European High Speed Rail Network Set for Largest Expansion in History

The EU's TEN-T core network regulations require major new high-speed rail connections to be completed across the continent by 2030.

Rails Into the Future: Europe's High-Speed Rail Revolution

The European Union's Trans-European Transport Network regulation, which entered into force in 2024 with ambitious deadlines requiring member states to complete key rail infrastructure projects, is driving the largest coordinated expansion of high-speed rail capacity in European history. By the 2030 deadline for completing the core network, passengers will be able to travel at high speed between cities that currently require indirect or slow connections, fundamentally changing the competitive position of rail versus aviation for medium-distance travel across the continent.

The most transformative projects under construction include the Lyon-Turin rail tunnel through the Alps connecting France and Italy — one of the most complex and expensive infrastructure projects in European history, now approaching completion after decades of planning and construction; new high-speed lines in Spain connecting the existing network to Extremadura, Galicia, and the Basque Country; the first high-speed rail links in several Central and Eastern European countries including Romania and Bulgaria; and significantly enhanced cross-border connections between Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Central European neighbours.

The political and economic case for high-speed rail expansion has strengthened considerably as aviation's environmental costs have become more politically salient and as several European countries have introduced or debated restrictions on short-haul flights where comparable rail journeys are available. France's existing ban on domestic flights where a rail journey under 2.5 hours is possible has been followed by similar discussions in other countries, creating a policy environment in which rail investment generates both environmental benefits and commercial returns as travel demand shifts between modes.