EU invests €1 billion in transport network development

8 January, 2018 - The European Commission is proposing to invest €1 billion in 39 transport projects which will unlock a total of €4.5 billion of public and private co-financing. This investment is being made under the Connecting Europe Facility, the EU fund supporting infrastructure networks, and combines - for the first time - EU grants with financing from the European Investment Bank, National Promotional Banks and private banks The selected projects will upgrade Europe's rail network, further develop alternative fuels infrastructure and pave the way for zero emission water transport.
In doing so, the Commission is firmly delivering on its Clean Mobility Package of 8 November. Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said:

"Our investment plan for Europe is working: today we are proposing to invest €1 billion in 39 transport projects of clear EU added value for citizens and businesses. This will allow us to further accelerate our transition to low-emission mobility across Europe, and firmly deliver on the EU's agenda for jobs and growth. We expect it to unlock a total of €4.5 billion of public and private co-financing by 2030." 

Proposed projects are concentrated on the strategic sections of Europe's transport network (the core network) to ensure the highest EU added-value and impact. The largest part of the funding will be devoted to developing the European rail network (€719.5 million), decarbonising and upgrading road transport (€99.6 million), as well as developing maritime ports (€78.9 million) and inland waterways (€44.7 million).

The projects include flagship initiatives such as increasing the speed of the railway access line to the Fehmarnbelt tunnel between Denmark and Germany; upgrading the Divača-Koper railway line in Slovenia to improve its capacity, safety and reliability; deploying a pan-European network of 340 charging stations for electric cars in 13 EU countries; adapting the most important Belgian inland waterway, the Albert canal, for larger freight transport; as well as improving the capacity of the Port of Gdansk in Poland.