Commission finances over €1,7 billion of railway projects

European Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani has signed financing commitments for 11 railway projects, committing more than € 1,7 billion between 2007 and 2013. The railways will be built in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Slovenia.

Commenting on the signing, Mr Tajani said, "I am particularly proud to announce the adoption by the Commission today of these 11 funding decisions. They will greatly contribute to making the Brenner Tunnel and the Mont Cenis Tunnel, between Torino and Lyon, a reality and to start with the preparation of the railway line between Trieste and Divaca.

"Investing in key European transport infrastructure today is a demonstration that the European Union can respond to the economic crisis, in the short term by accelerating infrastructure projects, and in the medium term by creating the core rail network that will sustain Europe's competitiveness and meet the challenge of climate change."

The 11 financing decisions concern the following projects:

• Railway line Lyon-Turin: access route to the base tunnel in France (€ 5 million)
• Railway line Lyon-Turin: studies and works for the cross-border section (€ 672 million)
• Design studies for the section between Ronchi dei Legionari Sud and Trieste (€ 24 million)
• Design and studies for the cross-border between Trieste and Divaca (€ 51 million)
• Preparatory studies for the line between Budapest-Keleti/Miskolc-Nyíregyháza (€ 8 million)
• Studies/works for the south access to the Brenner Tunnel between Fortezza e Verona (€ 59 million)
• Works on the section between Erfurt and Halle/Gröbers( € 57 million)
• Works on the section between Kundl/Radfeld and Baumkirchen (€ 58 million)
• Works on the Brenner Base Tunnel (€ 593 million)
• Studies for the Brenner Base Tunnel (€ 193 million)
• Railway node Genoa: studies on the modernisation of Genoa Voltri-Genoa Brignole (€ 5 million)