Introduction AR 2024

Despite the challenges faced, 2024 proved to be a year rich with opportunities. As a new EU Commission and Parliament started their mandate, both brought a renewed focus on critical areas such as economic competitiveness, sustainability, strategic autonomy, defence and security, and resilience. This fresh mandate, stretching for five years, is set to shape the future of the Union, with a significant proposal for a new multi-annual financial framework expected in mid-2025 to translate these political priorities into concrete action. This forward-looking approach draws inspiration from the insightful reports by Enrico Letta on the Single Market, Mario Draghi on European competitiveness, and Sauli Niinistö on crisis preparedness and defence, signalling a determined path towards a more robust and adaptive Europe. These reports collectively advocate for deeper integration, increased investment in strategic sectors and infrastructure, enhanced security, and streamlined decision-making to better position Europe in a rapidly changing global landscape.

Within this evolving European framework, transport continues to play an indispensable role, recognized as a key enabler for achieving the EU’s ambitious goals. Rail infrastructure, in particular, is poised to become the backbone of future dual-use transport chains, serving both civilian and military needs, and acting as a crucial lever for the EU’s ambitious decarbonization targets. 

There’s a clear vision for rail infrastructure to evolve into a harmonized European network, both technically and operationally. While the EU Agency for Rail has started a new revision exercise of the TSI (Technical Specifications for Interoperability) with the sector, the EU is expected to accelerate the deployment of the TEN-T core network by 2030, including a fully-fledged ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) rollout. This entails significant investment to overcome existing bottlenecks and ensure seamless cross-border operations. Concurrently, the development and deployment of advanced digital technologies and processes, such as FRMCS (Future Railway Mobile Communication System) and digital capacity management (DCM), remain high on the agendas. Initiatives like Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-Rail) and RailNetEurope’s TTR (Timetable Redesign) programmes are actively working to boost innovation and digitize capacity allocation processes, aiming to increase network flexibility, efficiency, and ultimately, rail’s attractiveness for both passenger and freight traffic. Addressing rail vulnerabilities by bolstering the overall resilience of the rail system in general and of rail infrastructure in particular has also become an increasingly paramount priority for infrastructure managers, that are called to face effectively recent crises due to geopolitical shifts and extreme weather events. EIM members are fully engaged in strengthening European rail infrastructure network against climate impacts, ensuring security, and enhancing preparedness for disruptive events.

The remarkable progress outlined in this Report made during 2024 would have not been possible without the dedication and expertise of many individuals. We extend our deepest gratitude to our experts, colleagues, friends, and partners across the European rail sector for their invaluable collaboration and support throughout this year. A special thanks goes to the entire EIM team for their exceptional work, tireless commitment, and unwavering efforts in navigating a dynamic landscape and consistently delivering outstanding results.

We stay on track… at all times!