‘Will really become the backbone’
The Community of European Rail and Infrastructure Companies is backing plans for a high-speed rail network that will connect all major cities in Europe and transform the way people travel across the continent.
Accordingly EuronewsThe European Commission is expected to adopt the European High-Speed Rail Network, which will likely consist of more than 30,696 miles of rail transport trains traveling as fast as 257 miles per hour.
CER has been working on a plan for this network for the last four to five years to provide cleaner, more resilient transportation that allows people to get almost anywhere faster than ever before.
The network will likely include all European capitals, but CER also hopes to connect larger non-capital cities (with at least 250,000 residents) to it.
If everything goes as planned, this rail network will be excellent news for Europeans because high-speed trains have many advantages.
Perhaps the most obvious benefit is the significant reduction in air pollution that will occur through the use of the high-speed rail network. Research has determined that traveling on high-speed trains creates much less pollution than driving or flying, so Europeans will breathe cleaner air and likely have better respiratory health.
High-speed trains will also reduce the amount of oil Europe uses, further reducing pollution on the continent. In addition, people will be able to travel more freely as journeys on high-speed trains will be much faster, providing economic benefits and more to those who use them.
Building the rail network will also create jobs over the next few years, benefiting those working on the network and the wider economy as they invest that money back. In fact, CER estimates that the rail network will not be completed for at least 20 years, creating a significant number of jobs.
Although the cost of building a high-speed rail network will be very high – one study estimates it will cost around 546 billion euros ($631 million) – it will be worth it. As CER Executive Director Alberto Mazzola explains Euronews: “Rail will truly be the backbone of travel.”
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