High-speed rail (HSR) is passenger rail on lines built or upgraded for high speeds, run with rolling stock designed for them. EU law defines high-speed lines as lines specially built for speeds generally equal to or greater than 250 km/h and lines specially upgraded for speeds of the order of 200 km/h.
The EU framework for high-speed rail rests on Annex I of the Interoperability Directive (2016/797). It adds a third category of upgraded lines where topography, relief or town-planning constraints require lower speeds, including connecting lines and lines through stations. This lets high-speed trains run through to city-centre stations over conventional track.
The European Commission presents high-speed rail as an alternative to short-haul flights between EU cities. Faster lines also free capacity on conventional lines for regional and night trains.
In Italy and Spain, new operators run high-speed services in competition with the state-owned Trenitalia and Renfe. On the Madrid–Barcelona line, three operators compete.
The 2040 network
The TEN-T Regulation requires passenger lines on the core and extended core network to allow speeds of at least 160 km/h by 2040. That minimum sits below the 200 km/h of upgraded high-speed lines.
The Commission’s high-speed rail plan of 5 November 2025 builds on the TEN-T network. It aims for a faster high-speed network by 2040, with trains running at 200 km/h and above between major cities, and binding timelines for removing cross-border bottlenecks to be set by 2027.
The plan’s examples show where cross-border journeys fall short. Berlin–Copenhagen is to fall from seven hours to four by 2030, and Sofia–Athens to six hours by 2035.