Europe could be connected by a high-speed rail network that resembles a city metro or tube system, if a proposed blueprint from a European think tank goes ahead. The project, dreamed up by 21st Europe, envisages a five-route operation, with at least 39 stops, one for every country involved, spanning 22,000 km.
Dubbed “Starline” and sporting an imagined livery that references the European Union flag, the proposed train network is not only intended to be a symbol “just as public spaces and grand cathedrals once defined European identity” but a “landmark” that people “can see, use, and take pride in.”
Helsinki to Berlin in three hours
Starline would connect cities across the continent at speeds that could reach 300 to 400 km per hour, “ensuring that Europe moves at the pace modern mobility requires” the project’s website says.
Practically that could mean Helsinki to Berlin taking just over three hours instead of a full-day journey. Milan to Munich would no longer be the “slow and winding route it is today” but become a “high-frequency link between major economic centres.” And alongside passengers, cargo would travel more quickly too.
Driving emissions down and growth up
Countries that are historically and culturally linked to Europe are not neglected in the plans either. Stops in England, Türkiye and Ukraine are all part of an overall equation that could see emissions cut by as much as 95%, the think tank claims.
Its predictions foresee an 80% reduction in short-haul flights and a transport option that is 30% faster than cars and traditional rail routes. Seen as a driver of growth, Starline could emulate the impact of networks in China, the group says, where each new high-speed rail line contributed up to 7.2% urban GDP.
New track, stations, labour agreements, governance, and tech
The think tank points out that while existing European high-speed networks are popular, chosen by eight billion passengers in 2023, fewer than nine per cent of those voyagers crossed borders – a statistic that points to the “patchwork” infrastructure currently in place.
However, 424 major cities will be connected to ports, airports, and rail under the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and the team behind Starline suggests it could be an expansion of that project, with its own stations that would be “vibrant” gathering places of architectural merit as well as freight fulfillment hubs.
Unified labour agreements across Europe for the network’s human staff would be required, and digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence and a unified ticketing system are all included in the ambition, with live timetabling, and smart security checkpoints helping to keep traffic flowing in the “publicly funded, privately operated system”. What’s more, Starline is seen as an addition to, not a replacement for, national rail operations, to be governed by a new European Rail Authority (ERA).
Realising all this seems a tall order. Given that China has built 42,000 kilometres of high-speed rail in just two decades, the think tank is now calling for “policymakers, designers, and industry leaders to turn vision into action” with a view to applying European expertise “at scale, across borders, without friction” for a 2040 deadline.
