EU 2026–2029: Infrastructure and Combined Transport

11. TEN-T expansion and coordination of construction measures in the core network

Legal act / status of legislative procedure: Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network, amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1153 and (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013.

I. General remarks:

It is essential that Member States promptly complete the TEN-T network and the necessary access routes to the TEN-T axes. The corridors in the TEN-T core network (2030) and extended core network (2040) that are directly relevant for Austria are:

• Baltic-Adriatic Corridor (southern route, including the Northern Railway)
• Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor (Brenner Corridor)
• Rhine-Danube Corridor (western route, including the Eastern Railway)
• Orient/East-Med Corridor (Northern Railway and Eastern Railway)
• Alps-Western Balkans Corridor (Tauern and Pyhrn-Schober axis)

Member States must not cause procedural delays for infrastructure measures, particularly in the freight corridors mentioned above.

Against the background of efforts at European level to promote intermodal freight transport and, in particular, combined transport through incentives to increase the share of freight carried by rail, the smoothest possible functioning of the important freight corridors in the core network and the extended core network must be ensured. Long outages and disruptions in the rail network run counter to this objective.

For necessary rehabilitation projects in important freight corridors, all available options must be used in project planning, tendering and procurement procedures - including construction-lot size, award criteria such as time, and construction execution - in order to ensure accelerated implementation. For example, the rehabilitation measures on the important corridor section Nuremberg–Regensburg and Obertraubling–Passau from 2026 are expected to involve a closure lasting several months (nine months), without sufficient capacity being available on diversion routes. This would entail serious disadvantages for Austria as a business location.

II. Specific proposals:

Consultation and monitoring mechanism
Establishment of a consultation and monitoring mechanism for rehabilitation and maintenance works on the high-level rail network in order to avoid long construction periods and rail network outages. Forward-looking and steering capacity management on diversion routes, as well as monitoring of additional costs at EU level, should be provided. To fulfil this task, Member States should be required to publish multiannual plans defining construction and rehabilitation measures with a secured financing framework.

Access routes to the Brenner Base Tunnel
The rapid expansion of the access routes to the Brenner Base Tunnel is particularly important, because without sufficient connections via access routes on German and Italian territory, the tunnel’s capacities cannot be used.

12. Combined Transport

Legal act / status of legislative procedure: “Directive on combined freight transport”, proposal amending Regulation 2020/1056 and Directive 92/106/EEC – COM(2023) 702; the Commission work programme for 2026 provides for the withdrawal of the proposal; a formal decision is still pending; procedure number: 2023/0396/COD

I. General remarks:

The Federal Division for Transport and Logistics considers strengthening combined transport to be one of its top priorities. Expanding and optimising combined transport is essential for achieving the ambitious climate targets for the transport sector set at EU level.

We to highlight the following approaches to promoting combined transport:

• The framework conditions for combined transport should generally be designed in such a way that they encourage both shippers and the transport industry to carry out cross-modal transport operations. In this context, the trimodal linkage of road, rail and inland waterways in the spirit of co-modality is important.
• Terminal expansion for freight transhipment must be advanced and supported through sustainable financing. In this context, accelerating approval procedures is urgently required.
• Financial support from Member States must be significantly increased, particularly in the areas of expansion and establishment of terminals and private sidings, investments in transport equipment such as craneable semi-trailers, container premiums, investments in innovative systems and technologies, etc. At EU level, the framework conditions must be created for waiving or permanently reducing infrastructure access charges.
• Rail connections to seaports in Northern and especially Southern Europe must be expanded. The EU should ensure that Member States actually expand the TEN network in accordance with the plans. For example, delays are occurring on the access routes to the Brenner Base Tunnel in Austria’s neighbouring countries, delaying full use of the tunnel’s capacity.
• Shifting freight transport to rail requires the expansion of rail infrastructure and the promotion of intermodal terminals and private sidings, combined with an innovation and automation offensive. Existing bottlenecks must be eliminated by expanding lines to four tracks. In infrastructure measures of pan-European importance, procedural delays caused by Member States must be prevented.
• Specifically, greater use is needed of innovations such as the digitalisation of ordering processes and operational handling, as well as the removal of operational obstacles at border crossings.
• Facilitate annual technical inspections of trailers across the European Union, regardless of the country in which the trailer is registered. This would support combined transport, as semi-trailers in particular could be transported more flexibly and efficiently on other modes of transport, such as rail and ship, without having to be withdrawn from transport operations for longer than necessary.
• Substantive coordination of the EU Directive 92/106/EEC on combined transport, which is currently under revision, with the EU Directive 96/53/EC on weights and dimensions in road transport, which is also in the process of being amended.

II. Specific proposals:

Intermodal freight transport, calculation of external costs and aggregated data

With regard to the proposed changes, we note the following:

• Reconsider the calculation methodology
  We call for a more critical approach to the systemic approach and to the calculation methodology for external costs. In any case, it must be ensured that the definition of external costs is consistent with the Eurovignette Directive. Alternative methods for defining combined transport should be examined.
• Exemption from weekend, night-time and public-holiday driving bans
  In combination with rail as the main transport leg, exempting road transport from weekend, night-time and public-holiday driving bans can be a useful instrument for optimising the utilisation of terminal and rail infrastructure capacity, provided that appropriate checks are ensured to safeguard fair competition.
• Exemption from driving bans in port hinterland areas
  However, exempting road transport from driving bans also in port hinterland areas in the context of short sea shipping would lead to a major competitive disadvantage for rail and is therefore viewed critically.
• Approval of non-codified intermodal loading units
  The current proposal does not include an option for approving non-codified intermodal loading units, such as non-craneable semi-trailers.
• Rail compatibility of road vehicles
  Clear requirements are needed for the rail compatibility of road vehicles, including craneability, shapes, dimensions and similar aspects.
• Clear rules for state aid
  Clear rules are also needed for state aid (aid to reduce external costs, interoperability aid and investment aid for facilities) in Directive 92/106/EEC on combined transport and/or in the currently revised state-aid guidelines for the railway sector.
• Pre- and post-carriage routes by regional providers

In cross-border combined transport, exemptions from cabotage rules currently apply to road pre- and post-carriage routes. Unfortunately, the current draft directive amending the Combined Transport Directive does not envisage a departure from this practice.

However, precisely these shorter pre- and post-carriage routes would be particularly suitable for zero-emission vehicles (“ZEV”), which are still used too rarely in cross-border freight transport. We therefore propose reconsidering the current practice of liberalising cabotage in the area of road pre- and post-carriage routes and subjecting the road transport share of combined transport to the conventional cabotage rules.

By creating incentives for regional providers to use ZEVs for pre- and post-carriage and thereby adopt green technologies, a decisive contribution can be made to the defossilisation of freight transport. This would also help strengthen the regional economy.