The European Commission decided to increase the financing for military mobility projects from EUR 330 million to over EUR 616 million to support 35 projects under the Connecting Europe Facility. More than EUR 346 million financing will be delivered for rail and rail-related projects to enhance military mobility and dual-use transport. The increase of the budget was the result of Russia’s war of aggression which highlights the need of a connected network with increased capacity across the EU. he projects will help European armed forces to respond better, more rapidly and at a sufficient scale to crises erupting at and outside the EU’s external borders.
The military mobility projects will support Member States and partner countries to develop a well-connected and secure military mobility network. Examples include the upgrade of six rail bridges and the construction of two low-speed track sections for longer and heavier trains in Germany on the North Sea – Baltic Corridor, the purchase of a multi-use hybrid propulsion ice-breaker to increase capacity in the port of Riga, the upgrade of two stretches of road along the Via Baltica close to the Lithuanian-Polish border, the modernisation of rail infrastructure at the Romanian port of Constanta, and the construction of a new bridge over the Prut river connecting Romania and the Republic of Moldova.
“With this new batch of projects co-financed under the 2022 CEF Military Mobility call we are clearly accelerating our support to transport infrastructure improvements across the EU that will contribute to the security of our continent for decades to come,” said the Director of the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), Dirk Beckers.
The 35 projects have been selected among those submitted under the second Military Mobility call for proposals issued by the CEF programme, the funding instrument for strategic investment in EU transport infrastructure. The Commission will pay grants, which co-finance the total estimated project costs and which will be paid earlier than initially planned.
“The results of our second call on military mobility under Connecting Europe Facility reflect the need of the European Union’s Member States to improve the dual use of our transport system. It was a highly competitive and oversubscribed call, with winning projects in 17 countries. I am pleased that some of the projects in Germany, Romania and Poland directly address improving the infrastructure on the Solidarity Lanes, our corridors used for Ukraine’s imports and exports,” Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said.
The second Military Mobility call, which was opened on 12 May 2022 and closed on 29 September 2022 aims to co-fund projects that will support the adaptation of transport infrastructure to civil and military mobility needs within the EU by making it suitable for civilian and defence dual-use.
To enhance military mobility across EU, a budget of EUR 1.69 billion is available under CEF between 2021-2027. Under the first call for proposals in 2021, 22 projects worth EUR 339 million were selected for funding and are now being implemented across the EU.
The selected rail and rail-related projects.
- Belgium has received EUR 30.8 million to upgrade the signalling system and electrify the tracks in two rail yards and the renewal of the automatic hump yard within the Port of Antwerp-Bruges
- Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport received EUR 56 million to upgrade six bridges on Corridor North Sea – Baltic and to build two 740m-sidings to provide for higher availability of paths for
longer and heavier trains. The projects will be implemented on the routes connecting Frankfurt/Oder-Berlin-Hamburg and Berlin-Magdeburg-Braunschweig-Hannover as well as Hannover-Köln-Border with Belgium, Hannover-Osnabrück-Border the Netherlands. - The ministry will also benefit a EUR 99 million funding to upgrade six bridges, four sidings and three rail-road terminals on the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes. The projects will develop the infrastructure for dual use (civilian and military) improving the infrastructure to allow 740m trains on its section of Corridor Rhine-Danube and Orient/East-Med.
- Demark obtained EUR 3.5 million to increase the railway freight and passenger capacity at Copenhagen Airport and Kalvebod to civilian and military dual use. The financing will support the elaboration of studies related to the preparation for the subsequent
construction of a turnback rail track at the Copenhagen airport railway station and a passing rail track at Kalvebod (western
Copenhagen) that complement each other. - EUR 26.3 million will be also provided to Denmark to remove rail cross-border bottleneck between the fixed links across Fehmarn and Oresund at Copenhagen Airport to civilian and military dual use. The project covers reconstruction work of the rail line around the airport and the station for directional operation, establishing two new platforms and transfer facilities to the new platforms as well as improving safety of the existing Kastrup tunnel.
- Spain will receive EUR 2.2 million for gauge adaptation on the Medina del Campo – Salamanca- Fuentes de Oñoro railway line. The project aims at upgrading the capacity and performance of the existing conventional Salamanca-Fuentes de Oñoro rail section. The works to be performed are necessary to facilitate international rail passenger and freight traffic, but also to enable the electrification on existing conventional line rail tracks.
- EUR 2.4 million will also be delivered to Spain for a study of gauges for the development of Rail Motorway Algeciras – Zaragoza, part of the global project on the Algeciras – Madrid – Zaragoza rail line on the Atlantic and Mediterranean CNCs. The project concerns the elaboration of preliminary and detailed studies to adapt the railway line for the use of P420 semi-trailers.
- EUR 1.9 million will be delivered to France to adapt the rail infrastructure and terminal to civilian-defence dual use at Port Atlantique La Rochelle. The project includes a multimodal platform that is also in the vicinity of the Atlantic Core Network Corridor. It combines study and works that aim to upgrade the existing dual use military rail freight terminal and tracks.
- EUR 15.1 million will support the actions in Hungary covering the Zalaszentiván Western Triangle Track connecting Zalaszentiván-Hódos and Szombathely-Zalaszentiván TEN-T lines. The project consists of the construction of a new triangle track at Zalaszentiván station which will allow direct connection between the Slovenian – Hungarian cross-border section Hodoš –Zalaszentiván of the Mediterranean corridor and the section Rajka– Hegyeshalom – Szombathely – Zalaszentiván of the comprehensive network. The project also includes the construction of a new railway stop, as well as a new level crossing resulting from the re-alignment of railway line.
- Latvia will receive EUR 6.2 million for a project covering the enhancement of dual use capacity of Riga Port – Latvia, by investing in road and railway access and berth infrastructure.
- Poland received a EUR 6.5 million financing for works at cargo points located on the TEN-T network. This mainly includes improvement of military mobility at 13 cargo points of railway stations located in the core/comprehensive TEN-T network in Poland.
- Poland will also benefit a EUR 10 million investment that will support the construction of a multimodal goods and fuel delivery hub with railway siding connection at Katowice Airport. The project concerns the construction of a railway connection at the airport to deliver aviation fuel, as well as a new fuel farm for the supply of civil and military aircraft. The rail siding will connect the fuel facility at the airport with rail line No. 182.
- Portugal received EUR 12.8 million for the reinforcement of Dock 1 North of the port of Leixões for dual use and rail connectivity. The project is situated in the Port of Leixões (on Atlantic Corridor) and the project addresses works for the reinforcement of dock N°1 North, alignment and a continuous berth front on the north side of the port, extension of the adjacent Ro-Ro ramp, increase of the
supporting capacity of the pier embankment and deepening of the quay. - EUR 1.27 million will support the studies for Port of Sines, Portugal, to increase its capacity through an extension of the existing breakwater, reorganise and improve rail and road accessibility and multimodal connections.
- Romania will receive EUR 43.5 million for the modernisation of the railway infrastructure in Constanta Port – stage I, Valu lui Traian. The project consists of design and execution of works for the modernisation of the railway infrastructure in Valu lui Traian Marshalling Yard and in the related railway station in the port of Constanta.
- Sweden obtained EUR 28.4 million for a project which includes track doubling works on two sections of the Freight Line through Bergslagen: the Dunsjö – Jakobshyttan section of 5 km, which includes a 260 m long mountain tunnel, three bridges and service road, as well as the Jakobshyttan – Degerön section of 13 km which also includes the building of six bridges.
Photo: ProRail
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