AM-18-2 to R3: Shifting Europe's Transport Infrastructure Towards Sustainability and Justice: The European Rail Network at the Centre

Gathered in Lisbon, a city with little to no train connection to the rest of
Europe, we Greens are acutely aware of the urgent need to place rail transport
at the centre of Europe’s mobility strategy. The Portuguese example demonstrates
the urgency of this need. Since the 1990s, significant portions of the country´s
rail network have been de-activated, while roads and highways have been
massively expanded. Lisbon has lost

its direct train connection to Madrid and the broader European network.

Across Europe, there are many similar stories. Public transport and rail
networks have been dismantled and left to decay due to underinvestment and
privatisation. Night trains have been discontinued or left without improvements,
reducing alternatives to short-haul flights.

Meanwhile, airports and roads keep expanding. Projects such as the expansion of
Barcelona and Heathrow airports, the port of Valencia, and new motorways in
Belgium contradict the European Green Deal, the Biodiversity Strategy, and the
EU’s climate commitments. Europe’s infrastructure model still depends
excessively on cars and planes, while trains — the most reliable, sustainable,
and socially equitable mode of transport — remain underfunded and
underdeveloped, leading to decreased quality and safety. According to a 2023
Greenpeace report, Europe’s rail network shrunk by 6.5% over the past 30 years,
while motorways grew by over 60%.

This does not only generate a vicious circle of reduced attractiveness for passengers, financial losses, lack of further investment and maintenance ending up in lines being shut down, but also an increase in incidents and major accidents, like the recent one in Tempi.
According to a 2023 Greenpeace report, Europe’s rail network shrunk by 6.5% over the past 30 years, while motorways grew by over 60%.

The Greens call for a radical shift in European infrastructure policy, placing
rail at the heart of European mobility and the green transition.