The European Parliament approved the revision of the TEN-T: the Czech Republic at the center of the European transport transformation

25.4. – Yesterday, the European Parliament adopted a revision of the so-called Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) in plenary. This is absolutely essential for the Czech Republic. The new version of TEN-T includes a whole range of strategic transport constructions in the Czech Republic, for which we can draw funds from EU funds in the future, including for the construction of a high-speed railway network.

TEN-T (Trans-European Transport Network) is a network of roads, railways, inland waterways, ports and airports in Europe that aims to improve the connectivity and efficiency of transport within the European Union. This network includes both passenger and freight transport. The main goals of the project include connecting the main European agglomerations. TEN-T includes three basic pillars – the main network with the most important connection routes should be completed by 2030, the extended network by 2040, the comprehensive network should be completed in all EU regions by 2050.

It should be emphasized that the TEN-T is a regulation and the fulfillment of its objectives is therefore binding for the member states. “The development of the TEN-T network is co-financed by the European Union together with the member states. Through it, the transport infrastructure can be modernized more quickly, including a focus on higher safety and support for further growth and investment in the Czech economy,” explained MEP Ondřej Kovařík (Renew faction), who is a member of the EP Committee for Transport and Tourism.

The high-speed rail network is a priority

One of the key transport projects being worked on in recent years in the Czech Republic as part of the TEN-T is the construction of a high-speed railway network. Due to its geographical location, the Czech Republic is an integral part of European networks. And it is far from just connecting to neighboring countries. Speeding up transport and “shortening” distances can have a positive impact on the Czech Republic as such.

“Building a functional high-speed network within the Czech Republic has the potential to support economic development not only in large centers, but also in regions that will be part of the connection. Shortening the driving distance to Prague, Brno or Ostrava can increase the attractiveness of the cities from which this connection will be provided, typically for example Jihlava, or other cities either directly on the route or within driving distance to it,” added Ondřej Kovařík.

Multimodal tickets should soon be the norm

Individual stations will also meet several conditions. These include, for example, interoperability, accessibility for all passengers, including persons with reduced mobility, security, information systems, sufficient capacity for handling passengers and multimodality. This means that at the stop there will be a connection with various modes of transport, whether with bus stations, the highway or the airport.

It is multimodality that is the principle on which the European Union is betting within the framework of transport. The TEN-T strategy aims not only to connect the modes of transport themselves, but the EU is also focusing on multimodal digital mobility services (MDMS). Put simply, the aim of this initiative is to better integrate public transport and rail services so that people can ideally travel across Europe with just one ticket.

“Integrating the method of paying and booking tickets in one place can be beneficial not only for passengers, but also for carriers, which will increase the number of transported passengers due to greater use of rail transport in combination with other modes of transport,” concluded Ondřej Kovařík.

(peacock)

Illustration visualization: AFRY CZ