Europe is investing billions in cross-border railways, ports and major transport corridors. But when trains, freight and passengers reach a city, that is where the network is truly tested. If traffic gets stuck at congested stations, overloaded rail hubs or strained bridges, the benefits of European investment quickly fade.
This is why Eurocities, together with partners from the Urban Nodes Alliance, is calling on EU policymakers to clearly reinstate urban nodes as a priority under the future Connecting Europe Facility (CEF III), to guarantee their continued eligibility for both studies and infrastructure funding, and to recognise that Europe’s resilience and competitiveness priorities depend on effective implementation in cities.
Why should Urban Nodes be a priority?
Urban nodes are the major cities and metropolitan areas located along the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). They are the places where local authorities and stakeholders connect European mobility with daily life. They are where international trains arrive, where freight passes through on its way between ports and industrial regions, where airports connect to rail and metro systems, and where passengers transfer from high-speed rail to local buses, trams or cycling routes. They are also where goods complete the ‘last mile’ of their journey to shops, businesses and homes.
“Not only do cities manage local mobility, we also carry significant additional flows from ports, international rail freight, and long-distance transport that keep Europe’s economy moving,” explains Christian Specht, Lord Mayor of Mannheim. “Urban nodes like Mannheim are indispensable for the functioning of the TEN-T Network.”
Cities do not only manage local mobility; they also absorb significant passenger and freight flows that keep Europe’s economy moving. When infrastructure in these nodes is overstretched, delays ripple across borders.
Without strong and well-funded Urban Nodes, the TEN-T network cannot deliver on its objectives of decarbonisation, resilience, competitiveness and territorial cohesion.
Europe’s climate goals depend on cities
Under the revised TEN-T Regulation, urban nodes are recognised as essential components of the European transport system. Cities are now required to develop or update Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, collect comparable mobility data, and deliver multimodal passenger hubs and freight terminals over the coming decades. In practical terms, this means that Europe’s transport and climate ambitions increasingly rely on cities’ ability to plan, finance, and implement complex infrastructure projects.
The indirect costs linked to a poorly implemented TEN-T are significant. If cities are not given the means to support increased capacity along the TEN-T, major cross-border investments risk being neutralised by congestion. The Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link illustrates this clearly. The project will improve road and rail connections between Denmark and Germany, reducing rail travel times by up to three hours and strengthening links between the European continent and Scandinavia. Yet the project’s impact assessment shows that without improvements in key urban nodes, including the functional urban area of Malmo, major cross-border investments risk being neutralised by congestion.
Despite the significant time savings, rail freight is expected to increase by only around 25%, largely due to limited capacity within the Urban Node, which restricts further growth. In other words, Europe can build faster links, but if cities cannot accommodate them, only a fraction of their potential will be realised.
Cities currently rely on a set of intertwined EU rules aiming to achieve the TEN-T. A few years ago, the European policy-makers adopted the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation, which sets clear targets for charging infrastructure for different transport modes along the network’s corridors. In practice, major European cities are playing their part by ensuring their public fleets are decarbonised, and enough charging infrastructure is available in public spaces.
If urban nodes are not adequately supported under CEF III, EU decision-makers risk undermining the work that local leaders are undertaking to achieve the TEN-T’s objective. Continued eligibility of urban projects for CEF funding is therefore essential to deliver AFIR’s objectives in practice.
High-speed rail only delivers if it connects to cities
High-speed rail is a cornerstone of Europe’s green transition and competitiveness. Eurocities and rail stakeholders, including members of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), have repeatedly emphasised that better connecting European cities through high-speed rail is crucial for shifting passengers from air and road to more sustainable modes of transport.
The Rail Baltica project, a flagship initiative connecting the capitals of the Baltic States to the rest of the continent, specifically recognised to be critical to Europe’s defence, risks not being able to deploy its full capacity. The line has received substantial support through several CEF calls, including €295 million under the 2025 call. Yet, funding to ensure effective connections between the new high-speed railway and the urban transport networks of the capitals has not yet been secured. Without these critical Urban Node investments, passengers may struggle to continue their journeys seamlessly into cities such as Riga, limiting the attractiveness and usage of the line. The project’s full economic potential, estimated at €48 billion, is therefore at risk.
As Viesturs Kleinbergs, Mayor of Riga, emphasises, “Rail Baltica will connect the Baltic States to the European high-speed rail network. But if passengers cannot easily continue their journey within the city or region, we lose much of its value. Without strong and properly funded urban nodes, this connection will not reach its full potential.”
Cities as enablers, rather than bottlenecks
Urban Nodes are not only about passenger comfort; they are also about keeping Europe’s freight and passenger flows moving efficiently.
The rail bypass project around Lyon, known as the Contournement ferroviaire de l’agglomération lyonnaise (CFAL), demonstrates how resolving urban bottlenecks benefits the entire European network. The project is designed to divert freight trains away from the saturated Lyon rail hub. By doing so, it would free capacity for regional, long-distance and high-speed passenger services, strengthen major freight corridors, and support the strategic Lyon–Turin axis.
Although early-stage studies received CEF support, the current detailed study phases are no longer funded under CEF. This creates uncertainty for a project that would unlock capacity far beyond the city itself.
“When freight trains are stuck in Lyon, Europe’s corridors are stuck,” says Jean-Charles Kohlhaas, Lyon Metropole Vice-President for Transportation, Intermodality, and Urban Logistics. “The Lyon bypass is not just a local project. It frees capacity for commuters, long-distance passengers and European freight. Investing in urban nodes means unlocking the full potential of Europe’s transport network.”
In Mannheim, similar pressures are visible. “Municipal bridges crossing the river Rhine are heavily strained by freight traffic, while the massive congestion of our rail hub by international cargo and long-distance passenger trains has delayed the expansion of the local and regional train network for decades now,” shares Mayor Specht, “Without proper infrastructure investment, bottlenecks in urban nodes can slow freight, passenger flows, and the movement of Europe’s strategic assets.”
What is at stake under CEF III
Under the current CEF II programme, projects within Urban Nodes have been eligible for funding for both studies and infrastructure works. This has enabled cities and metropolitan regions to address capacity bottlenecks, improve connections between long-distance and local transport, and enhance multimodality for both passengers and freight. CEF funding has also brought European coordination and technical expertise, ensuring that projects meet high standards and contribute to cross-border objectives.
The proposed CEF III framework risks weakening this support by not clearly reinstating Urban Nodes as a funding priority. Neglecting Urban Nodes would undermine the performance of the entire TEN-T network and reduce the return on Europe’s substantial corridor investments. It would also make it harder to achieve meaningful modal shift towards rail and other sustainable transport modes, since these depend on efficient and attractive urban connections.
As Mayor Specht says, “Strengthening the functioning of urban nodes like Mannheim means strengthening the functioning of Europe as a whole.”
Through the Urban Nodes Alliance, Eurocities is therefore calling for the clear reinstatement of Urban Nodes as a priority under CEF III, continued eligibility of urban projects for both studies and infrastructure investments, and recognition that achieving Europe’s TEN-T, AFIR, and high-speed rail objectives ultimately depends on effective implementation in its cities.
If Europe wants a transport network that is clean, competitive, and resilient, it must invest where European mobility meets everyday life: in its cities.
–
The Urban Nodes Alliance, brings together EMTA, ERRIN, ETSC, Eurocities, ICLEI, the Interregional Alliance for the Rhine-Alpine Corridor EGTC, POLIS, the Scandria Alliance and UITP. With the support of the Île-de-France European Office, the Alliance has issued a joint call for amendments to the proposed CEF III Regulation.
