Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 aims to build a reliable, seamless and high-quality transport network that ensures sustainable connectivity across Europe without physical interruptions, bottlenecks or missing links.
KEY POINTS
The trans-European transport network (TEN-T) policy seeks to build a multimodal network of railways, roads, inland waterways and short sea shipping routes linked to urban nodes, maritime and inland ports, and airports and their terminals across the European Union (EU). It has four objectives:
sustainability – in particular by promoting low and zero-emission mobility and greater use of more sustainable modes of transport;
cohesion – by making all EU regions accessible and connected, especially the outermost regions and other remote, insular, peripheral and mountain regions, along with sparsely populated areas;
efficiency – by eliminating bottlenecks and tackling missing rail connections;
increasing the benefit for users – by ensuring accessibility in particular for those in vulnerable situations, including people with disabilities or reduced mobility.
The policy was previously based on 2013 EU guidelines that established the technical requirements for the infrastructure and defined the network layout.
The network will be developed or upgraded in three steps.
A core network will be completed by .
An extended core network will be completed by .
A comprehensive network will be completed by .
Transport corridors
To ensure that infrastructure planning is aligned with operational needs, the regulation integrates the core network corridors and the rail freight corridors to form European transport corridors.
These cover the most important long-distance transport flows, cross at least two borders and involve at least three modes of transport.
In response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and to ensure better connectivity with key neighbouring countries, the regulation extends four transport corridors to Moldova and Ukraine, whilst downgrading cross-border connections with Belarus and Russia.
Rail transport infrastructure
The regulation highlights the importance of railways in the shift to sustainable modes of transport. To this end, and to ensure the TEN-T rail network performs better, it focuses on a number of measures designed to ensure sufficient capacity and smooth, uninterrupted operation across the network. These include:
developing an extended core and comprehensive network;
migrating to European standard nominal track gauge;
ensuring 740-metre-long freight trains can circulate;
imposing a 160 km/h minimum line speed for passenger trains.
Inland waterway transport infrastructure
The regulation sets minimum infrastructure standards and levels of service for waterways and ports to ensure efficient, reliable and safe navigation conditions for users along the inland waterway network.
Maritime transport infrastructure and the European maritime space
The regulation sets minimum infrastructure standards for maritime ports to promote short sea shipping and hinterland (rail) connectivity. Furthermore it introduces the European maritime space in order to efficiently, viably and sustainably integrate the maritime dimension with other transport modes.
Road transport infrastructure
The regulation requires all core and extended core network roads to be specially designed, built or upgraded for motor traffic. It also requires the provision of separate carriageways for the two directions of traffic. These carriageways should be separated from each other by a dividing strip not intended for traffic or, exceptionally, by other means.
It also requires safe and secure parking areas on the core and extended core networks to guarantee better working conditions and rest for professional drivers.
Air transport infrastructure
The regulation requires major airports with over 12 million passengers annually to be connected by long-distance rail, making rail a competitive alternative to domestic feeder flights.
Infrastructure for multimodal freight terminals
The regulation promotes an increase in the number and capacity of trans-shipment terminals to meet traffic demands. This includes accommodating 740-metre-long trains, promoting the shift to sustainable transport modes and boosting Europe’s combined transport sector.
Urban mobility
The regulation requires all major cities along the TEN-T network to develop sustainable urban mobility plans to promote zero- and low-emission mobility.
Governance
The regulation widens the scope of the coordinators’ mandate to reflect new TEN-T priorities and to enable coordinators to engage with participating non-EU countries. Furthermore, it gives the Commission the possibility to adopt implementing acts for each European transport corridor, and requires greater alignment between national transport plans and TEN-T policy.
Horizontal provisions
The regulation requires that the TEN-T network be planned, developed and operated in a resource-efficient way, through:
the maintenance of existing transport infrastructure over the lifetime of the infrastructure;
the optimisation of infrastructure use, in particular through efficient capacity and traffic management and fostering multimodality;
the optimisation of possible synergies with other networks (trans-European energy networks, trans-European digital networks, military mobility);
the resilience of the transport network and its infrastructure and services with regard to a changing climate and geopolitical context.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network, amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1153 and (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013 (OJ L, 2024/1679, ).
RELATED DOCUMENTS
Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 of the European Parliament and of the Council of on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, and repealing Directive 2014/94/EU (OJ L 234, , pp. 1–47).
Regulation (EU) 2023/2405 of the European Parliament and of the Council of on ensuring a level playing field for sustainable air transport (ReFuelEU Aviation) (OJ L, 2023/2405, ).
Successive amendments to Regulation (EU) 2023/2405 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.
Regulation (EU) 2021/1153 of the European Parliament and of the Council of establishing the Connecting Europe Facility and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1316/2013 and (EU) No 283/2014 (OJ L 249, , pp. 38–81).
Directive (EU) 2021/1187 of the European Parliament and of the Council of on streamlining measures for advancing the realisation of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) (OJ L 258, , pp. 1–13).
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/203 of on classification of vehicles, obligations of European Electronic Toll Service users, requirements for interoperability constituents and minimum eligibility criteria for notified bodies (OJ L 43, , pp. 41–48).
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/204 of on detailed obligations of European Electronic Toll Service providers, minimum content of the European Electronic Toll Service domain statement, electronic interfaces, requirements for interoperability constituents and repealing Decision 2009/750/EC (OJ L 43, , pp. 49–62).
Regulation (EU) 2019/452 of the European Parliament and of the Council of establishing a framework for the screening of foreign direct investments into the Union (OJ L 79I, , pp. 1–14).
Directive (EU) 2019/520 of the European Parliament and of the Council of on the interoperability of electronic road toll systems and facilitating cross-border exchange of information on the failure to pay road fees in the Union (recast) (OJ L 91, , pp. 45–76).
Directive (EU) 2019/883 of the European Parliament and of the Council of on port reception facilities for the delivery of waste from ships, amending Directive 2010/65/EU and repealing Directive 2000/59/EC (OJ L 151, , pp. 116–142).
Regulation (EU) 2019/1239 of the European Parliament and of the Council of establishing a European Maritime Single Window environment and repealing Directive 2010/65/EU (OJ L 198, , pp. 64–87).
Directive (EU) 2016/797 of the European Parliament and of the Council of on the interoperability of the rail system within the European Union (recast) (OJ L 138, , pp. 44–101).
Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (codification) (OJ L 26, , pp. 1–21).
Directive 2010/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of on the framework for the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in the field of road transport and for interfaces with other modes of transport (OJ L 207, , pp. 1–13).
Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of concerning a European rail network for competitive freight (OJ L 276, , pp. 22–32).
Directive 2004/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of on minimum safety requirements for tunnels in the Trans-European Road Network (OJ L 167, , pp. 39–91).
Directive 2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise – Declaration by the Commission in the Conciliation Committee on the Directive relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise (OJ L 189, , pp. 12–25).
Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment (OJ L 197, , pp. 30–37).
Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy (OJ L 327, , pp. 1–73).
Directive 1999/62/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures (OJ L 187, , pp. 42–50).
Council Directive 96/53/EC of laying down for certain road vehicles circulating within the Community the maximum authorized dimensions in national and international traffic and the maximum authorized weights in international traffic (OJ L 235, , pp. 59–75).