sought for EU high-speed deployment objectives, EU-wide vehicle authorisation and a second-hand rolling stock framework.
  • 2040: deadline for equipping all rolling stock in service with HVAC systems.