<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/05/high-speed-european-rail-network-could-be-possible-by-2040>
"Breakfast in Berlin, lunch in Copenhagen, with a fast and easy train journey
to pass the morning? Or a midday meal in Sofia, then taking the high-speed line
to arrive in Athens just in time for an evening aperitif? Both could be
possible if a vision for European high-speed rail travel ever becomes a
reality.
A faster, “truly European” high-speed rail network could be possible by 2040,
the EU executive said on Wednesday, as it revealed plans to dramatically cut
journey times between major cities.
The European Commission sketched out a world where trains could reach speeds
well above 250km/h (155mph), when feasible, to ensure faster connections across
the continent.
If the plan is realised, rail passengers could travel betweenthe German and
Danish capitals in four hours by 2030, instead of seven hours today, while
Sofia and Athens would be just six hours apart by 2035, instead of nearly 14.
New cross-border links would dramatically speed up travel between Tallinn and
Riga to 1hr 45min compared with 6hr 10min now. On the other side of the
continent, a journey between Lisbon and Madrid would be cut to three hours,
down from nine.
The EU transport commissioner, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, a self-declared “train
guy”, said the plans set out how to create “a faster, truly European high-speed
rail [network] by 2040”. The commission has predicted this would make rail
travel a more appealing alternative to short-haul and possibly longer flights
on many routes."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
