CER Urges EU to Protect Rail Funding in Its Next Long-Term Budget

Europe’s rail network is carrying more passengers, but many routes are already running into capacity limits. At a European Parliament debate in Brussels, rail and infrastructure leaders called for strong EU transport funding in the next long-term budget, arguing that projects such as Rail Baltica and the Brenner Base Tunnel cannot be delivered through national funding alone.

Rail and infrastructure representatives have called on the EU to maintain a strong transport funding programme in its next Multiannual Financial Framework. The discussion took place at the European Parliament on 9 September during the policy debate "From Funding to Delivery: Putting Rail Projects on Track", hosted by MEP Nina Carberry and the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The event was organised by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) together with its member Iarnród Éireann-Irish Rail. Their central message was that rail investment should not be treated as an optional part of the EU budget. For the industry, it is increasingly tied to competitiveness, regional development, security and the ability to handle growing demand.

Rail Passenger Traffic Grew 6% Last Year

According to CER, European rail passenger traffic increased by 6% last year, while capacity constraints are making it harder for networks to accommodate further passenger and freight growth. Public support for additional investment also appears strong. CER’s 2025 survey on European high-speed rail found that 79% of respondents believe Europe should invest more in high-speed rail.

The industry wants the Connecting Europe Facility, or CEF, to remain a central part of EU transport policy. CEF provides funding for infrastructure that often crosses borders or has wider European importance, but may be difficult to finance through national budgets or private investment alone.

Rail Baltica and Brenner Show What EU Funding Can Deliver

The debate used several major projects to show what is at stake. The Brenner Base Tunnel is a central part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor. It is designed to remove a major bottleneck along a 9,400-kilometre corridor crossing eight countries and serving around 110 million people.

Rail Baltica is another flagship project supported by CEF. Once completed, it will connect Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to the European standard-gauge network.

Beyond cutting regional travel times by as much as 50% and improving freight links, the project is also expected to strengthen military mobility, an increasingly important part of Europe’s transport infrastructure planning. Ireland, meanwhile, is pursuing its own rail development programme with a focus on regional connectivity, cohesion and climate targets.

CER Says Funding Gaps Could Slow TEN-T Delivery

For CER, long-term funding certainty is important for projects that cannot be delivered through national budgets alone. The discussion went beyond CEF and also covered the proposed National and Regional Partnership Plan Regulation, the European Competitiveness Fund and Horizon Europe.

Participants argued that all three could have a role in supporting rail. Horizon Europe and the European Competitiveness Fund could provide resources for railway research and help new technologies move beyond pilot projects into wider deployment, while the National and Regional Partnership Plan could help finance sections of TEN-T corridors that fall outside the scope of CEF.

Next EU Budget Talks Move Forward in October

The Council is expected to advance discussions on the next Multiannual Financial Framework in October, hence rail representatives are pushing to keep transport high on the agenda before the budget becomes more difficult to change.

CER says that a strong CEF remains necessary for both building new cross-border links and maintaining the wider network behind Europe’s Single Market. CER Executive Director Alberto Mazzola also addressed that connection between rail investment and the wider economy.

"Growing demand, public support, and Europe’s climate, competitiveness and security objectives all point in the same direction: rail infrastructure must remain a strategic priority in the next EU budget," he said.

"Every euro generated by rail supports an additional 2.7 euros in other industries. A strong Connecting Europe Facility is essential to maintaining today’s network and delivering cross-border links."

Ireland Calls for Balance Between High-Speed and Regional Rail

Seán Canney, Minister of State at Ireland’s Department of Transport, said Ireland supports the EU’s high-speed rail ambitions but wants investment to remain balanced. He called for funding for major cross-border projects to be matched by support for "more isolated and regional networks and legacy infrastructure".

MEP Nina Carberry made a similar point about turning ambitions into projects on the ground: "Europe’s rail ambitions must be matched by the funding and streamlined procedures needed to deliver projects on time".

Mary Considine, CEO of Iarnród Éireann-Irish Rail, pointed to Ireland’s All-Island Strategic Rail Review as an example of how railway investment can address more than transport alone, including housing growth, congestion, regional development and climate goals.