Chapter I, Article 4, Paragraph 2. · Regulation (EU) 2024/1679

Contents

2.The trans-European transport network shall strengthen the social, economic and territorial cohesion of the Union and contribute to the creation of a single European transport area which is sustainable, safe, efficient and resilient and which increases the benefits for its users and supports inclusive growth. The trans-European transport network shall demonstrate European added value by contributing to the objectives laid down in the following four categories:

(a)sustainability through:

(i)promotion of zero and low emission mobility in line with the relevant Union CO₂ reduction targets;

(ii)enabling greater use of more sustainable modes of transport, in particular by further developing an interoperable long-distance rail passenger network, including at high speed, and an interoperable rail freight network, a reliable inland waterway and short-sea shipping network for passengers and freight across the Union;

(iii)increased environmental protection;

(iv)reduction of negative externalities, including those related to the environment, climate, health, congestion and accidents, for instance by means of eco-incentives schemes; or

(v)greater energy security;

(b)cohesion through:

(i)accessibility and connectivity of all regions of the Union, paying particular attention to outermost regions and other remote, insular, peripheral and mountainous regions, as well as sparsely populated areas;

(ii)reduction of infrastructure quality gaps, and the promotion of interoperability between digital systems of all transport modes, with adequate network capacity between regions and Member States;

(iii)for both passenger and freight traffic, efficient coordination and interconnection between transport infrastructure for long-distance traffic and regional and local traffic in order to facilitate transport services, including in urban nodes; or

(iv)a transport infrastructure that reflects the specific situations in different parts of the Union and provides for a balanced coverage of all European regions;

(c)efficiency through:

(i)the removal of infrastructure bottlenecks and the bridging of missing links, both within transport infrastructures and at connecting points between them, within Member States’ territories and between them, in particular at cross-border sections, and connecting, where appropriate, to the trans-European transport network in third countries;

(ii)the removal of interoperability bottlenecks, including gaps in digitalisation;

(iii)the interoperability of national, regional and local transport networks;

(iv)optimal integration and interconnection of all transport modes, including in urban nodes;

(v)the promotion of economically efficient, high-quality transport contributing to further economic growth and competitiveness;

(vi)more efficient use of new and existing infrastructure in operation, for example in the rail sector;

(vii)cost-efficient application of interoperable, innovative technological and operational concepts and digital systems; or

(viii)greater coordination of infrastructure works between Member States for cross-border projects;

(d)increasing the benefits for its users through:

(i)ensuring the accessibility for users and meeting their mobility and transport needs, taking into account in particular the needs of people in situations of vulnerability, including persons with disabilities or reduced mobility and people living in remote regions, including the outermost regions and other remote, rural, insular, peripheral and mountainous regions, as well as sparsely populated areas;

(ii)ensuring safe, secure and high-quality standards, including quality of services for all users, for both passenger and freight transport;

(iii)supporting the quality, efficiency and sustainability of transport services, which are to be accessible and affordable;

(iv)supporting a mobility that is fit for the changing climate and resilient to natural hazards and human-made disasters, and facilitates the efficient and fast deployment of emergency and rescue services, including for persons with disabilities or reduced mobility;

(v)ensuring the resilience of infrastructure, in particular on cross-border sections;

(vi)offering alternative transport solutions, including on other modes, in the event of network disturbances;

(vii)supporting active modes of mobility by enhancing accessibility and quality of related infrastructure, thereby improving safety and health for active users of infrastructure and fostering the environmental benefits of those modes;

(viii)supporting seamless mobility in the Union; or

(ix)ensuring adequate maintenance intended to provide, for the existing infrastructure, a level of service suited to the traffic flow, and high level of safety during the lifetime of the infrastructure.

Defined terms · 39

Show every defined term

active mode
means the transport of people or goods, through non-motorised means, based on human physical activity, including vehicles with electric auxiliary propulsion as referred to in Article 2(2), point (h), of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council;
aircraft contact stand
means a stand in a designated area of the airport apron equipped with a passenger boarding bridge;
aircraft remote stand
means a stand in a designated area of the airport apron not equipped with a passenger boarding bridge;
alternative fuels
means ‘alternative fuels’, as defined in Article 2, point (4), of Regulation (EU) 2023/1804;
bottleneck
means a physical, technical, functional, operational or administrative barrier which leads to a system break, including systematic congestion or standstill, affecting the continuity of traffic for long-distance or cross-border flows;
class B systems
means ‘class B systems’ as defined in point 3 of Annex II to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1695;
cross-border section
means the section which ensures the continuity of a project of common interest on both sides of a border, situated between the closest urban nodes to the border of two Member States or between a Member State and a neighbouring country;
eFTI
means the electronic ‘freight transport information’ as defined in Article 3, point (4) of Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 of the European Parliament and of the Council;
ERTMS
means ‘European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS)’, as defined in point 2.2 of Annex I to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1695, and in the context of implementation deadlines it refers to the Class A train protection system and any Class A radio system, referred to in that Regulation;
European ATM Master Plan
means the plan endorsed by Council Decision 2009/320/EC, and as subsequently amended;
European Coordinator
means the Coordinator referred to in Article 52 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679.
freight corridor
means the freight railway lines of the European Transport Corridor as specified in Article 11(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 of the European Parliament and the Council of 13 July 2024 on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network and in Annex III to that Regulation, including the railway infrastructure and its equipment and relevant rail services in accordance with Directive 2012/34/EU;
implementation plan
means the document presenting the means, the strategy and the measures that the parties concerned intend to implement which are necessary and sufficient to organise and manage the freight corridor;
interoperability
means the ability, including in the light of all the regulatory, technical, administrative and operational conditions, of the infrastructure, including digital infrastructure in a transport mode or segment and between different transport modes, to allow safe and uninterrupted traffic and information flows which achieve the required levels of performance for that infrastructure mode or segment;
isolated network
means a rail network of a Member State, or part thereof, with a track gauge different from that of the European standard nominal track gauge of 1435 mm;
ITS
means ‘Intelligent Transport Systems’ as defined in Article 4, point (1), of Directive 2010/40/EU;
maintenance
means works intended to maintain the condition and capability of existing infrastructure in a way that it provides a level of service suited to the traffic flow and a high level of safety during its lifetime;
maritime port
means a ‘maritime port’ as defined in Article 2, point (16), of Regulation (EU) 2017/352 of the European Parliament and of the Council;
multimodal digital mobility service
means ‘multimodal digital mobility service’ as defined in Article 4, point (24), of Directive 2010/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council;
multimodal freight terminal
means a structure equipped for transhipment between at least two transport modes, or between two different rail systems, and for temporary storage of freight, such as terminals in inland or maritime ports, along inland waterways and in airports, as well as rail road terminals;
multimodal passenger hub
means a connection point between at least two transport modes for passengers, where travel information, access to public transport and transfers between modes are ensured, such as park-and-ride stations, and which acts as an interface within and between urban nodes and between urban nodes and longer-distance transport networks;
multimodal transport
means the carriage of passengers or freight, or both, using two or more modes of transport;
neighbouring country
means a third country falling within the scope of the European Neighbourhood Policy, the Enlargement Policy, and the European Economic Area, the European Free Trade Association or the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part;
project authorising decision
means a decision or a set of decisions, including of an administrative nature, taken simultaneously or successively, by an authority or authorities of a Member State, not including administrative and judicial appeal authorities, under a national legal system and administrative law that determines whether or not a project promoter is entitled to implement a project on the geographical area concerned on the core network, extended core network or comprehensive network, without prejudice to any decision taken in the context of an administrative or judicial appeal procedure.
project of common interest
means any project carried out pursuant to this Regulation;
radio-based ERTMS
means the European Train Control System (ETCS) application level 2 that does not require lineside signals and uses a Class A radio system for the safety and non-safety related data exchange between track and train pursuant to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1695;
rail freight governance
means the governance bodies referred to in Article 8 of Regulation (EU) No 913/2010;
RIS
means ‘river information services (RIS)’ as defined in Article 3, point (a), of Directive 2005/44/EC of the Parliament and of the Council;
safe and secure parking area
means a parking area accessible to drivers engaged in the carriage of goods or passengers, meeting the requirements listed in Article 8a(1) of Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council and which has been certified in accordance with Union standards and procedures, referred to in Article 8a(2) of that Regulation;
SES
means the systems established under Regulation (EC) No 549/2004 (EC) No 550/2004, (EC) No 551/2004, and (EU) 2018/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council to reinforce air traffic safety standards, to contribute to the sustainable development of the air transport system and to improve the overall performance of air traffic management and air navigation services for general air traffic in Europe;
short-sea shipping
means the movement of cargo and passengers by sea between ports situated in geographical waters of one or several Member States or between a port situated in waters of Member States and a port situated in waters of an adjacent third country having a coastline on the seas bordering waters of one or several Member States;
socio-economic cost-benefit analysis
means a quantified ex-ante evaluation, based on a recognised methodology, of the value of a project, taking into account all the relevant social, economic, health, climate-related and environmental benefits and costs;
spaceport
means an installation for testing and launching space crafts;
SUMP
means a document for strategic mobility planning, aiming at improving, in a sustainable way, accessibility to and mobility within the functional urban area, including commuting zones in that urban area or in its vicinity), for people, businesses and goods in view in particular of a better quality of life;
terminal
means the installation provided along the freight corridor which has been specially arranged to allow either the loading or the unloading of goods onto or from freight trains, and the integration of rail freight services with road, maritime, river and air services, and either the forming or modification of the composition of freight trains;
urban node
means an urban area where elements of the transport infrastructure of the trans-European transport network for passengers and freight, such as ports, including passenger terminals, airports, railway stations, bus terminals and multimodal freight terminals, located in and around the urban area are connected with other elements of that infrastructure and with the infrastructure for regional and local traffic, including infrastructure for active modes;
vertiport
means an area used for the take-off and landing of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft;
VTMIS
means the ‘vessel traffic monitoring and information system’ established by Directive 2002/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council;
weigh in motion system
means an automatic system set up on the road infrastructure with the objective of identifying vehicles or vehicle combinations in circulation that are likely to have exceeded the relevant weight limits, in accordance with Directive 96/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council;