COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 03.06.1998 
COM(1998) 356 final 
TRANS-EUROPEAN TRANSPORT NETWORK: 
REPORT ON PROGRESS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 14 
ESSEN PROJECTS, 1998 
(Presented by the Commission) 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. INTRODUCTION 3 
II. OVERVIEW 3 
III. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION 4 
IV. ENCOURAGING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS 5 
V. FORWARD PERSPECTIVE 6 
ANNEX A: PRIORITY PROJECTS PROGRESS 8 
ANNEX B: SUMMARY OF PROGRESS 13 
TRANS-EUROPEAN TRANSPORT NETWORK: 
REPORT ON PROGRESS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 14 ESSEN 
PROJECTS, 1998 
I. INTRODUCTION 
1. The Luxembourg Council of 20-21 November 1997 emphasised the importance of 
the Trans-European Networks (TEN) as one of the major ways of supporting 
growth in the EU, and an essential complement of the single market. The 
networks have an important re * in a medium term employment strategy because 
efficient transport, telecommur cations and energy infrastructure is vital for EU 
competitiveness, and thus for long-term growth and sustainable jobs. 
2. In particular as far as transport networks are concerned, the Luxembourg Council 
asked that a timetable and financial plan be completed for each of the fourteen 
specific projects contained in Annex III of the Community guidelines for the 
development of the transport TEN1. This would underline the political 
commitment to their implementation, and demonstrate that financing can be 
found. Member States have now identified timetables and projected investment 
costs for the priority projects. This report provides an overall assessment. 
II. OVERVIEW 
3. The 14 priority projects, endorsed by the Essen European Council of 9 and 10 
December 1994, are only part of the TEN transport networks. It has been 
estimated that the total cost of the TENs priority projects is around 110 BECU, 
compared to the cost for the total network of more than 400 BECU until 2010. 
The Commission will produce a Communication on the state of implementation of 
the network as a whole in the autumn, in accordance with the requirements of the 
TENs Transport Guidelines. The current report focuses on the specific remit of 
the Luxembourg Jobs Council, and the state of play on the 14 projects gives an 
indication of broader prospects. 
4. Each of the projects has its own particular features, and it is difficult to make 
general statements. Taken overall, however, there has been significant progress: 
three of the projects are close to completion, all are under construction or at an 
advanced state of preparation and most are likely to be completed by around 2005. 
5. Compared to forecasts made at the time of the Christophersen Group (1994), there 
has been slippage on some projects due to a combination of: 
1 Decision N. 1692/96 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1996 on Community 
guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network. OJ N° L 228, 9.9.1996 
-the intrinsic complexity of the projects, which means that some of the time-scales 
proposed were unrealistic, given the technical, legislative and administrative 
hurdles and the need to give full consideration to the environmental implications; 
-constraints on the availability of public finance at a time of rigorous budgetary 
consolidation. This has been reflected in overall public spending on infrastructure 
in recent years, and has also posed problems for some of the priority projects. 
6. Given these constraints, the fact that most of the projects are now firmly on track, 
with only limited slippage, is a significant achievement, as is the recent passing of 
some major milestones such as the first completely high-speed link between 
European capitals (Brussels to Paris) inaugurated in December 1997. 
7. EU level finance has made a major contribution to the priority projects. This is 
particularly the case for the projects in areas eligible for Structural and Cohesion 
Fund spending, contributing to achievements such as the Belfast to Dublin rail 
link, the motorway network in Greece and the high-speed train south. The TEN 
Transport Budget, with more modest amounts available (around 1.8 BECU 1995-
99) has nonetheless had a considerable impact in helping to launch major projects 
such as the 0resund fixed link and the Belgian high-speed train. The EIB is the 
major source of loan funding for TENs projects, advancing 1.4 BECU to the 14 
priority projects in 1997 alone, while the EIF committed exposure towards the 
priority projects has reached around 350 MECU. 
III. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION 
8. The annex provides a brief assessment of progress on each of the 14 projects in 
three broad categories: 
1) Projects near completion 
- Cork, Dublin, Belfast, Larne conventional rail link (project 9) 
- Malpensa Airport (project 10) 
- 0resund fixed link (project 11). 
2) Projects due for completion by around 2005 for which financing is largely 
in place 
- Paris-Brussels-Kôln-Amsterdam-London (PBKAL) high-speed train link 
(project 2) 
- high-speed train South (project 3) 
- high-speed train East (project 4) 
- Betuwe combined transport rail line (project 5) 
- Greek motorways, (project 7) 
- West Coast Main Line (project 14) 
3) Projects for which the time-scales run significantly beyond 2005 or where 
time-scale and financing remain uncertain for important sections of the 
projects 
- high-speed train North-South (the Brenner) (project 1 ) 
- high-speed train Lyon-Trieste (project 6) 
- Multimodal link Portugal/Spain with the rest of Europe (project 8) 
-Nordic triangle multimodal corridor (project 12) 
- Ireland-UK-Benelux road link (project 13) 
9. The special nature of the Mult, nodal link Portugal/Spain with the rest of Europe 
and Nordic Triangle projects, v- ich are multimodal corridors with a large number 
of components, make it very e'fficult to establish firm overall timetables and 
financing plans. 
10. The main issues which will require careful monitoring include: 
-the two major Alpine tunnels, the Brenner and Lyon-Torino which will be vital 
for the development of a sustainable Alpine transport policy, and for which firm 
decisions on timing and finance have yet to be made. Given the complexity of 
these projects, momentum needs to be maintained and indeed increased in order to 
prepare the necessary decisions on time; 
-the financing of the CTRL (UK sections of the PBKAL between the Channel 
tunnel and London) is in difficulty, and it is essential to ensure a solution that 
results in completion close to the original time-scale; 
-despite major additional efforts by the French Government, there remains a 
financial gap on TGV Est, a request for additional Community funds is likely, to 
fill, at least partially, the gap; 
-though much of the TGV Sud (Mediterranean branch) will be completed in good 
time, the Perpignan to Montpellier section, which is vital in linking Spain to the 
rest of the network, may be delayed. 
IV. ENCOURAGING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS 
11. The Council has previously recommended that public private partnerships (PPPs) 
should be examined as a means of securing better value for money in 
infrastructure projects, as well as of bringing in complementary finance, fresh 
ideas and methods. The Commission has actively pursued this proposal. In 1996, 
Commissioner Kinnock set up a High Level Group to consider how PPPs might 
accelerate the development of TEN-T projects. This Group, whose report was 
presented to the Council, concluded inter alia that there needed to be firm political 
commitment to project implementation, that greater use should be made of 
existing financial instruments, and that the creation of new instruments, 
particularly to provide equity or quasi-equity finance, should be considered. 
12. In this respect consideration is being given to the creation of risk-capital funds, 
financed in part from the Community budget, the aim of which would be to 
provide a catalyst to encourage the large private sector institutions such as pension 
funds to invest in TENs projects. It could significantly increase the amount of long 
term private sector finance available to infrastructure projects. The Commission 
launched a study of the proposal last October, and is now considering the study 
conclusions. One clear conclusion is that for this sort of financial instrument to 
develop, the market needs to have confidence that there will be a sufficiently large 
portfolio of TENs projects in which to invest. 
13. The Commission encourages the creation of dedicated companies for the 
ownership, construction or financing of some railway projects in order to facilitate 
the participation of the private sector in the investment effort and to improve 
project quality. In this context the Commission hopes to see the rapid adoption of 
the European Company Statute. 
V. FORWARD PERSPECTIVE 
14. The timetables submitted by the Member States suggest that there will be a very 
substantial increase in expenditure on the 14 priority projects during the period 
2000-2006, with many of the larger projects moving into the full construction 
phase. Though these forecasts must be viewed with some caution at this stage, 
since further decisions are needed in a number of cases, this could result in 
investment at close to double the level seen in 1995-1999. 
15. While this period will see a continuing commitment to budgetary rigour, the 
progress in fiscal consolidation made so far opens up the prospect that it will be 
possible to find room for higher levels of infrastructure spending within tightly 
controlled overall national budgets. Indeed, a key aim of budget consolidation is 
to make room for productive investment of this sort. At the same time the low 
level of interest rates that may be expected with EMU should facilitate 
investments. This is particularly true for projects like TENs that require very large 
and long-term capital investments. 
16. The role of the Community and the EIB will continue to be important. As 
recognised also by the Commission communication on Agenda 2000, TENs are a 
key factor for the reinforcement of the Single Market, and the Community budget 
will continue to play a crucial role in getting projects off the ground and 
maintaining momentum. In a number of cases the Community contribution will 
be a determining factor in the financial viability of the project. The estimates of 
financial needs which the Commission put forward with the proposal to revise the 
TEN Financial Regulation2 (a figure of 5 BECU for the period 2000-2006) reflects 
the forecast increase in activity, and the need to continue to recognise the strong 
Trans-European element in the projects concerned. The proposal includes the idea 
of an indicative multiannual programme adapted to the nature of large 
COM(1998) 172 final 
infrastructure transport investments. The Commission also intends to continue its 
efforts to make Community support as effective as possible by concentrating 
funds on key projects. The EIB's increasing willingness to develop its loan 
instruments so that they are better suited to the time-scale and risk profile of 
individual projects will play an important role, not least in the development of 
financing packages for public-private partnerships. The EIF also has an important 
role to play in this respect. A major effort is also needed to prepare for the 
extension of the TENs to the accession countries, for which ISPA will be the main 
instrument for EU grant funding from 2000. 
17. Achieving implementation of the TEN network will require a combination of 
public and private finance in partnership. Concrete steps need to be taken on a 
case by case basis as a matter of urgency to agree the parameters and the 
mechanisms for the implementation of these PPPs. If this is done, this can 
achieve more rapid project implementation and better value-for-money. Firm 
commitment is needed from Member States if the private sector is to invest in 
development of suitable financial instruments and approaches. The Commission 
will continue to work with the EIB and EIF to ensure effective EU support for 
PPPs particularly on the priority projects. 
ANNEX A 
PRIORITY PROJECTS PROGRESS 
1) Projects near completion 
The Cork-Dublin-Belfast-Larne-Stranraer rail link was supported largely through 
the Cohesion and European Regional Development Funds. Most of the work on the 
line (with the exception of some track improvements near Belfast) was completed in 
1997 and an improved service begun in October 1997. There remains to be completed 
the spur from Belfast to Londonderry: the costs of this work are presently being 
reassessed, but it is expected to be completed around 2000. 
Malpensa Airport's new facility will be completed in 2000. The first phase of works 
is virtually completed and the new airport should be opened this year. It is a project 
that has been carried out as a PPP: the financial package comprises self-financing by 
SEA (the concessionaire of Malpensa/Linate airports), State grants, loans from the 
EIB, a guarantee from EIF and support from the TENs budget. As for the land 
accesses, the new rail link to the city centre will be opened for services only in 1999 
whilst the new road access should be completed just in time for the inauguration of the 
new terminal. 
The Ôresund Fixed Link (16 km), including its access routes, provides a combined 
road and rail link between Denmark and Sweden, uniting a region of 2.3 million 
people. It is expected to be completed by the year 2001. Three public companies are 
responsible for different sections of the project. The major proportion of the funds 
have been raised on international capital markets and from the EIB. The Swedish and 
Danish Governments have guaranteed the loans for the project. 
2) Projects due for completion by around 2005 for which financing is largely in 
place 
The Paris-Brussels-Kôln-Amsterdam-London (PBKAL) High Speed Train link 
was agreed to by Ministers from France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the 
UK in 1989. The Paris-Channel Tunnel and Paris-Brussels sections, together with 
the Channel Tunnel itself, are complete; construction work has begun on the London-
Channel Tunnel section, and preparatory work is well advanced on the Amsterdam-
Brussels and Kôln-Brussels sections. In detail: 
-in the UK, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) was offered as a Design, 
Build, Finance and Operate concession to the private sector in 1995, and awarded 
in 1996 to London and Continental Railways. However, LCR failed to secure the 
necessary complementary private sector finance and is now in discussion with 
potential private sector partners about completion of the project in keeping with 
the terms of the concession. The projected completion date for the whole project 
is now uncertain. The EIB and the EIF are participating in the financing of this 
project. 
-in Belgium, the section of the link between the French border and Brussels was 
completed and opened in December 1997. On the Brussels-Dutch border and 
Brussels-German border sections works have started, although the sub-sections 
Antwerp-Dutch border and Liège-German border are scheduled for completion 
only by mid-2005. The Belgian Government established the "TGV Financière" in 
1996 to fund all the HST projects in Belgium. 
-in the Netherlands, the route of the Amsterdam-Belgian border link was adopted 
in 1996. The Government is planning to involve the private sector in all parts of 
the project: it has commissioned a study, now underway, to identify the optimal 
way of doing so. This PPP should help meet approximately 20% of the project's 
estimated cost; the estimated completion date is 2005. 
-in Germany, the project is being developed in two parts: Aachen-Kôln and Kôln-
Frankfurt. Construction work has begun on both sections; Kôln-Frankfurt should 
be completed by 2000, whereas the entire section is due to be completed by 2007. 
The cost will be borne mostly by central Government funds. 
The HST South consists of two parts: the Mediterranean branch (Madrid-Barcelona-
Perpignan-Montpellier) and the Atlantic branch (Madrid-Vitoria-Dax). Work is more 
advanced on the Mediterranean branch, of which the Spanish part is expected to be 
completed by 2004 , under the cover of Gestor de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (GIF) a 
dedicated company created in 1997, owner of the new infrastructure. The branch is 
expected to receive substantial support from the Cohesion Fund. The international 
section (Barcelona-Perpignan) is expected to be completed by 2005. As far as the 
Perpignan-Montpellier section is concerned there is no final timetable. On the Spanish 
part of the Atlantic branch the phase of public enquiry has started for the section 
Madrid-Valladolid and is about to start for the so called Y Basque (Vitoria- Bilbao-
San Sebastian), preliminary studies are on-going on the section Valladolid-Vitoria. 
EIB financing is also likely to be requested for this project. 
The HST East is now under construction on the German section (upgrading line). 
There has been a major step forward with the French Government announcement in 
February that the final study phase has been launched on the French territory. Works 
on the first phase of the French section (Vaires-Vandières) should start in 1999 in 
view of its completion in 2005. This first phase will ensure the connection with both 
German and Luxembourg networks. There remains a potential financial gap and a 
request for additional Community funds is likely. 
The Greek Motorways are on the north-south (PATHE) and east-west (Via Egnatia) 
axes through Thessaloniki. Work is well underway on both, and completion is 
scheduled for around 2004. Both projects have received, and will receive, substantial 
support from both the Cohesion and the European Regional Development Funds 
(ERDF), as well as loans from the EIB and support from the TENs budget. The Greek 
Government has also involved the private sector, establishing three PPPs for separate 
sections of the PATHE (Rio-Antirion bridge, Athens Ring Road and Maliakos fixed 
link); the intention is to identify further suitable sections for PPPs on both PATHE 
and Via Egnatia. 
The West Coast Main Line is another HST link in the UK, which will link the 
PBKAL to Scotland and the Irish rail link. The project is being developed as a PPP, 
with Railtrack (the private sector owner of the existing infrastructure) developing the 
route in partnership with Virgin Rail, the passenger service franchisee, and the public 
sector. Work has already begun on signalling and track improvements; the whole 
project should be completed by 2005. EIB and EIF finance has been requested for 
this project. 
The Betuwe Line is unique: it is an almost totally new-built, conventional railway 
line, principally for freight traffic. Its purpose is to provide a rail option for the large 
volume of freight traffic presently moving by road between Rotterdam and Germany 
and the rest of Europe. The Dutch Government now proposes to take the project 
forward as a PPP, the public sector taking the project through to construction and the 
private sector then being invited to tender for it as an operating concession. The 
project should be completed by 2005. 
3) Projects for which the time-scales run significantly beyond 2005 or where 
time-scale and financing remain uncertain for important sections of the 
projects 
The HST North-South runs from Berlin via Leipzig, Nurnberg, Munchen, Innsbruck, 
and the proposed Brenner tunnel to Fortezza and Verona. Construction work is well 
underway on certain sub-sections in Germany, completion of the entire German 
section is expected by 2007. Progress has also been made with the Brenner tunnel 
preparatory phase; several railway companies intend to establish a European 
Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG), to oversee the development and design of the 
base tunnel. Upgrading of the existing Fortezza-Verona line is underway and should 
be completed by 2001. Whilst the financing for the Berlin-Niirnberg sections is 
largely assured, that for the remaining sections, particularly the Brenner tunnel, is 
uncertain. EIB financing has already been approved and utilised for the initial stages 
of this project in Italy and the INN Valley in Austria. 
The HST Lyon-Torino-Trieste runs from Lyon to Trieste via Torino, Milano, 
Verona and Venezia. In Italy construction work has started in some key nodes. Major 
works should also begin by 1999 on some important Italian sub-sections. On the 
French section, the procedure to secure the DUP (Déclaration d'Utilité Publique) 
should be launched in 2000; works could then start on this section. On the 
international section a series of geological studies should be completed in 2000. The 
state-owned Italian railway company, FS, has a wholly-owned subsidiary TAV (Treno 
Alta Velocità) which is responsible for the development of the HST networks in Italy. 
For the Italian sections FS will provide 40% of the estimated costs; the remainder will 
be sought from financial institutions and the TEN budget. 
10 
The Nordic Triangle is a sequence of transport corridors, extending from southern 
Sweden to the Norwegian border and Stockholm, across to Turku, Helsinki and the 
Russian border. Work is underway throughout the corridors (including safety studies 
in the maritime section). 
The Multimodal link Portugal/Spain with the rest of Europe consists of three main 
corridors, radiating from Lisbon to Seville, La Coruna and Irun. The project's aim is 
to provide alternative rail transport for the Iberian road freight traffic to the rest of the 
European Union. Some construction work has begun, but most sections are still at the 
feasibility study stage. Since the project is at a relatively early stage of development -
it was identified finally only in 1996 -the Portuguese authorities have not yet 
established a definitive list of projects. However, the Portuguese authorities envisage 
the possibility of private sector involvement in the new-build road sections, and are 
requesting EIB finance. 
The Ireland-UK-Benelux road link comprises a number of roads of varying 
standards, which were proposed for developing as necessary to the appropriate 
standard, depending on traffic density. In the Republic of Ireland, the project has 
received considerable support from the Cohesion Fund, and substantial progress in 
up-grading the corridor is taking place. In Northern Ireland the recently announced 
new Investment Fund will help finance the project. However, for the remaining part, 
the UK's national roads programme is presently the subject of a strategic review, and 
it is not possible to say at this stage when the project will be completed. 
11 
At 
ESSEN 14 priority projects: overview of the investments; financing from the EU, the EIB and the EIF 
Project 
1. HST/CT North-South(a) 
2. HST PBKAL 
3. HST South 
4. HST East 
5. Betuwe line 
6. HST/CT Lyon-Trieste 
7. Greek Motorways 
8. Multimodal link Portugal-
Spain-Central Europe (b) 
9. Conventional rail link Cork-
Dublin-Belfast-Lame-Stranraer 
10. Malpensa airport 
11. Oresund fixed link 
12. Nordic Triangle 
13. Ireland-UK-Benelux road 
link 
14. West Coast Main Line 
Total(d) Length 
(Km) 
958 
1176 
1601 
551 
160 
734 
1580 
502 
n/a 
52.5 
1800 
1530 
850 Total invest. 
(MECU) 
15102 
17232 
14072 
4777 
4094 
18260 
9242 
6200 
357 
1047 
4158 
10070 
3629 
3000 
111240 Investment 
pre-98 
(MECU) 
2505 
3728 
240 
59 
360 
368 
2175 
(b) 
328 
473 
2505 
679 
287 
13707 Inv. forecast 
98-99 
(MECU) 
1325 
4118 
1375 
170 
870 
943 
2351 
(b) 
29 
406 
1377 
1260 
370 
532 
15126 Inv. forecast 
2000+ 
(MECU) 
11245 
9386 
11757 
3086 
2864 
16949 
4716 
(b) 
168 
276 
3320 
2580 
2180 
68527 TEN-support 
pre-98 
(MECU) 
commitments 
152,23 
392,45 
19,6 
66,9 
39 
94,9 
75 
(b) 
0 
7,8 
88 
57 
7,4 
24,8 
1025,08 Cohesion fund 
pre-98 
(MECU) 
commitments 
300 
406,6 
(b) 
53,9 
153,1 913,6 ERDF 
pre-98 
(MECU) 
0 
860 
(b) 
55 
70(c) 985 EIB loans 
signed 
(MECU) 
350 
1047 
806 
(b) 
4,2 
208 
801 
969 
26,6 
4211,8 EIF Committed 
exposure 
(MECU) 
153,4 
127 
77,6 
358 
Notes: 
a) The cost of upgrading the accesses to the base tunnel to four tracks (a further 7 Bn ECU) is not included, the timetable for this will be established later. 
b) indicative total investment; project identified only in 1996, exact definition still in progress. 
c) The programme approach used by ERDF means that full information is not available 
d) Due to pending decisions and project definition in progress total investment (col.2) is not equal to the sum of investment in pre-98,98-99 and 2000+. 
ainexft : summary of progress 
PROJECT LENGTH 
(km) 
1) High Speed train/combined 
; transport North-South 
\ '<) Paris -Brvssels-
l KoWFmnkfurt- Amsterdam-
j London (PBKAL) 958 
1176 COST 
(MECU) 
15102 
17 232 AUTHORISATIONS/ 
TECHNICAL SITUATION 
Building permissions 
progressively awarded for 
sections; technical studies to 
be launched for Brenner base 
tunnel 
Some delays; now all sections 
on track FINANCING 
Partly secured; some 
difficulties remain 
Largely secured; 
some difficulties 
remain. PPP possible 
for NL section STAGE 
Berlin-Leipzig: work well under way; Leipzig-Numberg: 
work started on sections, Brenner Tunnel still at study 
stage 
Construction work well under way on Belgian and 
German sections; started on Dutch section COMMENTS 
Member States concerned intend 
to establish an EEIG for Brenner 
base tunnel to carry out the design 
Some delays, but most non-
financial problems resolved. 
Brussels-Paris HSL completed 
3} High Speed Train South 1601 14 072 Procedures completed for 
some sections; technical 
studies launched for others Partly secured; some 
difficulties remain Construction work under way on 2 sub-projects of 
Madrid-Barcelona section. International section at study stage j 
through an EEIG i 
14) H ST Paris eastern France-
\ south-western Germany (TGV 
\E$t) 551 4777 Permissions available for D 
part. Political decision taken to 
build a 1st phase between 
Vaires-Vandières for F part. Largely secured; 
some difficulties 
remain with French 
part Final technical studies launched on French part, works 
should start in 1999 on the section Vaires-Vandières, 
upgrading works started on German section High political priority 
! 5} Betuwe Line 160 4094 All political and administrative 
decisions have been taken. Public sector will 
finance the cons­
truction, private sector 
involve-ment in exploi­
tation foreseen Construction already started on Port-line. 
For the A-15 line final planning procedures are near 
completion. Construction is planned to start mid 1998. Very early stage of construction, 
after delays. The project is 
planned to be finished in year 
2005. 
16) High Speed Train / 
I Combined Transport - Lyon-
j T:Jiin~Tri&ste 734 18 260 Declaration d'Utilité Publique 
launched for Lyon-Montmélian 
section; administrative 
Authorisation procedures 
launched for Torino-Venezia Partly secured; some 
difficulties remain Works started in some key nodes in Italy, technical 
studies on-going on international section Franco-Italian summit on 3 
October 1997 launched three year 
study programme for international 
section 
| 7) Greek Motorways 1580 9242 Work on-going on several 
sections; building perm, 
awarded, technical studies and 
tendering procedures under 
way for others Three PPP-schemes 
on PATHE Initial work under way for three PPP-schemes on 
PATHE, and some others Substantial support from ERDF 
and Cohesion Fund 
i 8} Multimodal link Portugal-
! Spsin - Europe 6212 Procedures completed for 
certain sub-projects; technical 
studies under way for others Subst. support from 
ERDF and Cohesion 
F. expected; some 
difficulties remain Work on sections of Linha do Norte, Beira Baixa (rail) 
and Lisboa-Valladolid (road) under way; studies on 
further projects Large range of separate sub-
projects, of which several still at 
study stage 
{9) Conventional rail link Cork-
l Duoim-Seifast-Lame-Stranraer 502 357 All completed No difficulties Cork-Dublin-Belfast section completed; remainder to 
be completed by 2000 Largely completed thanks to ERDF l 
and Cohesion Fund support j 
j 10} Malpensa Airport 1047 On track Financing in place Construction work well under way, to be completed by 
2000 To be opened in 1998 (first phase) 
f ifùresund Fixed road/rail 
I Link 52.5 4158 On track Financing in place Construction work on most of project On time, completion by 2000 
\ 12} Nordic Triangle Multimodal 
I corridor 1800 10 070 Building permissions being 
awarded for one section; 
technical studies under way for 
others Partly secured; some 
difficulties remain Work under way on E 18 and E 6 roads and main rail 
axes in Finland and Sweden Large range of separate sub-
projects 
113) Ireland-UK-Benelux road 
\link 1530 3 629 Studies on various sections 
under way Uncertainties remain Construction work nearing completion in Ireland, 
uncertainty for some of the UK sections UK's national roads programme 
subject of a strategic review 
14) Wast Coast Main Line 850 3000 Studies under way Financing secured, 
PPP Construction work started to modernise line Partnership betv.eei private 
infrastructure arid service 
companies , with public subsidy 
41. 

ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(98) 356 final 
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