Our thinking

EU train network

4 April, 2025

A Copenhagen-based think tank has unveiled its bold vision for The Starline Network, a high-speed rail system linking 39 European destinations. The goal is to create a continent-wide tube system that makes cross-border travel faster and greener: think Northern line but swap out Edgware for Oslo and Morden for Athens. 

 With cross-border travel slow and costly, and 400,000+ interrail users annually across Europe, there is clear demand for easier and more accessible travel. The Starline Network would operate 30% faster than current road or rail travel options, making it an attractive option for travellers. New stations outside major cities would act as travel hubs, streamlining connections. 

Beyond improved convenience, the think-tank argues that the train network would provide Europe with its best chance to meet 2050 net-zero goals. Currently, the transport sector contributes 29% of the EUs total greenhouse gas emissions, with short-haul flights as the default mode of transport between countries. 

It’s no small feat. Its creation would require a new European Rail Authority to oversee operations, plus wide scale public funding, standardised technology, and harmonised labour agreements to turn it into a reality. But it also offers a potentially viable alternative to air-travel. Let’s just hope our slow-travel holiday policy is still intact in one hundred years.

By Rosie Serlin