The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), the Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants in Europe (ALLRAIL), the European Rail Supply Industry (UNIFE) and the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-RAIL) signed a MoU to jointly launch a study on smart and affordable high-speed services in the European Union.
The agreement was signed in presence of Walter Goetz, the Head of Cabinet of the European Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean, during the Connecting Europe Days in Lyon on 29 June 2022 and falls under the French Presidency of the European Union.
The study will demonstrate the most significant benefits deriving from the completion of a European high-speed rail network connecting the capitals and major cities of Europe, as well as the clear sustainability merits.
It will also show how and by when the accelerated investment in the transformation of rail and, in particular, of the European high-speed rail network and services is a key element towards zero-emission, sustainable and equitable mobility. The study also aims at fostering a radical transformation of the rail system and delivering on European Green Deal objectives, including the achievement of a fully operational, multimodal, sustainable, and smart Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), with high-speed rail connectivity by 2050.
Under the mobility strategy presented by the European Commission in December 2020, the high-speed rail transport would double by 2030 and triple by 2050. Therefore, the development of the high-speed rail network and services is essential to achieve these targets and to contribute to the EU Green Deal.
“Development of high-speed rail can certainly help us to get more people to consider rail as their means of transport and as their place of work. I therefore welcome the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding between Europe’s Rail, CER, ALLRAIL and UNIFE to launch a study on ‘Smart and affordable High-Speed services in the EU’. I count that this cooperation will contribute to the transformation of rail transport and will bring modern services better adapted to the EU citizens’ needs,” Walter Goetz said.
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