On 9 October at the ERCW we had the opportunity to hear about the potential benefits of recovering missing rails links across-borders. The main goal of the workshop was to promote the study on missing rail links and thus underlining the importance of better exploring the rail accessibility to regional and, in particular, cross-border stakeholders. Michael Cramer (MEP) opened the workshop underlying the fact that 95% of the passengers across the EU are not using high-speed trains and therefore he would like to see the EU investing much more into the local and regional trains. Each closed gap in the railway network would improve the life of the citizens.

Ludger Sippel and Julian Nolte from KCW, authors of the study, presented main findings and the most important recommendations. After analyzing 365 cross-border links and consulting the relevant regional stakeholders, they concluded that 48 of them are to be considered as potentially the most beneficial projects. In their recommendations, they suggest to promote those links towards regional and national authorities and relevant stakeholders. Furthermore, they expressed the opinion that it would be important to fund the start-up phase of such projects until they become viable.

Patrice Harster and Manuel Tão presented two beneficial projects - Rastatt-Haguenau  and Douro Valley line. Both presented projects confirmed that revitalizing the missing links would not only close the gaps but it would also help to further develop both regions. Such connections have a significant potential of improving accessibility in cross-border regions while, at the same time, enhancing the coherence and complementarity of national rail networks. Recovering missing rail links would also be a significant contribution to fighting climate change.

Money and political willingness are the core prerequisites of new cross-border rail connections to be implemented. Taking this fact into account, good news can be derived from the bunch of recommendations proposed by the study: with the cooperation of European, national and regional stakeholders, competent authorities and infrastructure managers of many today’s missing railway links may see new passenger services in the future, contributing to the functioning of prospering and integrated European cross-border regions.

The study presented in this workshop is a thorough piece of information and a powerful tool to support those entities which want to promote recovery of some of those links.