The European Commission aims to boost the adoption of green practices by injecting almost €2.2bn into 140 key transport projects.
This investment will allow Member States to further implement sustainable infrastructure, whilst also creating jobs. The projects will receive funding through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the EU’s grant scheme supporting transport infrastructure. The investment will largely be used to reinforce railways, improve cross-border links and connections to ports and airports. Inland waterway transport is boosted through more capacity and better multimodal connections to the road and rail networks.
Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said: “The €2.2bn EU contribution to this crucial transport infrastructure will help kick-start the recovery, and we expect it to generate €5bn in investments. The type of projects we invest in ranges from inland waterways transport to multimodal connections, alternative fuels to massive railroad infrastructure. The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is one of our key instruments in creating a crisis-proof and resilient transport system – vital now and in the long run.”
How will the funding be allocated to transport projects?
The European Commission will invest €1.6bn into 55 rail infrastructure projects located on the trans-European transport core network. This includes the Rail Baltica project, which integrates the Baltic States in the European rail network, as well as the cross-border section of the railway line between Dresden (Germany) and Prague (Czechia).
A further €142m will also support 19 projects that aid the shift toward greener fuels in transport. Road transport will also see the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, namely through the installation of 17,275 charging points on the road network and the deployment of 355 new buses.
Nine projects will receive €49.8m to contribute to an interoperable railway system in the EU and the seamless operation of trains across the continent through the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). The projects aim to upgrade locomotives and railway track to the unified European train control system in order to boost safety, decrease travel times and optimise track usage.
