The TEN-T Regulation revision has been officially approved by the European Parliament!
On April 24, MEPs gathered in Strasbourg for the final plenary sessions of this legislature formally endorsed the legislative proposal with 565 votes in favour, 37 votes against, and 29 abstentions. This vote represented the apex of a long legislative process which started in December 2021. The text, which now needs only to obtain the final green light by the Council, is expected to officially enter into force at the end of May.
Recognising the importance of rail in the transition to sustainable transport, the co-legislators have agreed on new requirements that are aimed to achieve a comprehensive modal shift and improve the performance of the future European rail network.
These requirements include:
- An average dwell time at border crossings (maximum 15 minutes) and limited delay on arrival at their destination (less than 30 minutes) for freight trains
- Higher train speeds across the network (160 km/h for passenger trains, 100 km/h for freight trains)
- The introduction of the P400 loading gauge allowing circulation of semitrailers on railway wagons
- An increase in the maximum length of freight trains (740 m)
- The compulsory deployment of ERTMS on the whole network by 2040
- Improved and faster connections with urban nodes, ports, airports, and multimodal freight terminals
- Better coordination of major rail infrastructure projects
- The integration of the RFCs into the European Transport Corridors
ScanMed RFC welcomes the Parliament’s vote and would like to thank the Co-Rapporteurs Barbara Thaler (EPP) and Dominique Riquet (Renew) for their work on this file. It is a concrete step towards more connectivity, more sustainability, more resilience, and ultimately, more Europe.
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