European Court Of Auditors Reports TEN-T 2030 Completion Missed

A report from the European Court of Auditors has determined that the core network of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) will not be completed by its 2030 deadline. The audit identified slow and multi-layered administrative processes within individual EU Member States as a primary cause for project delays, particularly affecting cross-border segments.

In response to the audit, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) has called for a minimum budget of €100 billion for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for the period after 2027. CER Executive Director Alberto Mazzola stated that project delays, which compound rising infrastructure costs, can no longer be treated as exceptions.

The European Commission has initiated infringement proceedings against five Member States for failure to correctly implement the 2021 Smart TEN-T Directive. This regulatory action addresses national-level non-compliance, which has been identified as a barrier to network progress.

Poor coordination in the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) was also highlighted as a significant issue. The CER supports the creation of a dedicated ERTMS program manager, operating under the oversight of the European Commission, to enforce a unified implementation schedule across the bloc.

Existing high-speed rail infrastructure is operating under significant strain, with executives from entities including Eurostar reporting capacity limitations at stations and on tracks. These operational pressures are exacerbated by shortages of maintenance personnel, and the delays in TEN-T completion prevent the network from alleviating these bottlenecks.