EU votes for major high-speed rail expansion across Europe by 2040

Members of the European Parliament have voted to significantly expand and improve Europe’s high-speed rail network by 2040, and called for the inclusion of non-EU countries like Switzerland, Norway and the UK.

EU to expand cross-border rail

The EU Parliament has voted to back recommendations endorsing the European Commission's plan to implement a “genuine” high-speed rail network across Europe.

With an overwhelming 558 votes in favour and 23 against, the proposal would see an “interoperable, innovative, accessible and intermodal” web of high-speed trains across the continent that “deliver[s] genuine value for citizens and public investment alike.”

Parliament went even further, calling for “closer cooperation” with countries not in the EU, such as Switzerland, Norway and the UK, reports Watson.

MEPs are not only in favour of faster travel across Europe, but also in ensuring that a rail network connects both major cities as well as all regions and smaller cities.

Spanish MEP Vicent Marzà Ibáñez said focusing on infrastructure development in this way will “enable a massive shift in travel from aeroplanes to trains” and will not only help reduce the use of fossil fuels but will also create more jobs for the region.

Trains will connect every corner of the continent

The European Commission launched the plan back in November 2025, with a vision of better connecting the EU with high-speed trains by 2040.

The Commission explained that under the plan, travel times will be cut significantly when travelling between Copenhagen and Berlin, Paris and Rome and Vienna and Ljubljana, and new cross-border connections will be launched, including a Tallinn–Riga–Vilnius–Warsaw link and a Lisbon–Madrid–Paris link.

The plan covers how the EU will finance the project, remove bottlenecks at borders, improve cross-border ticketing and booking systems and fund the development of next-generation rolling train stock.

At the time of the announcement, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas stated: “High-speed rail is not just about cutting travel times - it is about uniting Europeans, strengthening our economy, and leading the global race for sustainable transport.”