Europe is planning a high-speed rail system to replace air travel

Enjoy breakfast in Paris, lunch in Frankfurt, and dinner in Vienna—without the stress and delays of flying.

Picture a network of sleek, fast, and comfortable trains connecting every major city across the European Union, offering a dependable, eco-friendly alternative to air travel.

This vision was presented by railway leaders in Lyon, France, on June 29, as part of ambitious European plans to double high-speed rail usage by 2030 and triple it by 2050.

Achieving these bold targets will require a massive and accelerated expansion of the high-speed rail network, but the question remains: is this a feasible and financially viable goal?

Unlike many regions, Europe already boasts thousands of kilometers of dedicated high-speed rail lines.

France's iconic TGVs, Germany's ICE trains, and Spain's AVE have revolutionized rail travel over the past 40 years, though their services are primarily focused on domestic routes.

This isn't surprising. With countries pouring billions of euros into new infrastructure, there's inevitable political pressure to ensure maximum return for taxpayers.

Building rail lines that cross national borders, even within the European Union, sparks disputes over funding responsibilities, contract allocations, differing national standards, regulations, and a range of other challenges.

For years, it has been far too easy to defer tough projects, leaving them to become someone else's problem down the line.

Bureaucratic obstacles

Even where international high-speed rail lines have been established—often at significant expense—national interests, excessive bureaucracy, and high access fees are hindering some routes from reaching their full potential.

Other routes, such as the Paris-London service via the Channel Tunnel and the Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam/Cologne line, are more successful but could, and should, attract far more passengers away from short-haul air travel.

A coalition of European organizations has launched a new study to highlight the wide-ranging benefits of an expanded high-speed rail network linking national capitals and major cities.

The study involves key groups including the European Commission, the Community of European Railways, the European Rail Supply Industry, and ALLRAIL, which advocates for non-state-owned rail companies.

Crucially, the group will explore how to fund the construction of tens of thousands of kilometers of new rail lines, while assessing how a complete overhaul of Europe's rail network can support the EU's Green Deal target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Some of the expansion will involve new routes already planned or under construction, but many more will be needed to fulfill the ambitious vision set by European leaders.

Alberto Mazzola, executive director of the Community of European Railways, told Dinogo Travel that the group aims to develop a 'masterplan' illustrating the socio-economic advantages of high-speed rail connections between Europe's major cities.

'While many milestones have been reached—such as Paris-Lyon, Milan-Rome, Barcelona-Madrid, and Berlin-Munich, which are all national rail success stories—much more needs to be done to achieve the ambitious goals set by the European Green Deal and the Smart and Sustainable Mobility Strategy,' he said. 'If we build it, where should it go?'

This will be where the first major disputes occur.

Reaching a consensus on which routes to prioritize and which cities will gain or lose out will spark fierce debates among competing interests.

Given that the final layout of the network will likely shape Europe's development and its cities for the next century, cities will be eager to secure their place.

While some EU officials view the proposals as the future of sustainable travel in Europe, assuming operators can make them efficient and affordable, others remain more skeptical.

Are they over-promising?

'Until I see real, tangible projects, confirmed orders for rolling stock, and actual timetables, I’ll hold off on making a judgment,' says Jon Worth, a campaigner for cross-border rail.

'Sadly, we’ve heard this all before, and it sounds like the railways are over-promising again. Our experience tells us they won’t be able to deliver this kind of network within the proposed timescales,' he adds.

Still, France, Spain, and Italy have established high-speed rail networks connecting their major cities, with more lines in development or already under construction.

France, more than any other country, has heavily invested in new international rail links, establishing routes to Belgium, the UK, Germany, and Spain.

The Lyon-Turin line, currently under construction, has been controversial due to environmental concerns and questions about financial transparency, but it will create a high-speed connection under the Savoy Alps between France's second-largest city and northern Italy's industrial heartland.

However, the most significant benefits could be seen in countries that currently lack high-speed rail. The Czech Republic is collaborating with the French railway industry to develop new 350 km/h (217 mph) lines, which will drastically reduce travel times between Prague, Brno, and Ostrava, and provide faster international connections to Austria, Slovakia, southern Poland, and eastern Germany.

Faster, more eco-friendly

Poland is also planning to enter the high-speed rail network, with new routes expected to radiate from Warsaw to Lodz, Wroclaw, and Poznan. Extensions to Prague and Bratislava are also planned in collaboration with neighboring countries, though these projects are not expected to materialize until the 2040s.

The more challenging routes are the busy international ones that traverse the Alps or the Pyrenees—natural obstacles that have long been a hurdle for travelers.

A prime example is the route between Munich in southern Germany and Milan in northern Italy. These two industrial hubs are less than 500 kilometers (300 miles) apart, closer to each other than to their respective capitals, yet separated by the Alps.

Due to slow rail and road links, airlines dominate this short-distance travel market, but with faster, direct trains, rail could reclaim a significant share of the traffic.

When the Brenner Base Tunnel opens in 2032, linking Innsbruck, Austria, to Fortezza, Italy, it will reduce travel time by approximately 70 minutes on existing routes.

According to EU data, 17 of the 20 busiest air routes in Europe cover distances under 434 miles (700 kilometers)—the exact range where city-center-to-city-center train services can offer faster, greener, and more sustainable travel, provided the right infrastructure is in place.

A flight from Paris to Berlin produces at least six times more carbon dioxide than a comparable train journey, according to a joint report from environmental groups in Germany, Poland, Spain, and France. Flights under 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) within and between European countries are responsible for an estimated 28 million metric tonnes of CO2 annually.

Alberto Mazzola of the Community of European Railways suggests that carbon emissions trading could be an essential mechanism for financing the enormous investments needed to complete a continent-wide high-speed rail network.

'The EU’s total annual CO2 emissions are around 3.8 billion tonnes—over one billion tonnes of that comes from transport. If we reduce carbon allowances in the aviation and road sectors, the additional revenue could help fund public transport improvements,' Mazzola explains.

Excess carbon emissions from airlines, trucks, and cars are currently taxed at €50 per tonne in the EU, but this rate is expected to rise to €80 per tonne. If just 10% of this revenue is reinvested in transport, it could generate around €8 billion annually for rail upgrades.

'There’s a real shift in attitude towards investment in alternative transport now, but we must act swiftly,' Mazzola adds.

Connected rail networks across regions

In addition to state-of-the-art engineering and modern trains, technologies such as digital signaling, automated train operation, big data, and advanced ticketing systems will be pivotal in enhancing rail travel and attracting millions of new riders.

One of the top priorities for the Community of European Railways is to launch an independent ticketing platform by 2025, which will aggregate all fares and schedules across Europe into a single, accessible system.

By 2030, this information could be seamlessly integrated with other modes of transportation, providing travelers with door-to-door details and fares for their entire journey, whether by train, bus, bike, tram, or a combination of these options.

This level of integration is already commonplace in Austria and Switzerland, and to a lesser degree in Germany. However, in many other parts of Europe, the quality and accessibility of transportation information remains inconsistent at best.

Despite the best efforts of certain governments and state-run operators, competition on high-speed routes is thriving in Italy and Spain, leading to better services, more frequent trains, and lower ticket prices for passengers.

Organizations like ALLRAIL are advocating for similar changes across the EU, but progress has been frustratingly slow.

'We want to see high-speed trains with 1,000 seats each connecting major European cities frequently,' says Nick Brooks, secretary general of ALLRAIL.

'This will lead to affordable fares and increased revenue. While other long-distance transport modes are aiming for 'net zero' emissions, rail can surpass them in both scale and efficiency. The findings of this study must position high-speed rail as the core of long-distance travel across Europe,' says one expert.

The Covid impact

Expanding high-speed rail capacity not only enhances travel options but also frees up space on existing tracks for freight and regional services.

After World War II, when main roads reached capacity, countries constructed highways and autobahns. High-speed rail lines serve as the railway equivalent of motorways, diverting the fastest long-distance traffic and freeing up space on existing tracks.

While high-speed trains may grab the spotlight and attract investment, many people will benefit more directly from improvements in local and urban train services, as well as from shifting freight off the roads and onto rail, which benefits everyone.

However, implementing such an extensive, ambitious, and costly set of rail projects across more than 20 countries, each with its own priorities and budgets, is fraught with challenges, particularly in these uncertain times.

Of equal concern is the projected 20% decline in regular weekday commuter traffic, long considered the foundation of railway revenue. While long-distance and leisure travel have rebounded more strongly, railway operators fear that cuts may be unavoidable if they cannot bridge the gap.

The scale of the proposed projects means that it will take many years to complete the necessary work, even assuming everything goes according to plan.

Financial backing from emissions trading and the EU is likely to be a major help, particularly in Eastern and Central Europe. However, it remains uncertain whether the European Union can replicate China’s rapid development of an expansive high-speed rail network in such a short timeframe.

Featured image: An Italian Frecciarossa high-speed train. Credit: Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP/Getty Images