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RBGC First Transnational Roundtable Vilnius 24th November 2011 « Core Corridors and the « Rail Baltica » James Pond DG MOVE European Commission. The patchwork today. New TEN-T Policy Package announced 19th October.
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RBGC First Transnational Roundtable Vilnius 24th November 2011 « Core Corridors and the « Rail Baltica » James Pond DG MOVE European Commission
New TEN-T Policy Package announced 19th October Followed extensive consultation over two years with the 27 MS and other stakeholders The existing patchwork of priority projects will be replaced by a single European Core network At the national level there will be a comprehensive network as defined by the MS themselves to ensure accessibility and common standards At the Europe wide level there will be a Core network linking all MS and all corners of the EU along the most important axes It will be implemented by a network of 10 key Core network Corridors
Corridor No. 1 “Baltic-Adriatic” Corridor Helsinki-Tallinn-Riga-Kaunas-Warszawa-Katowice Gdynia-Katowice Katowice-Ostrava-Brno-Wien Katowice-Zilina-Bratislava-Wien Wien-Graz-Klagenfurt-Villach-Udine-Venezia-Bologna-Ravenna
Finance – The « Connecting Europe Facility » • The Core network should be completed by 2030 • EU support of € 50 billion for the CEF of which € 31,7 billion for transport infrastructure • Of this € 31,7 billion € 10 billion reserved for 14 Cohesion countries and € 21,7 billion for TEN-T (27 countries) • Also € 24 billion general Cohesion funding for transport • Rates of EU support will be around 80% for Cohesion spending but only 40% for general TEN-T support • Financing will be project led requiring a detailed project pipeline from the MS
The new 1435mm « Rail Baltic» project • Tallinn via Pärnu, Riga, Kaunas to the LT/PL border with a corresponding extension of new 1435 mm track from the LT /PL border to Ełk • Feasibility Study figures: • € 3 678 billion investment cost but spread over two MFF • line would be mixed use = freight/passenger • length of track 728 km (not including the Polish section) • route would be twin track elctrified • design speed 240 kph maximum • journey times Tallinn – LT/PL border passenger = 4.13 hours, freight = 10,38 hours
Decision Time • Joint Statement by the three Baltic Prime Ministers, Tallinn, 10 November 2011 • Welcomed the conclusions of the Final report of the Feasibility Study • Important to start construction of the new line by 2020 • Agreed to establish a joint venture by the end of 2012 at the latest to implement the project • Authorize the three transport ministers to agree a memorandum of mutual understanding at their meeting next month including the establishment of the joint venture and report on progress made before the end of 2012