The European Commission wants all new railways to be built using standard European gauge, and gives Member States until 2025-2026 to come up with a plan to switch to 1435 mm gauge. These are the results of the meeting of EU transport ministers held on Monday in Brussels. It is reported by Railway Supply magazine with reference to RailFreight.

standard gauge

According to the Commission, the war in Ukraine and the unrest that followed highlighted the importance of supply chains and food security, which in turn drew attention to the rail connections. The European Commission wants to improve Europe’s internal transport connectivity and announced in July that all future TEN-T railways must be built using standard European gauge.

By 2035 20% of regional trains in Europe will run on hydrogen

Currently, Ireland, Finland, Spain, Portugal and the Baltic States have different nominal gauges. The new Rail Baltica line has already been built in European gauge and for the first time connects Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to the European gauge network.

Latvia was one of the first to comment on the results of the meeting on Monday. The Minister of Transport of Latvia emphasized the role of the TEN-T project in ensuring proper investments in the missing sections of the network, but noted the importance of assistance from other Member States. In September, the Director General of Estonian Railways estimated the cost of a possible transition to the European gauge standard at about 8.7 billion euros.

The EU is also currently evaluating the possibility of extending the standard gauge of the European rail network to Ukraine and Moldova as part of the countries’ integration into the European transport area.

Railway news you might have missed:

Testing a hydrogen-powered train in Scotland

Find the latest news of the railway industry in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and the rest of the world on our page on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, read Railway Supply magazine online.

Place your ads on webportal and in Railway Supply magazine. Detailed information is in Railway Supply media kit