The TEN-T strategy aims at maintaining the current and reshaping the future multi-modal networks on the territory of European Union member states. Next to the continuous extension of this strategy, the necessity of a reviewed approach of network coordination at European level has become obvious. Approaching the TEN-T network coordination is aimed at supporting the European Union’s objectives by ensuring a methodological structure for the TEN-T policy.
At the same time, the future sustainability of transport networks should be ensured. The end purpose of the TEN-T policy is the establishment of a single multi-modal network that covers both ground traditional structures (infrastructure) and equipments – including intelligent transport systems – to maintain a safe, sustainable and efficient traffic. At the end of January, DG MOVE published the methodology that supports the TEN-T network planning.
The objective of the TEN-T policy is to ensure the provision of the EU infrastructure in line with the economic, social and political objectives formulated in the Treaty of Lisbon. If Europe is to fulfil its economic and social potential, it is essential to build the missing links and remove the bottlenecks in the European transport infrastructure. Reducing CO2 emissions from transport is high on the agenda. The methodology published supports the Green Paper on the TEN-T policy review, a document published in 2009 as “it is expected that both the quality of the infrastructure and the transportation services themselves are expected to meet the highest standards, be it in terms of the connections required for an optimum service or in terms of the reliability and robustness of the connections”. The traffic and transportation system need to be tailored to current and future needs.
An analysis of the existing network will reveal the degree to which the existing connections function at the desired quality level. The methodology will focus on unimodal networks and on the inter-modal connections. An approach for determining the capacity bottlenecks for rail run fairly quickly in data and information availability problems. Where operational data are exiting from the European Transport Information System (ETIS) and from TRANS-TOOLS (transport forecasting and scenario testing), the main problem lies in the rail networks. European networks are existing in TRANS-TOOLS but do not contain information on for instance marshalling yards, turning direction at intersections, gradient, number of slots etc. Unfortunately, DG MOVE believes, this information is existing but at the national level and is owned by the respective railway organizations who do not want to release this information. Therefore, it is highly recommended to approach the problems imposed by administrative deadlocks, but mostly by technical and organisational traffic problems on the European network before elaborating the future TEN-T methodology. DG MOVE recommends special attention to implementing intelligent transport systems.
TEN-T extension strategy will consider the economic development of European regions
Strengthening cohesion between regions in the European Union and reducing the economic disparities between them is one of the main goals of the European Union. Transport policy, and implicitly the TEN-T strategy, is one of the major policy instruments of the European Union to serve this goal in conjunction with the goal to increase the economic competitiveness of regions. Apart from the “classic” role that infrastructure play, which is that of carrying people and freight, they also have a major contribution to the economic development and, in this case, to the economic implications of extending the transport network in Europe and across the Union’s border.
For an increase efficiency of the TEN-T planning procedure, there are seven key aspects to be taken into account both by member states and the Commission. Thus, the domestic market and the economic cohesion are the first key aspect (standardisation, accessibility, safety, efficiency and infrastructure quality will be analysed), followed by territorial cohesion, sustainable development, multi-modality and interoperability perspective, climate change, a clearer definition of the transport development policy and seven, globalisation and the international dimension of the TEN-T network. It is also recommended to analyse the implications resulting from globalisation tendencies, such as the effect of increasing the price of fuels and the development of the infrastructure that links the Baltic States.
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