Developing trans-European railway corridors: Lessons from the Rhine-Alpine Corridor

This paper discusses key issues in the railway corridor development in the context of the Trans- European Transport Network (TEN-T). While recent European policies support an increase in the capacity of freight and high-speed train (HST) services, many parts of the European railway networks have been facing difficulties in coordinating the increasing number of passenger services (long-distance and regional) and freight services, especially those running through high-density urban areas. Overcoming the interoperability in the cross-border context and the shortage of financial resources are some of the other issues to be tackled. Previous research predominantly focused on examining HST operation and rail freight traffic within a national context. Further research is therefore required to identify the complexity of upgrading mixed-use railway networks to meet new standards of both quality and flexibility of integrated rail service development in a trans-national spatial context. This paper examines prospects and obstacles to developing mixed-use railway networks in the trans-European platform with reference to existing literature and an EU INTERREG project, CODE 24 which is the main north-south railway axis connecting the ports of Rotterdam and Genoa through six European countries.