The European Commission plans a high-speed railway network that will reduce travel times between European capitals, aiming for completion by 2040.

The European Commission has announced plans for a high-speed railway network that could be completed by 2040, aiming to significantly reduce travel times between major European cities. Trains could operate at speeds of over 250 km/h, transforming routes such as Berlin - Copenhagen or Sofia - Athens into journeys of just a few hours. For example, the travel time between Tallinn and Riga could decrease from 6 hours to 1 hour and 45 minutes, and between Lisbon and Madrid from 9 hours to 3 hours.

The European Commissioner for Transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, emphasized that this network will make train travel a more attractive alternative to short-haul flights. Although there is a constant call for the improvement of rail transport, the rapid development of cross-border travel has been limited by insufficient infrastructure and incompatible systems. The Commission estimates that €546 billion is needed to expand the existing network of 12,128 km of high-speed rail.

The plan includes measures to improve signaling and ticketing systems, and Tzitzikostas has promised legislation that will allow the purchase of cross-border tickets from a single location. Rail transport organizations have welcomed the initiative, considering it an important step for sustainable transport. However, some experts express doubts about the realization of these plans, highlighting the lack of financial details and the slow history of railway project implementation in the EU.