EU-WIDE TEE2.0 PROPOSED
On 21 September German Transport minister Andreas Scheuer presented proposals to transport ministers from all European Union states proposing the creation of a new ‘Trans Europe Express’ (TEE) network based upon both daytime high-speed trains and a revitalised night train network linking multiple countries. The event, originally planned to coincide with the bi-annual InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin, also discussed pan-European freight development. Germany holds the rotating presidency of the EU for the second half of 2020. Mr Scheuer suggested the ‘Deutschland Takt’ regular interval timetable being planned for German domestic services by 2030 (p78) is a model for the wider European ‘TEE 2.0’ network development.
The proposed TEE 2.0 network would be a successor to the original TEE network established by the French, Dutch, German, Italian, Luxembourgeois and Swiss railways in 1954. TEE services operated from 1957, using purpose-built trains offering fast and luxurious journeys for the time. The network ceased operation in the 1980s, replaced in part by lower and more variable quality ‘EuroCity’ (EC) trains. Mr Scheuer suggests the time is right for a rail-based alternative to s…
