Copyright Newsweek
Earlier this month, the European Commission revealed its plan to speed up the expansion of high-speed rails that would significantly reduce travel times across the continent. Why It Matters In a press release, officials said the plan “supports the EU’s twin goals of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050 and strengthening Europe’s global competitiveness,” and are aiming to “deliver a well-functioning and faster high-speed rail network by 2040.” What To Know A map shared by the European Commission on Wednesday showed plans for the "game-changing" upgrade. Officials say that by 2030, travelers will be able to go from Berlin to Copenhagen, Denmark, in just four hours instead of seven. By 2035, a rail trip between Sofia, Bulgaria, and Athens, Greece, will take six hours, and new cross-border routes will connect the Baltic states and allow journeys from Paris to Lisbon, Portugal, through Madrid. “Built on the trans-European transport network, the plan will connect major nodes at speeds of [greater than 200 kilometers per hour (124 miles per hour)],” the Commission said. The initiative also aims to ease congestion, boost capacity on existing rail lines, and enhance regional and overnight train services. “It will also strengthen Europe’s security, by facilitating the swift movement of troops and military equipment alongside civilian freight,” officials said. What People Are Saying Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, said in a statement: “High-speed rail is not just about cutting travel times - it is about uniting Europeans, strengthening our economy, and leading the global race for sustainable transport. With today’s plan, we are turning ambition into action: breaking down barriers, mobilizing investments for modern infrastructure, and making cross-border rail the backbone of a carbon-neutral, competitive, and secure Europe. Citizens across the Union will benefit from faster, safer, and more affordable journeys that bring Europe closer together." What Happens Next? The European Commission said that once the plan is implemented, journeys from Tallinn, Estonia, to Riga, Latvia, will take just one hour 45 minutes, and from Riga to Vilnius, Lithuania, about two hours—down from over six hours and four hours, respectively. In Central Europe, trips from Berlin to Vienna via Prague will be cut from more than eight hours to four hours 30 minutes. In Southeast Europe, Sofia to Athens will take six hours instead of nearly 14, and Budapest, Hungary, to Bucharest, Romania, will drop from 15 hours to six hours 15 minutes. In the Southwest, Madrid to Lisbon will shrink from nine hours to roughly three, and Madrid to Paris from nine hours 50 minutes to six. Further north, Copenhagen to Berlin will be reduced from seven hours to four, while in the south, Munich to Rome will fall from nine hours 30 minutes to six, the commission said.
