Transport ministers want to complete the trans-European transport network
Update: 21/10/2022 16:52
Issued by: 21/10/2022, 16:48
Prague – At an informal meeting in Prague, the transport ministers of EU countries agreed on the need to revise the list of trans-European transport networks (TEN-T). The Czechia wants to introduce a railway line from the Czech Republic to Germany, Austria or Poland. The ministers also put together a set of measures to reduce energy consumption on the railways. This is, for example, the purchase of more vehicles, the unification of power supply systems or an increase in the flow of traffic. Czech Minister of Transport Martin Kupka (ODS) said this at the press conference after the meeting.
“The whole day today belonged to the railway,” Kupka said after the meeting. One of the key topics was the revision of the current form of the TEN-T network. In this context, the Czech minister pointed out that the European backbone railway network TEN-T is missing a number of sections, especially the cross-border ones. The Czechia is primarily promoting the inclusion of the Berlin-Prague-Vienna route or the route from Austria through the Czechia to Poland. In addition to the Czech connection with Germany, Austria and Poland, it is, among other things, a high-speed connection between Lyon and Turin, Madrid and Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin, or the connection of the railway networks of Ukraine and Moldova.
Ministers also addressed train transport in connection with high energy prices. Together, they therefore prepared a list of recommended measures to reduce energy consumption on railways, which are used by individual member states. This is, for example, the management of fuel-efficient vehicles capable of recuperation (recovery of heat), unification of power supply systems, greater use of local renewable resources, change of the mode of heating switches. or increasing the smoothness of driving without frequent stops. According to Kupka, despite rising energy prices, the ministers agreed on the need for further electrification of the tracks.
The ministers also discussed ways to make rail transport more attractive for passengers. It is about greater comfort on trains, but also about the possibility of purchasing a single pan-European ticket for rail travel. Together, they also want to improve the situation in the blockades, where they agreed on the need to coordinate blockade work and border measures.