Rail – studies, works or mixed

A rail infrastructure project located on the TEN-T core network, addressing a cross-border link or a missing link, that is not included in Annex Part III, point 1 of the CEF Regulation 2021/1153, can be supported for funding.

Concerning works projects, only the railway infrastructure components of a railway station are eligible for funding. A non-exhaustive list of railway infrastructure components of a railway station includes tracks, platforms (including access to the platforms) and any dedicated buildings where technical equipment necessary for railway operations or control is installed. Ancillary facilities and equipment such as taxi ranks, bus bays, car parks (including kiss & ride facilities) or road accesses to stations as well as passenger information systems and/or camera surveillance systems are not considered as part of the railway infrastructure components.

Concerning study projects, as it may be difficult to differentiate the part of the study related to the infrastructure component of the railway station from the part related to facilities for passengers, proposals that include elements related to these facilities are eligible when they are integrated into and form a smaller component of a railway infrastructure proposal.

In addition, it must be noted that the proposed railways infrastructure components cannot be related to the Class B systems and must be in line with the TSIs.

No, studies/works covering the upgrading/modernisation of railway lines with a track gauge different from the European standard nominal track gauge (1435 mm) are not eligible for funding, unless they support the migration to the European standard nominal track gauge or are located in a Member State, or a part thereof, with a railway network detached from the Union main railway lines.

Studies/works concerning railway infrastructure components related to maintenance workshop/rolling stock depots, including their railway connections to the core network are eligible for funding.

Facilities and infrastructure supported under CEF must be accessible for use by all operators on a non-discriminatory basis.

However, a proposal only focusing on railway infrastructure components related to maintenance workshop/rolling stock depots (including their railway connections to the core network) might be considered as a lower priority.

Under the rail topic of CEF Transport 2026 calls, only rail infrastructure projects located on the core rail network, or connecting a core network inland and maritime port to the core rail network, are eligible for funding. The rail infrastructure (or any other type of infrastructure) located within the port area is not eligible under the calls.

No. Light rail, such as tram or metro is not eligible for funding under the rail topics.

As indicated in the “Information Note to the CEF Transport Coordination Committee” of 13/12/2018, “activities kept under existing Grant Agreements will not be funded under reflow calls and CEF 2 calls”.

This rule applies even if the original Grant Agreement which included the activities is now closed, unless the technical scope of these activities, and the corresponding grant amount, was removed from the Grant Agreement before its end date to allow the reuse of the unused CEF funding.

Studies and works related to Traffic Control Centres (TTC) and/or Local Control Command and Signalling System Centres are eligible for funding. However, the Centres must be in line with the TSIs and cannot include any component related to Class B systems.

Yes, in principle such an intervention would be eligible. However, if submitted as a standalone proposal, it might be considered as a lower priority.

Yes, automatic track gauge changeover systems between countries with a different track gauge are eligible for funding. However, if submitted as a standalone proposal, they might be considered as a lower priority.

Yes, Railway studies and works which also include a road component, such as a service road allowing the access to the railway infrastructure, during and after its construction for inspection or maintenance purposes, or other road elements directly resulting from the construction of the railway infrastructure or the removal of a level-crossing, are eligible for funding. However, the applicant should justify in the proposal that the concerned service roads are necessary for inspection or maintenance purposes and that the construction/reconstruction of the concerned road elements is a direct consequence of the rail intervention.

No, funiculars are not eligible for funding.

Under the CEF Transport Call, no support is given to activities related to Class B systems. Support is only given, under the rail topic, to TSI-compliant railway signalling systems.

Electronic interlockings comprise a system processing digital input and output data to prevent conflicting train movements in a safe way, including i) Central Interlocking Unit (“Digital Interlocking”) based on a Central Processing Unit (CPU), ii) Interlocking Logic, set of rules and algorithms that govern the safe and permissible routes for train movements, iii) Signal box (or Interlocking shelter), a device next to railway tracks, providing interface between digital interlocking and railway equipment such as point machines, train detection devices, signals, etc., iv) Power cabling and optical fibre data cabling related with digital interlocking, v) Interface interlocking – Centralised Traffic Control (CTC), vi) Interface Radio Block Centre (RBC) – CTC, vii) Interface between Interlocking/RBC and/or interlocking/Traffic Management System. These elements, together with a detailed design of the interlocking are not eligible for funding under the CEF Transport, rail topics

No, the rolling stock cannot be funded as part of a railway infrastructure proposal.

Under the CEF Transport 2026 calls, all project components should be merged into a single CBA.

In the event that the full CBA requirement applies, one CBA report & cash flow template should be submitted, covering all works/activities included in the project.

In the event that the simplified CBA requirement applies, one simplified CBA calculator should be submitted covering all works/activities included in the project.

If the applicant decides to submit two separate project proposals, each covering a single investment, each proposal must include a cost‑benefit analysis (CBA), and the projects must be designated as twinned.

Funding is strictly restricted to railway infrastructure components (e.g. substructure, superstructure, catenary, etc.). Transshipment equipment, whether mobile or stationary, and whether newly acquired, upgraded, or electrified, does not constitute a railway infrastructure component and is therefore not supported.

Under the CEF transport Calls, no support is given to activities related to Class B systems. Support is only given, under the rail topic, to TSI-compliant railway signalling systems

Under the rail topic of CEF Transport 2026 calls, if the scope of the proposal concerns a passenger railway line, it should be located on the TEN-T core passenger network. If it concerns a freight railway line, it should be located on the TEN-T core freight network. If the proposal concerns a mixed railway line (freight and passenger), it may be located on either the TEN-T core passenger or core freight network.

Applicants must submit (upload) the Environmental Compliance File for all applications. For works applications and study applications with physical intervention, the ECF must be completed with (i) the environmental compliance questionnaire duly filled in, along with the requested information being applicable i.e. non-technical summary, and (ii) the declarations signed by the competent authority (i) for monitoring Natura 2000 sites and (ii) under the water framework directive 2000/60/EC.

Regarding study projects without physical intervention, and works projects that do not affect significantly the environment, the ECF must be uploaded by ticking the box of ‘project type’, and including in the comments boxes for each question ‘not applicable’. For these applications, no declarations signed by the competent authority are needed.

The works projects that do not affect significantly the environment concern applications for Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR), Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), VTMIS, RIS, telematics application systems, actions exclusively related to implementation of electric vehicles charging stations in existing build-up areas, solutions to improve accessibility for persons with reduced mobility, and vessels and rail rolling stock retrofitting.

Under the 2026 call for proposals, the proposals submitted to the following calls are exempted from submitting a CBA:

• CEF-T-2026-SIMOBGEN
• CEF-T-2026-MILMOB
• CEF-T-2026-AFIFGEN
• CEF-T-2026-SAFEMOBGEN
• CEF-T-2026-SUSTMOBGEN

For these calls, the submission system does not contain an upload slot for the upload of CBA documentation.

Works connecting the TEN-T core network with core rail-road freight terminals can be supported for funding. While the call text explicitly highlights maritime, inland waterway, and air connections as primary priorities, connecting the TEN-T core network to core rail-road terminals still aligns with the main objective of addressing missing links on the TEN-T core network. However, the rail infrastructure (or any other type of infrastructure) located within the rail-road terminal area is not eligible under the calls.

As set out in Section 6 of the call texts, twinned proposals are proposals relating to the same project that are submitted under different calls and/or topics. Where proposals form part of the same Global Project, this must be clearly indicated in Part B. However, proposals submitted under the same topic are not considered twinned proposals, even if they form part of the same Global Project. They will be evaluated as separate proposals.

Only feasibility and prefeasibility studies also covering, on top of the future railway infrastructure components, the expected ERTMS, Class A radio communication (5G/FRMCS/GSM-R), interlockings deployment strategy are supported under the railway topic. Standalone final studies/executive design on ERTMS, Class A radio communication (5G/FRMCS/GSM-R), interlockings deployment being a final step before works commencement, as well as the works, are not supported.

No. Section 2 of the call texts define which infrastructure elements can be supported. Synergetic elements are not supported under this topic.