7 Rail Megaprojects Get More EU Funds than 84 Other Key Upgrades — New T&E Report - CleanTechnica

A recent Transport & Environment (T&E) report highlights that the European Union’s current rail funding strategy disproportionately favors a small number of large megaprojects over numerous essential rail infrastructure upgrades. Between 2021 and 2023, seven major projects—including Rail Baltica, Brenner base tunnel, and Lyon Turin tunnel—received 31% (€6.6 billion) of the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) transport funds, while 84 other critical upgrades shared only 27%. Although these megaprojects are important for integrating Europe’s rail network, their lengthy timelines and high costs have led to oversubscription of CEF funds, limiting investment in quicker, widespread improvements. The report also raises concerns about the underfunding of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), a standardized signaling system crucial for enhancing cross-border rail capacity and connectivity. ERTMS received just €0.7 billion (3% of CEF transport funds) from 2021 to 202