As central actors of military mobility, European railways have identified key recommendations for the EU’s package of measures to enhance military movements across the continent. In a new paper published by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), railways assess infrastructure fitness, financing priorities, sufficiency of rolling-stock, potential for procedural streamlining, cyber-security, and adequacy of governance structures. A systemic approach to the railway system is essential to meet Europe’s short-term military mobility needs while pursuing the long-term investments that will deliver maximum benefits for civilian and military users alike.
Rail plays and will continue to play a leading role in enabling swift military movements across Europe. The right conditions must be in place – physically and functionally – on the rail network to ensure smooth and resilient cross-border train operation. On the infrastructure side, Europe already has clear targets and specifications to meet for seamless connectivity under the Trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T). The EU has identified 4 priority military mobility corridors and 500 critical hotspots needing upgrades to meet military standards. TEN-T parameters, except one, are consistent with military mobility needs but TEN-T implementation remains a work in progress.
Ambitious and predictable funding is needed to accelerate investments around the identified corridors and hotspots or, among others, to better integrate railways with EU ports, as they are critical nodes for military mobility. At the same time it is important to sustain ongoing transformations such as the rollout of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) that strengthen the rail system as a whole. (....)