THE TRANS-EUROPEAN NETWORK IN THE 21ST CENTURY: REDEFINING NETWORK BENEFITS AND PRIORITIES

This paper highlights the main policy issues concerning the development of the TransEuropean Network (TEN) into the 21st century. It is based in part on the ongoing work of the Commission and Member States for the first revision of the TEN guidelines, which is due to be completed by mid-1999. The paper poses the question how a host of different TEN initiatives, ranging from the upgrading of Europe's road and railway networks to the definition of a European component of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), can be integrated in one coherent and politically convincing strategy. (1) Multimodal approach: There is a general consensus that the revision should further strengthen the multimodal, sustainable approach beyond the current Commission proposal to integrate ports and intermodal terminals. In practice this will involve replacing the current single-mode maps with multimodal maps and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and more emphasis being placed on projects promoting intermodal transport, such as rail-air interchanges. (2) Network priorities: The revision will clearly also have to provide for the connection of the existing TEN with the evolving Pan-European Transport Corridors in the acceding countries, inter alia through the TINA process (Transport Infrastructure Needs Assessment). As regards financial priorities, it is likely that the current list of 14 priority projects may no longer merit the bulk of TEN funding (as is now the case), especially since several projects will soon reach maturity while some may be scaled down (e.g TGV Est, Channel Tunnel Rail Link). One option is to assess how the existing priority projects can be integrated into the core network of multimodal corridors in both the EU-15 and the accession countries. EU funding could be concentrated on eliminating bottlenecks within these corridors (e.g. at border points) and at supporting alternative modes of transport (e.g. through interconnection points between the existing modes). For the covering abstract, see IRRD E101143.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Pagination: p. 263-9

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00766795
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
  • ISBN: 0-86050-310-0
  • Files: ITRD
  • Created Date: Aug 2 1999 12:00AM