EU Financing for rail

Significant EU funds are available for investment in the European rail system. UNIFE advocates at the EU and Member State level for the proper use, absorption and spending of these funds in rail. Investing in rail will be a key pillar of the EU Green Deal as it will play a key role in advancing on the EU decarbonisation agenda for transport.

More EU Funds for investments in Europe’s rail system

The EU counts with various funding programmes and instruments to support rail investments in Europe. A great deal of attractive funding is available for the rail sector through these programmes. Efficient absorption and use of the funding provided by these EU programmes are essential to overcome the recent financial constraints on the amount of public money that national governments are able to invest in the rail networks, although the situation very much differs from one country to another.

The COVID-19 outbreak, and the ensuing economic crisis, has further exacerbated these differences. However, the crisis has also shown that even when our countries were brought to a near-standstill, rail and urban rail systems (trams/metros/urban rail) have continued to ensure the circulation of critical goods and the continuation of essential services. It has been possible thanks to major EU investments in rail projects over recent years. These overtures helped modernise European infrastructure, reduced bottlenecks and bridged missing links. More than ever before, the COVID-19 crisis has illustrated how important a well-functioning Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is to Europe’s resilience. UNIFE advocates that rail’s strategic role during the pandemic and its assets as the greenest, safest mode of mass transportation necessitates direct, massive European Union investments towards a strengthened, future transport system with rail as its backbone. Additionally, this would generate more market opportunities for the European rail supply industry.

For more information, please contact:
Carlos Corts Public Affairs

Carlos Corts

Public Affairs Manager +32 2 642 23 20 Read more

Do you want to know more about the available EU Funds?

More investments mean more market opportunities. Join UNIFE as a Member to learn more about the wide range of EU funding programmes and instruments relevant to the rail sector. EU funds come from a variety of sources, such as the new Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) supporting the completion of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T); the traditional Structural Funds which support the EU Cohesion Policy, as well as the new InvestEU programme. These are often supplemented by private investors and/or national governments. UNIFE is advocating for an increase of the EU budget resources for rail projects in the new 2021 – 2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) as well as for the favourable policy framework and enabling conditions that govern the use and spending of the funds.

On top of these programmes, EU Member States have a historic opportunity to recover from the COVID-19 crisis and to modernise their economies by making use of the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility as part of the EU Next Generation Recovery Package.

UNIFE cooperates with the European Commission’s DG MOVE, DG REGIO, the Recovery Task Force established under the EC Secretary-General, the new European Climate Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), multilateral agencies such as the EIB and EBRD and other European rail stakeholders to ensure that the EU funds available for rail projects are used as efficiently as possible.

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