Financing Europe’s High-Speed Rail Deal

In November 2025, the European Commission made high-speed rail (HSR) a strategic priority for Europe’s competitiveness, connectivity and decarbonisation.

Completing the planned Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) HSR network by 2040 requires €345 billion of investment. The EU HSR masterplan points to a wider investment need of around €546 billion to connect capitals and major cities across a network of about 49,400 km.

The key issue is how to combine public funding, EU instruments and targeted private finance in a credible delivery framework.

Read the CER recommendations in our position paper below.