Print

Aug 01 2022

EU wants standard European track gauge for all member states

The European Commission proposed introducing a standard European track width of 1435mm for all member states. This is because the war in Ukraine has made Brussels realise that different track gauges can cause many restrictions in the transport sector. Countries with a different gauge in the European Union are Ireland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal and Spain.

 

The EU wants to change the existing amendment proposal for the new TEN-T regulation from last December. The current proposal will, from now on, be part of the ongoing negotiations on the revision of the TEN-T regulations. Due to the challenges posed by the war in Ukraine, the EU realised that better connections with neighbouring countries of the EU are now “needed more than ever.” “Our efforts to facilitate Ukraine’s grain exports have shown the importance of interoperability in the transport system,” said Adina Valean, European Commissioner for Transport.

 

Therefore, the Commission proposed that all Member States with an overland rail connection with other Member States are obliged to build their new TEN-T railway lines with the European track gauge of 1435mm. These countries must also draw up a plan for adapting the routes that are part of the nine existing corridors of the trans-European transport network to the European standard. This includes a cost-benefit analysis. If this is negative, member states can choose not to adapt their network.

 

Expansion to Ukraine

The European Commission has also proposed to extend four TEN-T transport corridors to major transport hubs in Ukraine and Moldova. Furthermore, the EU does not want to focus on expanding the transport corridors to Russia and Belarus for the time being. Read more

 

Source: RAILFREIGHT.COM