REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Progress report on implementation of the TEN-T network in 2014-2015
Date: 2017-06-19
Institutions: Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission
Subjects: airport, fund (EU), harbour installation, information system, inland waterway, investment policy, rail network, road network, trans-European network, transport network

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 19.6.2017  COM(2017) 327 final   REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Progress report on implementation of the TEN-T network in 2014-2015  
 
 
Progress report on the implementation of the TEN-T Network in 2014 and 2015  

(Text with EEA relevance) 

1.  INTRODUCTION 

1.1. Main results  

Based  on  the  TENtec  Information  System,  the  current  state  of  implementation  of  TEN-T 
transport  infrastructure  in  terms  of  compliance  with  the  TEN-T  Regulation  requirements 
reaches between 75% and 100% for half of the currently available indicators, whereas for the 
other half it is still below 75%.  

For  the  railway  infrastructure  network,  compliance  is  already  reached  to  a  good  extent  in 
terms  of  electrification,  track  gauge  and  line  speed  whereas  ERTMS,  axle  load  and  train 
length  are  still  far  from  being  compliant.  As  for  roads,  the  compliance  with  the  criteria  of 
express  road/motorway  is  also  still  below  75%.  The  inland  waterways  are  almost  fully 
compliant with respect to the CEMT requirement for class IV and to a good extent also with 
respect to RIS implementation, whereas compliance with the criteria of permissible draught is 
still below 75%. 100% of the seaports are connected to rail, but the connection of ports to the 
inland waterways of CEMT class IV is far from being compliant. Finally, the connection of 
airports to rail is still below 75% of compliance.   

Next  to  the  state  of  the  technical  implementation  of  the  TEN-T,  the  present  report  also 
analyses the efforts of financial investments made on the TEN-T. In the course of 2014 and 
2015 the total investment made by the EU institutions from their financial sources (i.e. TEN-
T/CEF, ERDF/CF and EIB loans) in TEN-T core and comprehensive network infrastructure 
amounted to EUR 30.67 billion in all 28 Member States. 

With  regard  to  modal  shares,  the  highest  investment  volume  with  respect  to  EU  grants 
altogether  (TEN-T/CEF  and  ERDF+CF  equalling  to  EUR  16.98  billion)  is  reported  for  rail 
which absorbed as much as 51.5% of  total  EU expenditures in the TEN-T network in 2014 
and  2015.  The  share  of  road  infrastructure  investment  reached  30.6%  of  total  expenditure, 
followed by 9.2% for ports and Motorways of the Sea, 5.5% for airports (including SESAR), 
2.1% for multimodal infrastructure and 1.1% for inland waterways.  

1.2. Policy context  

Transport  is  a  cornerstone  of  the  European  integration  process  and  enables  connectivity, 
convergence  and  cohesion  across  the  Union.  A  smart,  sustainable  and  fully  interconnected 
transport network is a key condition for the completion and good functioning of the European 
single  market  and  for  linking  Europe  with  the  world's  markets.  It  thus  contributes  to  the 
European economic growth, jobs and competitiveness agenda. 

 

Infrastructure investments are of vital importance for GDP growth. According to the 
International Monetary Fund (IMF) a 1 percent increase in spending on infrastructure 
raises the level of output by about 0.4 percent in the same year and by 1.5 percent four 

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years after the increase1. If countries plan and execute infrastructure well, the return is 
even greater: 2.6 percentage points over four years.   

  Transport investment gaps: while transport infrastructure needs are estimated at about 
EUR 1.3 trillion per year at the global level2 and around EUR 130 billion per year at 
the European level, the average investment levels in the EU are well below EUR 100 
billion since the beginning of the crisis3.  

  The  2011  White  Paper  estimated  that  investments  of  EUR  1.5  trillion  in  European 
transport  are  necessary  for  the  period  2010-2030  in  order  to  cope  with  the  expected 
increase  in  demand.  The  Commission  estimates  that  the  investment  needs  for  the 
completion  of  the  core  network  corridors  alone  in  the  period  2014-2030  amount  to 
more  than  EUR  700  billion4 for  approximately  2500  transport  infrastructure  projects 
either within Member States' territories or across the borders of several Member States 
(cross-border projects)5.  As  much as EUR 500 billion will need to be invested over 
the entirety of the TEN-T network already by 2020 of which an estimated EUR 250 
billion in the core network infrastructure of TEN-T. 

  Transport infrastructure enables value added services which all together generate more 
jobs and economic activity. If transport stops, the whole economy stops. At the recent 
G7  meeting  of  transport  ministers  in  Japan,  a  clear  message  was  given:  with  the 
current  investment  gap  we  will  not  be  able  to  solve  the  challenge  of  meeting  high 
mobility needs over the next 30 years6. 

  Transport  is  an  enabler  of  competitiveness  and  EU  global  leadership.  The  limited 
investments  are  reflected  in  a  declining  trend  of  EU  transport  infrastructure 
competitiveness,  according  to  the  latest  rankings  from  the  World  Economic  Forum 
Global competitiveness report. 

At the end of 2013, a major milestone in the European transport policy was reached. Upon a 
proposal of the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament agreed upon 
a  new  framework  for  the  development  of  the  backbone  of  EU  transport  infrastructure,  by 
laying  down  guidelines  for  the  development  of  the  trans-European  transport  network 
(Regulation  (EU)  No  1315/2013,  hereafter  TEN-T  Regulation7).  Furthermore,  access  to  EU 
support  from  Cohesion  Fund  (CF)  and  European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF)  for 
investments  on  the  TEN-T  was  linked  to  the  existence  of  comprehensive  transport  plans  at 
regional and/or national level. 

1 IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2014.  
2  White Paper on Transport (2011). Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and 
resource efficient transport system. COM(2011)144 final.  
3 ITF (2015), ITF Transport Outlook 2015, OECD Publishing, Paris. 
4 The  Commission  is  collecting  data  on  investment  needs  identified  by  the  Member  States,  local  and  regional 
authorities and infrastructure managers in the context of Core Network Corridor work plans. 
5 Core network corridor studies 2016. https://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/infrastructure/ten-t-
guidelines/corridors/corridor-studies_en 
6 G7 Transport Ministers Declaration. Nagano. September 2016.  
7 Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on Union 
guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network and repealing Decision No 
661/2010/EU, OJ L 348, 20.12.2013 

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With  this,  the  'blueprint'  for  a  new  transport  infrastructure  network  which  incorporates  all 
transport  modes  –  railways,  inland  waterways,  roads,  ports,  airports  and  other  transport 
systems  –  as  well  as  equipment  for  innovative  alternative  fuels  and  intelligent  transport 
solutions has been reinforced considerably in the last years.  

The  TEN-T  guidelines  place  strong  emphasis  on  Europe’s  major  global  gateways  for 
maritime and air transport – to ensure that Europe’s trade flows are not restricted (in terms of 
capacity, technology or administrative procedures). 

The  TEN-T  policy  establishes  a  comprehensive  and  a  core  network  to  promote  better 
accessibility of all regions to European and global markets on the one hand, and to provide for 
a  strong  focus  on  infrastructure  of  strategic  importance  on  the  other.  Both  the  core  and  the 
comprehensive networks focus on modal integration, interoperability and on the coordinated 
development  of  infrastructure,  in  particular  in  cross-border  sections  to  bridge  missing  links 
and remove bottlenecks. The TEN-T policy also paves the way for the future of the transport 
system,  notably  through  facilities  that  stimulate  low-emission  solutions,  new-generation 
service concepts and other fields of technological innovation. 

The TEN-T Regulation sets clear deadlines for the completion of the core network (by 2030) 
and the comprehensive network (by 2050).   

Considerable financial support from the EU is available in the 2014-2020 period in particular 
for investment projects in the less-developed regions and Member States of the Union and for 
investment projects of common interest and EU added value. 

  The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) with a budget of EUR 24.05 billion, including 
EUR  11.3  billion  ring-fenced  for  the  Member  States  eligible  for  support  from  the 
Cohesion  Fund,  has  been  set  up  to  support  projects  on  the  TEN-T  core  network  or 
linked to horizontal priorities, such as the deployment of ERTMS.  

 

In  addition,  around  EUR  70  billion  in  EU  co-funding  from  the  Cohesion  Fund  (CF) 
and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) have been programmed. This 
includes  EUR  34  billion  for  TEN-T  infrastructure  and  EUR  36  billion  for  transport 
investment projects which connect to or complement the TEN-T projects. 

  An amount of EUR 6.3 billion from Horizon 2020 is allocated to finance research and 

innovation projects in transport sectors. 

  Lastly,  the  European  Fund  for  Strategic  Investment  (EFSI)  support  together  with 
traditional  EIB lending are  available  to  bridge the investment gap in transport.  EFSI 
support can be combined with EU grants from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), 
Horizon 2020 as well as from the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF).  

In order to report to European citizens and policy-makers on the effectiveness of the TEN-T 
policy, intermediate results need to be measured and reported to ensure that the TEN-T is 
completed  according  to  the  agreed  deadlines.  To  this  end,  Article  49.3  of  the  TEN-T 
Regulation  requires  the  Commission  to  publish,  every  two  years,  a  progress  report  on  the 
implementation  of  the  trans-European  transport  network  and  present  it  to  the  European 
Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of 
the Regions.    

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The  present  progress  report  is  the  first  in  a  series  of  biennial  reports  submitted  by  the 
Commission  to  the  other  EU  institutions,  as  foreseen  by  Regulation  No  1315/2013.  The 
present report is the starting point for a process of regular and comprehensive reporting at the 
highest  level  on  the  technical  and  financial  status  of  the  core  and  comprehensive  trans-
European  transport  network.  Such  reporting  will  create  transparency,  foster  coordination 
between  all  parties  involved,  help  to  plan  and  prioritise  investments  and  facilitate  the 
mobilisation of the necessary resources, both financial and technical, to complete the TEN-T8.  

2.  SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY  

Article  49.3  of  the  TEN-T  Regulation  defines  the  scope  of  the  Commission's  reporting 
obligation. The Commission should analyse the development of the trans-European transport 
network on the basis of information on the progress of project implementation transmitted by 
the Member States, in particular through the interactive geographical and technical system for 
trans-European transport network (TENtec). In addition, the Commission is required to make 
available  information  on  the  use  of  various  forms  of  financial  assistance  for  all  transport 
modes  as  well  as  other  elements  of  the  core  and  comprehensive  network  in  each  Member 
State. The report should also outline the Commission's coordination of all forms of financial 
assistance with a view to supporting a coherent application of the TEN-T Regulation in line 
with its objectives and priorities.   

This report presents an estimate of co-financing from the EU budget for investments made on 
the  TEN-T  network  infrastructure  and  the  corresponding  realisation  of  the  network  made 
during the period 2014 - 20159. The progress in the use of financial assistance in the reporting 
period is measured with reference to financial sources listed in TEN-T and CEF Regulations10 
as  well  as  other  sources  of  financing  available  for  the  trans-European  network,  namely  the 
budget  available  under  the  TEN-T  Programme  for  the  period  2007-2013,  the  European 
Structural  and  Investment  Funds  and  the  support  provided  by  the  European  Investment 
Bank11.   

As for the Member States' national budgets, the individual reports provided by Member States 
for the reporting years 2014 and 2015 were unfortunately not of sufficient quality in terms of 
comparability  of  results  and  accuracy  of  data.  For  this  reason,  the  present  report  does  not 
include  the  national  budgets  invested  on  TEN-T  yet.  However,  this  report  identified  the 
reporting  challenges  with  regard  to  the  national  budgets.  On  this  basis,  conclusions  were 
drawn for future reporting (see chapter 5 on the reporting strategy).  

A  clear  scope  and  criteria  for  reported  projects  was  defined  to  focus  the  reporting  only  on 
investments  which  effectively  contributed  to  the  implementation  of  the  TEN-T  network. 
Therefore,  the  scope  of  this  progress  report  covers  exclusively  works  and/or  mixed  (works 

8 With regard to CEF funding, the European Parliament and Member States are continuously informed about the 
implementation progress, in particular in the context of CEF Calls for proposals.  
9 The report covers the projects which were running or completed in 2014 and 2015 regardless of their start date. 
10 The forms of financial assistance to be reported, other than the ones provided under TEN-T Guidelines (CEF), 
are  defined  in  Art.  49.1  and  include  the  Cohesion  Fund,  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund,  Horizon 
2020 and loans and financing instruments established by the European Investment Bank. 
11  The  inclusion  of  TEN-T  Programme  budget  in  calculation  was  necessary  as  a  number  of  projects  with 
financial assistance granted under 2007-13 financing period were still ongoing in the years 2014-2015.   

5 

 
 
                                                 
and  studies)  projects 12 ,  leading  to  the  development  of  new  infrastructure  or  the 
upgrade/rehabilitation of the existing ones. Given the above criteria, the financing assistance 
from  Horizon  2020,  where  funding  is  generally  available  for  research  activities  only,  is  not 
taken into consideration, but only mentioned in an aggregated manner under chapter 4.2.     

The report draws on one side on the study performed by external experts13, commissioned by 
the Commission to facilitate the production of a first progress report on the development and 
implementation  of  the  trans-European  network.  As  the  work  on  the  development  of  the 
TENtec database and the Core Network Corridor studies (CNC studies) was still on-going at 
the time of this report, the study was necessary to address the remaining information gaps and 
data  quality  issues.  On  the  other  side,  the  data  already  available  in  the  TENtec  information 
system14 was  used  to  the  extent  possible  for  the  analysis  of  the  technical  realisation  of  the 
TEN-T.  This  TENtec  data is  mainly  based  on  two  currently  ongoing  data collection  studies 
(Lot 1 on Railways, Roads and Airports and Lot 2 on Ports and Inland Waterways). However, 
it has to be underlined that the data collected and encoded in the TENtec database via these 
two studies is expected to be validated by Member States by the end of 2017.  

The  present  study  identifies  the  financial  and  technical  data  sources  necessary  to  assess  the 
level of implementation of the TEN-T network by the end of 2015. With regard to financial 
aspects,  the  data  has  been  collected  from  the  Innovation  and  Networks  Executive  Agency 
(INEA),  the  Directorate-General  for  Regional  and  Urban  Policy  (DG  REGIO)  and  the 
European Investment Bank (EIB).  

The  analysis  of  the  implementation  of  TEN-T  technical  parameters  was  performed  through 
the comparison of information and data stored in the TENtec information system with a set of 
key  performance  indicators  (KPIs)  defined  on  the  basis  of  transport  infrastructure 
requirements  foreseen  in  the  TEN-T  Regulation.  This  allowed  for  the  assessment  of  the 
current level of TEN-T implementation in terms of compliance with the TEN-T standards per 
type of network and transport mode. 

Finally, in order to assess the state of realisation of the TEN-T network by the end of 2015, 
the level of reported investment  per transport mode was  compared with the  current level of 
technical implementation as shown by the KPIs selected to assess the transport infrastructure 
network.   

This  first  report  should  be  considered  as  a  work  in  progress  and  a  starting  point  for  the 
formulation of a sound, reliable and transparent TEN-T reporting system for the future, with 
enhanced measurement of the impact of financed investments.  

The  reported  results  should  be  seen  as  indicative  as  mapping  and  defining  the  progress  of 
TEN-T  implementation  constitutes  an  ongoing  challenge  for  national  regulatory  bodies  and 
for  the  Commission.  There  is  currently  no  common  reporting  system  and  process  in  place 

12 Studies are therefore not covered by the scope of this report as they do not directly result in a progress in the 
implementation of the TEN-T network. 
13 Article  49.3  Study:  Review  of  existing  sources  of  information/data  and  support  for  the  preparation  of  the 
progress report on the implementation of the TEN-T network, Panteia, delivered in 2016. 
14 The European Commission's information system TENtec stores technical, geographical and financial data for 
the analysis, management and political decision-making related to TEN-T and the underlying funding 
programme (CEF). 

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which would allow the Commission to obtain complete and harmonised data sets on TEN-T 
projects from various sources at EU and national level.  

The use of different methodologies, calculation methods, payment schemes and data formats 
by EU bodies and Member States entails the risk of omission or double-counting of reported 
projects and seriously limits the comparability of data. The differences in reporting systems 
(e.g. direct vs. shared management of funds) result in significant information gaps and further 
undermine  the  robustness  of  reported  data15.  Lastly,  the  TENtec  information  system,  while 
being the most suitable source of technical and geographical data on TEN-T, is currently in 
the  process  of  increasing  its  data  input  rate  and  data  quality.  These  factors  may  negatively 
affect the reliability of the data analysis process for this first report.  

In this context, it is important to explore possible improvements in the implementation of Art. 
49.1  of  the  TEN-T  Regulation,  which  sets  out  that  Member  States  are  to  provide  to  the 
Commission  on  a  regular,  comprehensive  and  transparent  basis  information  on  the progress 
made  in  implementing  projects,  including  annual  data  for  all  projects  benefitting  from  EU 
funding16. 

3.  STATUS OF TEN-T IMPLEMENTATION: TECHNICAL PROGRESS 

The  TEN-T  Regulation  establishes  the  comprehensive  and  core  networks  based  on  a 
methodology relying on objective criteria and quantitative thresholds which was used by the 
European  Commission,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  in  the  legislative 
procedure17.  The  core  and  comprehensive  networks  are  associated  with  defined  technical 
requirements and priority targets.  

The progress made with regard to the realisation of the TEN-T needs to be benchmarked with 
these technical standards with the help of key performance indicators. The regular update of 
the definition of the TEN-T network and the monitoring of the quantitative thresholds to be 
fulfilled also form an integral part of the progress reporting.  

3.1. Key Performance Indicators in the TENtec information system 

In  the  course  of  2014-2016  the  Core  Network  Corridor  studies  identified  a  set  of  key 
performance  indicators  (KPIs)  in  line  with  these  technical  requirements  and  common  to  all 
the  nine  core  network  corridors.  The  target  values  for  each  KPI  have  been  defined  on  the 
basis of the requirements set out in the TEN-T Regulation, with particular reference to Article 
39. The primary objective of KPIs is to measure the evolution of the TEN-T corridors over 
time and monitor their compliance levels with infrastructure quality standards set out in the 
TEN-T Regulation. The table in Annex I presents the list of key performance indicators and 
the  calculation  method,  used  to  measure  the  technical  progress  achieved  on  the  TEN-T 
network.  It also includes the different values of 2015 that are known at the time of this report.  

15 With  regard  to  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund  and  the  Cohesion  Fund  precise  information  on 
portion of expenditures related to TEN-T in the reporting period was still unavailable at the EU level at the time 
of drafting this report and had to be estimated. 
16 In this context, it is worth recalling that the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund are 
implemented through shared management between the Commission and Member States. 
17 The planning methodology for the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), Commission staff working 
document, COM(2013) 940 final. 

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To date, TENtec links geographical information and technical parameter data of the TEN-T 
infrastructure and enables the user to easily compile information and create timely reports and 
maps, covering the TEN-T core and comprehensive networks18. These databases incorporate 
the  data  collected  from  the  Member  States  and  provide  the  Commission  with  the  means  of 
identifying critical issues, transport “bottlenecks” and issues related to interoperability across 
borders.   

However, at the time of this report a significant part of data  for different sections and modes 
is still missing in TENtec, suffering from data quality issues (e.g. inconsistencies) or is still 
pending validation from Member States after the data was encoded following external studies. 
In addition, the quality of information varies significantly between parameters. For instance, 
the  data  input  rate  is  at  100%  only  for  one  road  indicator  and  one  airport  indicator.  With 
regard  to  rail,  the  data  input  rate  is  relatively  high  for  some  basic  parameters  (e.g. 
electrification,  track  gauge,  axle  load),  but  remains  low  for  some  others  (e.g.  ERTMS 
implementation). Indeed, as regards ERTMS deployment, the data in TENtec is currently only 
available for core network corridor sections. For IWW, the parameters for which the data is 
currently available allow only for the calculation of some indicators (e.g. at present no data is 
available  for  KPIs  such  as  permissible  height  under  bridges).  Finally,  the  availability  and 
quality of information for ports and freight terminals remains relatively poor at the moment, 
so the reported results should be treated as indicative only.   

In order to increase the data quality and input rate in TENtec, dedicated data collection studies 
have been launched in 2015 and 2016 and will provide results in 2017 and 2018. In addition, 
studies  on  Motorways  of  the  Sea  and  ERTMS  deployment  have  data  collection  elements 
which together lead to a comprehensive coverage across transport modes. 

Once TENtec has an increased data input rate, the calculation of the entire set of performance 
indicators will enable the measuring of progress for the technical implementation of TEN-T in 
a comprehensive and reliable manner. 

This  progress  report  presents  only  the  part  of  KPIs  which  could  be  calculated  based  on  the 
currently available data in TENtec. In addition, it needs to be underlined that the full data sets 
encoded  at  present  by  the  various  TENtec  studies  have  been  taken  into  account,  regardless 
whether the data has been validated by Member States or not yet. This means that the missing 
data  for  some  sections  and  infrastructure  components  and/or  unvalidated  data  may  have  an 
impact on the robustness of the final data result.  

18 Eight  categories  of  data  are  available  in  TENtec  at  the  moment:  Airports;  Bridges;  Dams  Locks;  Inland 
Waterways; Ports; Rail; Road; and Rail-Road Terminals. There are currently more than 300 technical parameters 
available for all these categories together. 

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3.2. Technical implementation of TEN-T network by KPI 

Based  on  the  present  TENtec  Information  System,  the  current  state  of  implementation  of 
TEN-T  transport  infrastructure  in  terms  of  compliance  with  the  TEN-T  Regulation 
requirements  reaches  between  75%  and  100%  for  half  of  the  currently  available  indicators, 
whereas for the other half it is still below 75%. 

Railways 

With regard to rail, the currently available data indicates that the standard track gauge of 1435 
mm is present on 77% of the rail core network and 76% of the comprehensive rail network. 
As  for  electrification,  around  81%  of  the  TEN-T  network  (81.3%  for  core,  80.6%  for 
comprehensive) is compliant with the TEN-T requirement. The ERTMS is in operation only 
on  9.5%  of  core  network  corridors  sections  as  of  end  2015  (the  information  for  the  other 
sections is not available yet) suggesting the clear need for more investment. In line with the 
recently adopted European Deployment Plan (EDP) for ERTMS, more progress seems to be 
made  on  average  on  the  core  network  than  on  the  comprehensive  network,  which  can  be 
perceived as a good sign of the effective prioritisation of investments. Indeed, the new EDP 
sets  targets  until  2023  by  which  about  30-40%  of  the  Core  Network  Corridors  shall  be 
equipped. In 2023, the ERTMS European Deployment Plan will be updated again setting out 
the  precise  implementation  dates  for  the  remaining  part  of  the  Corridors  between  2024  and 
2030. 

Roads 

For  roads,  the  main  indicator  calculated  is  the  total  number  of  kilometres  compliant  with 
motorways/expressways  road  types.  The  results  show  that  74.5%  of  the  core  network  is 
currently  compliant  with  the  standard,  whereas  only  58.1%  of  roads  on  comprehensive 
network fulfil the requirement. No information on the availability of clean fuels is currently 
available in TENtec as the data availability is limited and a common approach across Member 
States  and  providers  is  lacking.  In  the  framework  of  the  Alternative  Fuels  Directive 
2014/94/EU, the Commission is however currently analysing the national policy frameworks 
for  the  market  development  of  alternative  fuels  and  their  infrastructure.  In  addition,  the 
Commission financed a study on "clean power for transport infrastructure deployment" which 
results have recently been presented. More detailed information is expected to be presented in 
the second progress report.  

Ports and Inland Waterways 

Concerning inland waterways, the core network is already 95% compliant with regard to the 
CEMT  requirements  for  class  IV,  79.6%  compliant  with  regard  to  RIS  implementation  and 
68% in terms of permissible draught of 2.5 m.  

As  regards  seaports,  the  connection  to  rail  indicator  shows  full  compliance  with  TEN-T 
requirements.  However,  this  indicator  will  be  refined  to  also  encompass  the  need  for 
improvements to increase the capacity for freight transport. The rate of connection to CEMT 
Class  IV  inland  waterways  is  46%  for  the  core  and  9%  for  the  comprehensive  network. 
However, the data for IWW and ports should be treated with caution as the information in the 
TENtec database is either not validated yet by the Member States or not at all available. In the 
latter, the figures for these KPIs have thus been based on the Article 49.3 study results. 

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Airports 

As  far  as  airports  are  concerned,  Regulation  (EU)  1315/2013  defines  that  only  the  core 
airports that are marked with a star in Annex 2 of the Regulation (i.e. 38) are falling under the 
obligation  of  Article  41(3),  i.e.  to  be  connected  with  the  railway  and  road  transport 
infrastructure  of  the  trans-European  transport  network  by  2050  (except  where  physical 
constraints  prevent  such  connection)  and  to  be  integrated  into  the  high-speed  rail  network 
wherever possible, taking into account potential traffic. In 2015, 23 core airports out of the 38 
core airports (60.5%) that fall under this obligation are already connected to rail. This data is 
based on very reliable data with a data input rate of 100% reached for this indicator.   

3.3. Technical update of the definition of the TEN-T network 

The  European  Commission  ensures  close  monitoring  of  the  technical  parameters  of  the 
infrastructure  components  of  the  TEN-T  network.  Article  49.4  of  the  TEN-T  Regulation 
indeed provides for the possibility to adopt delegated acts to adapt Annexes I and II to take 
account  of  possible  changes  resulting  from  the  quantitative  thresholds  establishing  the 
infrastructure components of the comprehensive network.  

The Commission launched the updating process at the TEN-T Committee meeting held on 30 
September  2015  and  consulted  experts  of  Member  States'  competent  authorities,  in  the 
presence  of  experts  of  the  European  Parliament,  in  a  meeting  on  9  December  2015,  on  16 
March and on 28 September 2016. This led to the adoption of a delegated act on 7 December 
2016  which  is  expected  to  enter  into  force  after  the  two  months'  scrutiny  period  of  the 
European Parliament and the Council. 

The adaptations of the list and the maps for the purposes of this delegated act were based on 
quantitative thresholds laid down in Articles 14, 20, 24 and 27 of the TEN-T regulation. They 
relied on the latest relevant available Eurostat statistics and information provided by Member 
States  and  other  relevant  sources  concerning  the  progress  made  in  completing  the  network. 
This  exercise  led  to  250  change  requests  which  have  been  presented  and  235  have  been 
approved  and  integrated  in  line  with  the  provisions  of  Article  49,  paragraph  4,  of  the 
regulation.  

The adaptations resulted in the inclusion of nodes pursuant to point (a) of Article 49(4), such 
as inland ports, maritime ports, rail-road terminals, logistic platforms and airports. They also 
led  to  the  adjustments  of  the  rail,  road  and  inland  waterway  network,  based  on  information 
provided by the Member States concerned, so as to reflect the progress made in completing 
the network pursuant to point (c) of Article 49(4). However, the adaptations did not include 
exclusions according to point (b) of Article 49(4) since this assessment would only have been 
relevant if carried out six years after the adoption of the regulation. Indeed, the application of 
the  exclusion  thresholds  would  have  shown  cases  where  certain  infrastructure  components 
would have been below both the initially applied threshold and the new inclusion threshold. 
Therefore, these elements were at this stage not taken into account for the updating exercise.  

10 

 
 
 
4.   STATUS OF TEN-T IMPLEMENTATION: PROGRESS IN INVESTMENTS SUPPORTED BY EU 

CO- FINANCING  

4.1. Use of financial assistance in 2014 and 2015 

In the course of 2014 and 2015 the total investment made by the EU institutions from their 
financial  sources  (i.e.  TEN-T/CEF,  ERDF/CF  and  EIB  loans)  in  TEN-T  core  and 
comprehensive  network  infrastructure  amounted  to  EUR  30.67  billion  in  all  28  Member 
States.  This  overall  amount  for  EU  investments  only  includes  investments  related  to  works 
and mixed works/studies projects. In addition to this, some EUR 1.1 billion of EU financial 
assistance  were  allocated  under  grant  agreements  to  studies'  projects  in  2014  and  2015. 
Among  these  some  EUR  931.5  million  were  granted  under  the  CEF-Transport;  and  EUR 
160.1 million under the TEN-T programme. In addition, EUR 512.9 million were allocated in 
2014 and 2015 to transport research projects under Horizon 2020. 

CEF 

As  regards the  expenditure  from  the  former  TEN-T  Programme  and  the  current  Connecting 
Europe  Facility,  the  grants  amount  to  7%  of  total  EU  investment  in  TEN-T  infrastructure. 
Although the CEF/TEN-T expenditures amounts to merely EUR  2.1 billion in the reporting 
period19, it is worth noting that some EUR 12.7 billion is foreseen for 263 projects selected in 
the first CEF call for proposals in 2014 and additional EUR 6.6 billon to 189 projects selected 
under the second CEF call for proposals in 2015 (and legally committed in 2016).  In addition, 
the  Commission  has  supported  (through  the  CEF  budget)  the  Programme  Support  Actions 
focussed on the preparation of projects, capacity building in the national administrations, and 
supporting the establishment of the Core Network Corridors. It can thus be foreseen that the 
CEF share in the total EU expenditure on the TEN-T network will significantly increase in the 
following years with more projects during their implementation phase. 

ESIF 

Almost  half  of  the  EU  support  in  2014-2015  for  implementation  comes  from  the  European 
Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the  Cohesion Fund (CF), together responsible for 
around  48%  (equal  to  EUR  14.8  billion)  of  all  EU-supported  TEN-T  investments.  The 
reported CF share does not take into account the part of Cohesion Fund allocation transferred 
to support transport projects on the core network under the CEF20.  

It  should  be  noted  that  the  above  mentioned  European  Structural  and  Investment  Funds 
(ESIF)  budget  share  is  an  approximation,  as  the  precise  data  on  the  actual  expenditure  in 
relation to TEN-T in 2015 was not available at the EU level at the time when this report was 
drafted. 

Next  to  the  actual  expenditures,  it  should  be  noted  that  the  ESIF  commitments  on  TEN-T 
related projects made under the 2014-20 programming period were estimated at around EUR 
8 billion for 2014 and 2015.   

19 A total of 298 projects were supported with EUR 2.1 billion from CEF/TEN-T budget in the reported period. 
20 In  order  to  improve  the  completion  of  transport  projects  –  in  particular  cross-border  ones  –  with  a  high 
European added value, part of the Cohesion Fund allocation (EUR 11 305 500 000) was transferred to finance 
transport  projects  on  the  transport  core  network  or  transport  projects  relating  to  horizontal  priorities  in  the 
Member States eligible for financing from the Cohesion Fund under the CEF. 

11 

 
 
                                                 
EIB and EFSI 

The reported volume of EIB loans signed in 2014 and 2015 equals EUR 13.7 billion which 
supported 69 transport operations on the TEN-T network in the reported period.  

The  European  Fund  for  Strategic  Investment  (EFSI)  was  launched  in  November  2014.  The 
period  2014-2015  was  mainly  devoted  to  establishing  the  new  instruments  and  the  various 
initiatives and measures foreseen under the three pillars of the Investment Plan for Europe.  

National resources mobilised  

It should be noted that the EU co-funding of transport infrastructure projects in the range of 
20% and 85% requires the existence of additional funds, often provided from Members States' 
national  funding.  Therefore,  in  order  to  benefit  from  EU  funds,  the  Member  States  allocate 
considerable  national  budgetary  resources  to  the  projects  supporting  EU  priorities.  In  2014 
and 2015, the EUR 2.1 billion invested from CEF/TEN-T budget were co-financed with more 
than  EUR  6  billion  of  investments  from  other  sources,  primarily  Member  States'  national 
budgets.  

4.2. Reinforcing the strategic framework for transport investments 

At the end of 2013, a new blueprint for the development of the back bone of the EU transport 
system was agreed when the revised guidelines for the TEN-T network were adopted by the 
European  Parliament  and  the  Council.  A  commitment  was  made  for  transport  infrastructure 
development that will take decades to implement on the ground, require an estimated EUR 1.5 
trillion  in  investment,  and  involve  a  large  number  of  private  and  public  stakeholders.  An 
endeavour of this magnitude, complexity, and cost requires a solid foundation for policy and 
investment decisions. 

Considerable  effort  was  made  in  2014  and  2015  to  reinforce  the  strategic  framework  for 
transport  projects  beyond  the  provisions  of  the  TEN-T  Regulation  and  thereby  to  enhance 
planning security for investors.   

Based  on  the  proposal  made  by  the  European  Coordinators,  the  Member  States  agreed  on 
detailed work plans for the nine TEN-T core network corridors. A European Deployment Plan 
for  ERTMS  was  adopted  in  December  2016  and  a  Detailed  Implementation  Plan  for  the 
Motorways of the Sea was put forward by the European Coordinator21. 

A  considerable  part  of  the  CEF  budget  has  been  earmarked  for  transport  infrastructure 
projects  on  TEN-T,  providing  in  particular  financial  support  to  the  core  network  and 
horizontal projects and activities identified in Part I of the Annex to the CEF Regulation. In 
order to concentrate efforts in that regard, priority is given to projects of common interest as 
defined in the TEN-T Regulation.  

Similarly,  Cohesion  Fund  and  ERDF  support  is  provided  for  TEN-T  and  other  transport 
infrastructure that has been identified as a priority for the development of the TEN-T and/or 
the Member State and region concerned. 

21 http://ec.europa.eu/transport/node/4876 

12 

 
 
                                                 
Considerable  effort  was  made  in  2014  and  2015  to  finalise  the  programming  for  the  2014-
2020  period:  Cohesion  Fund  and  ERDF  will  continue  to  provide  tangible  support  for  the 
development  of  the  TEN-T  network  (around  EUR  34  billion)  in  the  coming  years,  in 
particular in the less developed Member States and regions where considerable effort is still 
needed to close missing links and remove bottlenecks in the transport networks. Additionally, 
the ESI Funds will support national, regional and local transport infrastructure projects which 
are not located on the TEN-T network, as well as the procurement of rolling stock.   

This is crucial for building a seamless door-to-door transport system which caters to the needs 
of long-distance and cross-border transport, as well as local mobility. In all Member States, 
cohesion  policy  will  support  a  transition  towards  a  multimodal,  intelligent  and  more 
sustainable transport system.  

Furthermore, as required by the ex-ante conditionality for receiving financial support from CF 
and  ERDF  under  Thematic  Objective  7  (sustainable  transport),  comprehensive  national  and 
regional  transport  plans,  were  developed  in  20  Member  States,  including  mature  project 
pipelines and measures to strengthen the capacity of administrations and beneficiaries.  

The development of these comprehensive transport plans was an important step forward: they 
set  out  in  detail  how  the  development  of  the  TEN-T  will  be  taken  forward  in  20  Member 
States  and  numerous  regions  of  the  Union  (where  CF/ERDF  provide  co-funding). 
Furthermore,  they  provide  a  basis  for  a  balanced  and  complementary  development  of  non-
TEN-T  infrastructure  at  national,  regional,  and  local  level.  This  is  an  important  step  in 
ensuring  that  the  development  of  the  TEN-T  is  not  done  in  isolation  but  as  part  of  an 
overarching  effort  to  develop  a  seamless  door-to-door  system  which  provides  for  long-
distance and cross-border transport, as well as for local mobility. 

In this context it is also noteworthy that the Commission had presented in 2013 a new concept 
for the development of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans. In the programming period 2014-
2020,  many  EU  urban  areas  will  benefit  from  Cohesion  Fund  and  ERDF  support  in  the 
development  and  implementation  of  such  plans.  Around  EUR  12.5  billion  have  been 
programmed  in  support  for  clean  urban  transport  infrastructure  and  promotion,  plus  around 
EUR  3.5  billion  for  intelligent  transport  systems  and  soft  mobility.  These  investments  will 
help increase the performance of the urban nodes, reduce congestion and remove bottlenecks 
on the TEN-T, and improve last-mile connectivity. 

4.3. Mobilising private capital for TEN-T implementation 

Despite the high EU financial contributions to transport infrastructure on the TEN-T network, 
the  main  financing  challenge  still  rests  with  the  Member  States.  The  development  of 
sustainable and sufficient sources of financing (both public and private) is of key importance 
to overcome the deficit of funding presently available. 

Cohesion Fund, ERDF and CEF support, whilst tangible (around EUR 60 billion for TEN-T 
investments  in  2014-2020),  is  relatively  modest  in  comparison  to  the  investment  needs 
identified for the core and comprehensive network. Therefore, ensuring the greatest impact of 
EU funds requires a coordinated and targeted use of both grants and of financial instruments 
where they can catalyse private investments.  

Because of  the ex-ante conditionalities for transport, effective framework conditions for the 
ESI  Funds  investments  into  the  transport  sector  are  in  place  (comprehensive  national  or 

13 

 
 
regional transport plans and sufficient administrative capacity). This supports the planning of 
transport investments, both public and private. A realistic and mature pipeline for CF/ERDF 
supported projects developed in the context of this exercise provides a basis for coordination, 
synergies and complementarities with CEF and EFSI. 

Private funding often builds on public-private partnership (PPP) schemes. EU funds (such as 
CEF) can be used to improve the risk profiles and strengthen the contractual arrangements of 
PPPs,  thereby  increasing  their  marketability.  This  allows  the  promoters  of  eligible 
infrastructure projects to attract additional private finance from institutional investors such as 
insurance  companies  and  pension  funds.  ESI  Funds  can  be  used  to  support  strategic 
infrastructure  projects  which  pool  other  financial  resources,  be  it  in  the  form  of  national 
public and private co-financing, financing provided by the EIB or – more recently – financing 
provided with the risk bearing capacity of EFSI22. 

In  order  to  enhance  –  where  possible  -  the  leveraging  effect  of  EU  resources  (CF,  ERDF, 
CEF)  on  other  sources  of  financing,  the  Commission  makes  use  of  innovative  financing 
solutions,  which  can  be  developed  into  many  different  types  of  support  instruments,  for 
example,  through  risk-sharing  instruments  deployed  jointly  with  the  European  Investment 
Bank.  Such  instruments  can  mobilise  investment  volumes  ranging  from  six  (equity 
investment)  to  fifteen  times  (risk  sharing  instruments  such  as  project  bonds)  the  grant 
component.  The  innovative  financing  solutions  proposed  by  the  Commission  build  on  the 
experience with previous instruments, notably the Marguerite Fund and the Loan Guarantee 
for TEN Transport (LGTT).  

The  most  prominent  example  of  such  an  instrument  is  the  pilot  phase  of  the  Project  Bonds 
Initiative  (PBI)  which  has  been  carried  over  under  the  CEF  Programme  in  three  sectors: 
transport,  energy  and  ICT.  The  mechanism  attracts  additional  funding  allowing  the  project 
promoter or prospective beneficiary to raise debt funding on capital markets (in the form of 
bonds) to finance high EU added value pan-European infrastructure projects.  

In 2014 and 2015, this support from the PBI mechanism was approved for the expansion of 
the  A7  motorway  in  Germany 23 ;  the  construction  of  the  new  A11  motorway  link  in 
Belgium24; and the expansion of the port of Calais in France. The latter is also a first example 
of the combined use of innovative financial instruments (PBI) and CEF grants25.  

The CEF Debt Instrument (CEF DI) with the European Investment Bank, which is operational 
since  July  2015  aims  to  support  projects  of  common  interest  where  the  instrument  can 
facilitate access to debt capital from commercial lending institutions, institutional investors or 
senior lending from the European Investment Bank.  

The Commission takes further action to ensure synergies between EU funds and support from 
the  European  Fund  for  Strategic  Investments  (EFSI)  are  effectively  exploited  to  mobilise 
private  financing  for  strategic  transport  investments  within  the  EU.  The  Commission  has 

22 EIB financing with EFSI support can however not be regarded as national co-financing. 
23

http://www.eib.org/infocentre/press/releases/all/2014/2014-182-a7-extension-first-financing-operation-in-

germany-with-eu-project-bonds.htm   
24 http://www.eib.org/infocentre/press/releases/all/2014/2014-066-eib-backs-a11-belgian-motorway-link.htm  
25 The Project Bond was used to reduce cost of debt and therefore reduce the need for public support, while the 
CEF grants were used to cover remaining eligible costs for activities of high EU added value.  

14 

 
 
                                                 
already  published  practical  guidance 26  on  how  to  combine  and  use  in  a  complementary 
manner  ESI  Funds  and  EFSI  and  continues  to  further  simplify  the  overall  framework  to 
develop such diversification of sources of funding and financing. In 2015, four EFSI transport 
projects were signed and another three approved, drawing a total of more than €1.5 billion in 
EU loans27.  

An example of combining grant resources under the CEF with resources enabled by EFSI is 
the project on “Accessibility Ports Infrastructure” in Spain. An EFSI guarantee enabled EIB 
and ICO (national promotion bank) to support with loans a pool of Port accessibility projects 
in Spain in order to connect 13 pre-identified ports of the trans-European transport network 
during  2015-2020.  The total investment (related to the EFSI part of the project) amounts to 
EUR 425  million. These EIB and ICO loans were complemented by  a CEF co-financing to 
some of these projects.28 

The Commission develops an innovative blending mechanism, i.e. combining grants from the 
Connecting Europe Facility programme with instruments available under the European Fund 
for  Strategic  Investments  and  private  financing.  The  Commission  published  a  Work 
Programme and a call for proposals on 8 February 2017 with an aim to blend EUR 1 billion of 
CEF grants with EFSI financing or other private capital sources.  

5.  DEFINITION OF REPORTING STRATEGY  

This first progress report should also propose a monitoring and reporting mechanism enabling 
the  Commission  to  fulfil  its  reporting  obligations  as  defined  in  Article  49.3  of  the  TEN-T 
Regulation.  This  means  in  particular  reinforcing  the  strategy  used  for  Member  States' 
reporting under Art 49.1 and Art 49.2 of the TEN-T Guidelines. To set up sound and coherent 
monitoring  and  reporting  mechanisms,  the  strategy  shall  take  into  account  all  available 
sources  of  information  and  data  and  shall  be  coherent  with  the  application  of  the  TEN-T 
Regulation in line with its objectives and priorities. 

The shortcomings identified in the present report indicate that the quality of information and 
the methodologies applied to collect and process data need to be further improved at EU level. 
To guarantee necessary data harmonisation, in the future the Commission will use a common 
pre-filled  template  for  the  data  collection  on  EU  financial  sources  as  part  of  its  reporting 
strategy. This should allow for the creation of a common and harmonised database gathering 
all the  relevant information on  TEN-T projects with EU  funding from  the relevant Member 
State authorities. In this context, it should be noted that EUROSTAT does not collect data on 
transport infrastructure expenditures, and more specifically on TEN-T, as it is not foreseen by 
the relevant legal basis.  

In  addition,  the  reporting  mechanism  should  allow  the  Commission  to  indicate  how  the 
various inputs (e.g. EU funds, EIB financing, private leveraged funds) enable the realisation 
of  outputs  (e.g.  built  infrastructure,  deployed  ITS)  and  ultimately  contribute  to  measuring 
outcomes 
safety, 
decarbonisation)  and  estimated  impacts  (e.g.  growth,  jobs).  This  analysis  would  build  upon 
the assessment made in the context of CNC work plans. 

transport  efficiency,  passenger/freight 

transport  capacity, 

(e.g. 

26 http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/thefunds/fin_inst/pdf/efsi_esif_compl_en.pdf 
27
28 http://www.eib.org/projects/pipelines/pipeline/20150115  

 http://www.eib.org/efsi/efsi-projects/?c=&se=5  

15 

 
 
                                                 
Another  key  barrier  in  developing  the  TEN-T  network  is  the  lack  of  a  common  source  of 
reliable information on the current status of the network, its evolution, and ongoing projects 
and  investments.  This  requirement  should  be  addressed  through  the  TENtec  information 
system.  TENtec  already  establishes  a  harmonised  information  system  for  transport 
infrastructure underpinned with a strong legal basis29.  

As  the  TEN-T  development  unfolds  through  the  implementation  of  the  core  and 
comprehensive  network,  it  is  necessary  to  ensure  the  availability  and  completeness  of 
information  through  timely  encoding  of  quality  data  in  TENtec.  A  general  need  for 
improvement, identified in this report, centres especially on increasing the data input rate of 
the  system.  It  is  necessary  to  increase  the  information  content  and  strengthen  it  in  terms  of 
accuracy, completeness and consistency in collaboration with Member States and within the 
EU institutions and bodies concerned. 

The  studies  launched  by  the  Commission  aim  at  ensuring  that  a  high  quality  and  sufficient 
coverage dataset on the state of play of the TEN-T infrastructure is available in TENtec. The 
ongoing TENtec data collection exercise currently aims at assessing and verifying the existing 
TENtec  data  in  terms  of  data  quality  and  consistency.  The  studies  also  follow  a  predefined 
data collection plan to identify all relevant data sources per country and technical parameter. 
The data is collected per geographical network section and node and provides a high level of 
detail.  The  first  phase  of  the  data  gathering  process  is  nearing  completion  and  will  allow 
Member States to validate the newly encoded data. The studies will be completed by the end 
of  2017  resulting  in  the  update  of  TENtec  data  from  2014  and  2015.  In  the  next  progress 
report, the technical parameter indicators will be recalculated, as the data is expected to be of 
higher quality. 

In the long-term, the necessity for Member States to complete the information on TEN-
T infrastructure on a regular yearly basis is crucial. The TENtec studies will provide the 
Commission  with  the  documentation  of  data  sources  and  the  methodology  applied  to  the 
identification  of  each  parameter  allowing  an  easy  update  of  the  database.  This  should 
facilitate  the  data  encoding  of  the  required  information  in  the  future  by  Member  States. 
Furthermore, the current reporting process shows that automated upload should be developed.  

As  long  as  the  technical  data  in  TENtec  is  incomplete,  all  the  sections  and  infrastructure 
components  which  have  not  been  updated  in  the  system  should  be  considered  as  non-
compliant  with  the  TEN-T  requirements.  This  would  eliminate  cases  where  the  indicator 
reports  full  compliance  with  TEN-T  standards  as  a  result  of  low  input  rate  for  a  given 
infrastructure component.  

The  biennial  reporting  on  the  progress  of  TEN-T  implementation  could  also  benefit  from 
setting a clear timeline for the delivery of future progress reports. The collection, processing 
and  analysis  of  financial  and  technical  data  from  a  2-year  TEN-T  implementation  period 
require significant time and resources. A large part of the financial information is available by 
the  end  of  the  second  or  third  year  after  the  allocation  of  funds.  Similarly,  the  reporting  of 
technical  data  on  newly  constructed  or  upgraded  infrastructure  is  often  delayed  and  may 
include  incomplete  or  erroneous  information.  Hence,  to  deliver  a  robust,  comparative  and 
aggregate  analysis  (comparison  with  previous  reporting  periods)  of  biennial  progress  in  the 

29 TEN-T Regulation 1315/2013 sets requirements in Article 49 for Member States to transmit annual data to 
TENtec, and for the Commission to ensure that TENtec is easily accessible. 

16 

 
 
                                                 
implementation of TEN-T, the Commission aims to apply a "n+2" rule, in order to be able to 
issue the progress reports two years after the end of each reporting period. 

Lastly, the assessment of the existing data of the TENtec system allowed the Commission to 
elaborate  some  first  ideas  on  how  to  improve  and  further  develop  the  methodology  for  the 
TENtec  data  analysis.  In  the  context  of  ongoing  CNC  studies,  the  Commission  is  currently 
analysing the impact of TEN-T infrastructure on the environment and climate change as well 
as on growth and jobs. In addition, a study will be carried out on the overall impact on growth 
and  jobs  that  could  be  realised  through  the  realisation  of  the  TEN-T  core  network.  This 
analysis  will  lead  to  the  definition  of  new  KPIs  for  projects  which  could  be  added  to  the 
existing  technical  requirements  in  the  future  progress  reports.  This  will  need  to  be  further 
investigated  in  the  next  progress  report,  where  the  data  input  rate  and  quality  will  be 
significantly increased in TENtec.  

6.  CONCLUSION 

As the final element of the TEN-T progress report, Article 49.3 of TEN-T Regulation requires 
the  Commission  to  analyse  the  development  of  the  trans-European  transport  network. 
Accordingly, this final chapter compares the level of investment in project implementation, as 
reported in chapter 4, with the technical implementation status described under chapter 3, to 
present an assessment of overall progress made in development of the TEN-T network in the 
course  of  the  years  2014  and  2015.  The  analysis  provides  conclusions  for  the  core  and 
comprehensive networks by assessing the realisation of the network and drawing conclusions 
on the levels of investment and the output reached in terms of infrastructure compliance.  

If EU financial grant support for the development of the TEN-T network is broken down by 
modal  share,  the  highest  investment  volume  is  reported  for  rail  which  absorbed  as  much  as 
51.5%  of  total  expenditure  in  2014  and  2015.  The  share  of  road  infrastructure  investment 
reached  30.6%  of  total  expenditure,  followed  by  9.2%  for ports  and  Motorways  of  the  Sea, 
5.5% for airports (including SESAR), 2.1% for multimodal infrastructure and 1.1% for inland 
waterways.  

The highest investment level reported for rail (51.5% of the total investment) is in line with 
the lower levels of compliance for half of the rail indicators (less than 75% for ERTMS, axle 
load  and  train  length),  as  well  as  the  general  TEN-T  policy  objective  of  supporting  low-
carbon, sustainable transport  modes. This is further  evidenced by  the support granted under 
the  TEN-T  and  Connecting  Europe  Facility,  where  the  overall  support  for  rail  projects  in 
2014-2015  was  more  than  twice  the  amount  of  funding  granted  to  all  the  others  modes  of 
transport together (70% of total TEN-T/CEF expenditures).  

With regard to road, the technical compliance indicators are only at 75% for the core network 
and 58% for the comprehensive network. In relation to this, the investment level is relatively 
high,  equal  to  30.6%  of  total  expenditure.  On  average,  higher  investment  in  road 
infrastructure  was  made  in  Cohesion  Member  States,  as  evidenced  by  the  relatively  large 
financial contribution granted under ERDF and Cohesion Fund. In contrast, the share of TEN-
T/CEF expenditure dedicated to road infrastructure amounted to merely 3% in 2014 and 2015.    

As  regards  IWW,  the  investment  level  was  very  low  and  amounted  to  only  1.1%  of  total 
investments  made  on  TEN-T  (even  though  the  figure  is  foreseen  to  increase  given  the 
commitments  made  by  CEF  in  2014  and  2015).  Whilst  for  RIS  implementation  79%  of 
compliance and for CEMT IV class 95% of compliance are already reached, the permissible 
draught is still  relatively far  from compliance (68%), which may suggest the  need for  more 

17 

 
 
investment  in  IWW  infrastructure  in  the  future.  In  this  context,  increasing  EU  financing 
should be considered.  

For sea ports, the connection to rail, for both the core and comprehensive network is already 
fully  compliant,  according  to  the  data  in  TENtec.  However,  capacity  issues  on  rail  sections 
leading to ports  are  still present in many cases. The investment level share of 9.2% did not 
address  the  problem  of  connections  to  CEMT  Class  IV  inland  waterways  where  the 
compliance rate is 46% for the core and merely 9% for the comprehensive network.  

Regarding  airports,  the  level  of  investment  remains  relatively  low  (5.5%)  even  though  the 
compliance  rate  with  regard  to  rail  connections  on  both  the  core  (35.5%)  and  the 
comprehensive networks (12.2%) is very low.   

Overall, it can be assumed that in most cases significant improvements are still required and 
significant investment needed to reach the objectives of the TEN-T Regulation.  

Having this presumption in  mind,  this report paints a rather positive picture of the progress 
already achieved on the TEN-T core and comprehensive network. Indeed, large parts of TEN-
T already show a high compliance level with TEN-T Regulation requirements. The level of 
expenditure on different TEN-T infrastructure components coming from EU sources generally 
matches the investment needs and reflects the TEN-T transport policy goals such as enhanced 
accessibility,  modal  integration,  interoperability,  sustainability,  reduction  of  emissions, 
environmental  protection  and  promotion  of  innovative  mobility  solutions.  In  future  reports, 
the level of investment at Member States' level needs to be analysed in detail as to complete 
the  above  picture  in  terms  of  investment  priorities  and  financial  needs  in  relation  to  the 
technical compliance of the network.  

To summarise, the first two years of implementing the new policy approach show that a wide 
range of different instruments have been successfully put in place in order to realise the TEN-
T. The progress made in implementing projects for that purpose now needs to be carefully and 
continuously  monitored  so  as  to  ensure  that  the  core  network,  including  its  core  network 
corridors, will be completed by 2030 and the comprehensive network by 2050.  

18 

 
 
Annex 1 - KPIs and calculation method used to measure technical implementation of TEN-T network 

Mode 

Indicator 

Passenger (P)  
Freight  
(F) 

Unit 

Calculation 

Target  
(in 2030 for core) 
(in 2050 for 
comprehensive) 

Value in 2015 

Data input rate 

Comments 

Electrification 

P/F 

% 

Track gauge 
1435mm 

P/F 

% 

Rail 

ERTMS 
implementation 

P/F 

% 

Line speed 
(≥100km/h) 

F 

% 

Electrified rail 
network kms as a 
proportion of relevant 
rail network kms. 

Standard (1435mm) 
track gauge as a 
proportion (%) of 
relevant rail network 
kms. 

Length of Permanent 
Operation of both 
ERTMS and GSM-R 
on rail network, as a 
proportion of relevant 
rail network kms 

Length of freight and 
combined line 
allowing for a 
maximum operating 
speed greater than or 
equal to 100 km/h, as 
a proportion of 
relevant rail network 
kms without load 

100% 

81.3% (core) 
80.6% (comprehensive) 

95.9% (core) 
96.2% (comprehensive) 

100% 

77% (core) 
75.8% (comprehensive) 

98.2% (core) 
98.7% (comprehensive) 

100% 

9.5% of core network 
corridor sections  

96.5% (core network 
corridors) 

100% 

86.8% (core) 
86.6% (comprehensive) 

89.4% (core) 
86.9% (comprehensive) 

19 

Based on TENtec data encoded 
through TENtec study (Lot 1), 
pre-validated by ERA but  
not validated yet by MS 

Based on TENtec data encoded 
through TENtec study (Lot 1), 
pre-validated by ERA but  
not validated yet by MS 

Based on TENtec data encoded 
through the ERTMS 
Deployment Management 
Team, pre-validated by ERA 
but not yet validated yet by 
MS. Data is limited to core 
network corridor sections. 
Further data collection ongoing 
through ERTMS study  

Based on TENtec data encoded 
through TENtec study (Lot 1), 
pre-validated by ERA but  
not validated yet by MS 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Axle load 
(≥22.5t) 

F 

% 

Train length 
(≥740m) 

F 

% 

Express road/ 
motorway 

P/F 

% 

Road 

Availability of 
clean fuels 

P/F 

restriction. 

Length of freight and 
combined line with a 
permitted axle load 
greater than or equal 
to 22.5 tonnes, as a 
proportion of relevant 
rail network kms. 

Length of Freight and 
combined line with a 
permitted train length 
greater than or equal 
to 740m, as a 
proportion of relevant 
rail network kms. 

Road network kms 
classified as motorway 
or express road, as a 
proportion (%) of 
road section kms. 

Number of fuel 
stations offering plug-
in electricity, 
hydrogen, liquid 
biofuels, LNG/CNG, 
bio-methane or LPG 
along road sections or 
within 10km from its 
junctions (units in 
absolute number, not 
%) 

100% 

66.8% (core) 
66.6% (comprehensive) 

97.5% (core) 
97.5% (comprehensive) 

100% 

46.5% (core) 
46.6% (comprehensive) 

79.9% (core) 
76.2% (comprehensive) 

100% 

74.5% (core) 
58.1% (comprehensive) 

100% (core) 
100% (comprehensive) 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

Based on TENtec data encoded 
through TENtec study (Lot 1), 
pre-validated by ERA but  
not validated yet by MS 

Based on TENtec data encoded 
through TENtec study (Lot 1), 
pre-validated by ERA but  
not validated yet by MS 

Based on TENtec data encoded 
through TENtec study (Lot 1),  
pre-validated by ERA but  
not validated yet by MS 

Data availability is currently 
limited. Member States have to 
deliver their annual plans for 
the deployment of clean fuels 
infrastructure. This exercise is 
still ongoing. 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CEMT 
requirements 
for class IV 
IWW 

Permissible 
Draught (min 
2.5m) 

IWW 

Permissible 
Height under 
bridges(min. 
5.25m)  

RIS 
implementation 
(% of km on 
which the 
minimum 
requirements 
set out by the 
RIS directive 
are met)  

F 

F 

F 

% 

% 

% 

F 

% 

Length of Inland 
waterways classified 
as at least CEMT 
class IV, as a 
proportion (%) of 
waterway network 
kms. 

Inland waterway 
network kms 
permitting a vessel of 
2.5m draught, as a 
proportion (%) of 
waterway section kms. 

Inland waterway 
network kms with 
vertical clearance of 
at least 5.25m under 
bridges, as a 
proportion (%) of 
waterway section kms. 

Inland waterway 
network kms on which 
the minimum technical 
requirements of the 
RIS directive are met, 
as a proportion (%) of 
waterway section kms. 

100% 

95.4% 

n.a. 

100% 

68%  

n.a. 

100% 

n.a. 

n.a. 

100% 

79.6%  

n.a. 

Based on TENtec data 
collected through TENtec 
study (Lot 2), subject to pre-
validation and not validated 
yet by MS 

Data based on  
Art. 49.3 study of 2016; 
More precise data collection 
ongoing through TENtec study 
(Lot 2)  

Data collection ongoing 
through TENtec study (Lot 2) 

Based on TENtec data 
collected through TENtec 
study (Lot 2), subject to pre-
validation and not validated 
yet by MS 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Connection to 
rail  

F 

% 

Connection to 
IWW CEMT 
IV 

F 

% 

Ports 

Availability of 
clean fuels 

F 

% 

Availability of 
at least one 
freight terminal 
open to all 
operators in a 
non-
discriminatory 
way and 
application of 
transparent 
charges 

F 

% 

Number of ports with 
a rail connection as a 
proportion (%) of the 
number of relevant 
core and 
comprehensive ports. 

Number of ports with 
a (hinterland) inland 
waterway connection 
of at least CEMT IV 
class, as a proportion 
(%) of the number of 
relevant core and 
comprehensive ports. 

Number of ports 
offering (at least one 
of) LPG, LNG, liquid 
biofuels, or synthetic 
fuels as a proportion 
(%) of the total 
number of core and 
comprehensive ports. 

Number of ports with 
at least one open 
access terminal, as a 
proportion (%) of the 
total number of core 
and comprehensive 
ports. 

100% 

100% for seaports 

n.a. 

100% 

46% (core) 
9% (comprehensive) 

n.a. 

Data based on  
Art. 49.3 study of 2016; 
More precise data collection 
ongoing through MoS study 

Data based on  
Art. 49.3 study of 2016; 
More precise data collection 
ongoing through MoS study 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

Data collection ongoing 
through TENtec study (Lot 2)  

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

Currently no data available. 
Data will be subject to an 
upcoming data collection 
campaign. 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Facilities for 
ship generated 
waste (only for 
seaports) 

P/F 

% 

Connection to 
rail 

P/F 

% 

Airports 

Availability of 
at least one 
terminal open 
to all operators 
in a non-
discriminatory 
way and 
application of 
transparent, 
relevant and 
fair charges 

P/F 

% 

Number of seaports 
offering facilities for 
accepting PRF 
mandatory 
(MARPOL13 Annexes 
I, IV, and V) 
categories of ship-
generated waste, as a 
proportion (%) of the 
total number of core 
and comprehensive 
ports. 

Number of airports 
with a rail connection 
as a proportion (%) of 
the number of relevant 
core and 
comprehensive 
airports. 

Number of airports 
offering liquid biofuels 
or synthetic fuels for 
aeroplanes, as a 
proportion (%) of the 
total number of core 
and comprehensive 
airports 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

Data collection ongoing 
through TENtec study (Lot 2) 

100% (i.e. all 38 
core airports) 

23 out of 38 core airports 
that fall under this 
compliance criterion 
(60.5%) 
(For information: 35.5% 
of all core airports, and 
12.2% of all 
comprehensive airports) 

100% (core) 
100% (comprehensive) 

Based on TENtec data encoded 
through TENtec study (Lot 1), 
not validated yet by MS 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

Currently no data available. 
Data will be subject to an 
upcoming data collection 
campaign. 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Availability of 
clean fuels 

P/F 

% 

Capability for 
Intermodal 
(unitised) 
transhipment 

F 

% 

RRT 

740m train 
terminal 
accessibility 

F 

% 

Electrified train 
terminal 
accessibility 

F 

% 

Number of airports 
with at least one open 
access terminal, as a 
proportion (%) of the 
total number of core 
and comprehensive 
airports. 

Number of road rail 
terminals with the 
capability of handling 
intermodal units, as a 
proportion (%) of the 
total number of core 
and comprehensive 
RRTs. 

Number of road rail 
terminals with the 
capability of handling 
740m trains (without 
decoupling), as a 
proportion (%) of the 
total number of core 
and comprehensive 
RRTs. 

Number of road rail 
terminals with the 
capability of handling 
electrified trains, as a 
proportion (%) of the 
total number of core 
and comprehensive 
RRTs. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

24 

Currently no data available. 
Data will be subject to an 
upcoming data collection 
campaign. 

Currently no data available. 
Data will be subject to an 
upcoming data collection 
campaign. 

Currently no data available. 
Data will be subject to an 
upcoming data collection 
campaign. 

Currently no data available. 
Data will be subject to an 
upcoming data collection 
campaign. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Availability of 
at least one 
freight terminal 
open to all 
operators in a 
non-
discriminatory 
way and 
application of 
transparent 
charges 

F 

% 

Number of RRTs with 
at least one open 
access terminal, as a 
proportion (%) of the 
total number of core 
and comprehensive 
RRTs. 

Currently no data available. 
Data will be subject to an 
upcoming data collection 
campaign. 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table  1  –  EU  expenditure  on  TEN-T  per  funding  source  by  transport  mode  in  2014-2015  in 
Million EUR 

Transport Mode 

TEN-T/CEF 

ERDF+CF 
expenditures 

Total 

Air 
Inland Waterways 
Multimodal 
Maritime 
Rail 
Road 
Total 

167.4 
115.9 
72.8 
202.8 
1,506.0 
75.5 
2,140.4 

764.4 
72.8 
284.1 
1,352.2 
7,244.7 
5,121.4 
14,839.6 

931.8 
188.7 
356.9 
1,555.0 
8,750.7 
5,196.9 
16,980.00 

Table 2 – Total expenditure and commitments on TEN-T by TEN-T / CEF funding (2014-2015)  

MS 

AT 
BE 
BG 
CY 
CZ 
DE 
DK 
EE 
EL 
ES 
FI 
FR 
HR 
HU 
IE 
IT 
LT 
LU 
LV 
MT 
NL 
PL 
PT 
RO 
SE 
SI 
SK 
UK 
Other 
Total 

TEN-T/CEF expenditure / funding 1 

CEF legal commitments 2 

€112,027,519.51 
€88,085,709.40 
€8,500.00 
€368,532.87 
€12,262,375.63 
€426,535,582.47 
€99,229,178.19 
€2,671,586.00 
€123,134,381.62 
€344,978,468.26 
€70,715,369.04 
€311,926,281.40 
€1,235,228.27 
€4,429,232.31 
€9,438,294.65 
€209,908,600.09 
€22,498,300.67 
€8,343,133.27 
€3,258,467.49 
€606,607.66 
€55,335,308.50 
€14,330,082.76 
€5,929,072.92 
€638,311.19 
€97,125,195.54 
€19,426,804.80 
€492,371.11 
€95,478,632.90 
€0.00 
€2,140,417,128.53 

26 

€697,274,954.59 
€386,862,982.77 
€140,422,446.31 
€4,336,455.50 
€254,446,954.59 
€1,721,544,112.62 
€635,659,951.00 
€189,711,553.40 
€474,031,499.81 
€820,887,241.21 
€67,814,357.90 
€1,765,036,319.72 
€43,863,508.40 
€270,460,015.70 
€58,014,678.96 
€1,218,439,960.01 
€175,075,057.01 
€71,505,392.50 
€252,335,764.20 
€38,854,793.70 
€157,303,009.76 
€1,943,289,051.14 
€151,238,125.46 
€708,169,133.80 
€82,055,838.05 
€47,042,258.50 
€51,669,290.65 
€203,630,057.00 
€63,547,883.46 
€12,694,522,647.71 

 
 
 
 
 
1  
TEN-T share of expenditure for works and mixed works/studies projects. Expenditure based 
on  declared  costs  in  Action  Status  Reports  and  final  payment  claims.  CEF  share  of  expenditures  / 
funding based on declared costs / payment claims, whenever applicable, or on funding expected to be 
absorbed  by  the  project  on  the  basis  of  the  latest  information  available  (taking  into  account  budget 
breakdowns in grant agreements).  

2 
EU  funding  currently  allocated  via  the  latest  grant  agreement  (for  ongoing  actions)  or  final 
funding  for  terminated  /  closed  actions.  This  variable  takes  into  account  reduction  of  funding  via 
amendments.  

Table  3  –  Total  expenditure  and  commitments  on  TEN-T  by  ERDF  /  Cohesion  Fund  in  2014-
2015 

MS 

AT 
BE 
BG 
CY 
CZ 
DE 
EE 
ES 
FI 
FR 
GR 
HR 
HU 
IT 
LT 
LV 
MT 
NL 
PL 
PT 
RO 
SE 
SI 
SK 
TC/CB* 
UK 
Total 

ERDF + CF Expenditures 
(2014-2015) 2007-2013 
period1 

ERDF + CF Estimated 
amount of commitments 
(2014-2015) 2014-2020 period2 

€2,934,472.00 
€46,136.00 
€568,041,108.00 
€8,616,572.00 
€875,526,552.00 
€368,407,819.00 
€129,279,226.00 
€582,659,100.00 
€3,403,446.00 
€95,387,637.00 
€1,088,333,130.00 
€80,655,785.00 
€990,951,073.00 
€591,732,086.00 
€456,818,713.00 
€261,879,728.00 
€1,309,272.00 
€250,000.00 
€4,924,498,892.00 
€174,551,330.00 
€2,250,442,506.00 
€2,102,460.00 
€480,243,393.00 
€616,618,969.00 
€161,326,899.00 
€123,611,227.00 
€14,839,627,531.00 

27 

€0.00 
€0.00 
€283,168,179.00 
€10,867,022.00 
€638,315,795.00 
€550,138.00 
€100,579,525.00 
€388,654,854.00 
€0.00 
€11,952,785.00 
€349,050,764.00 
€213,936,269.00 
€381,435,124.00 
€338,966,553.00 
€173,677,344.00 
€221,134,278.00 
€18,565,514.00 
€0.00 
€3,258,444,121.00 
€138,470,240.00 
€923,420,160.00 
€8,221,453.00 
€56,681,911.00 
€512,834,678.00 
€15,360,141.00 
€40,004,023.00 
€8,084,290,869.00 

 
 
 
 
 
*  TC/CB  stands  for  programmes  implemented  under  the  European  territorial  cooperation  objective, 
which had no access to the Cohesion Fund and covered regions from different Member States  

1 
The estimates provided in these tables are based on data collected in the framework of the Ex 
post  evaluation  of  Cohesion  Policy  programmes  2007-2013,  focusing  on  the  European  Regional 
Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund (CF) Work Package 13 and the latest adopted version 
of programmes in October 2016. 

Based on data from adopted programmes extracted in October 2016 and include only ERDF or 

2 
Cohesion Fund resources, not the national contribution.  

Table 4 – EIB loans signed in 2014-2015 on TEN-T projects  

MS 
AT 
BE 
BG 
CY 
CZ 
DE 
DK 
EE 
EL 
ES 
FI 
FR 
HR 
HU 
IE 
IT 
LT 
LV 
NL 
PL 
SE 
SI 
SK 
UK 
Total 

EIB loans signed 1 

€990,000,000.00 
€340,000,000.00 
€180,000,000.00 
€4,000,000.00 
€0.00 
€407,000,000.00 
€0.00 
€0.00 
€325,000,000.00 
€2,439,000,000.00 
€102,000,000.00 
€973,000,000.00 
€47,000,000.00 
€296,000,000.00 
€319,000,000.00 
€1,819,000,000.00 
€62,000,000.00 
€0.00 
€402,000,000.00 
€3,761,000,000.00 
€132,000,000.00 
€181,000,000.00 
€322,000,000.00 
€591,000,000.00 
€13,692,000,000.00 

1 

EIB loans / operations on TEN-T signed in 2014 and 2015 

28