Overview
- The European Court of Auditors concludes the TEN‑T high‑speed and core network cannot be completed by 2030 due to widespread delays.
- Costs for the Fehmarnbelt fixed link have risen by about 52 percent, with the Danish builder pointing to a 2031 opening and Germany’s rail regulator indicating the end of 2032 as Deutsche Bahn offers no new date.
- The Brenner Base Tunnel is now expected to open around 2032 with roughly 40 percent higher costs than first estimated.
- Across the eight audited megaprojects, the latest combined cost estimate is nearly double the original, driven largely by Rail Baltica’s roughly 291 percent increase and Lyon–Turin’s about 127 percent rise.
- Despite repeated slippages and overruns, the European Commission has not initiated formal procedures to increase pressure on lagging national authorities.