CEF 2 Transport - Projects on the Core Network - General envelope

Home Funding Calls for proposals Rail – studies, works or mixed Rail – studies, works or mixed CEF-T-2026-COREGEN-RAIL-WORKS Topic Call for proposal Internal navigation General information Topic description Topic updates Conditions and documents Budget overview Partner search announcements Start submission Topic Q&As Get support General information Programme Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Call CEF 2 Transport - Projects on the Core Network - General envelope (CEF-T-2026-COREGEN) Type of action CEF-INFRA CEF Infrastructure Projects Type of MGA CEF Action Grant Budget-Based [CEF-AG] Open For Submission Deadline model single-stage Opening date 18 June 2026 Deadline date 06 October 2026 17:00:00 Brussels time Topic description Objective: The objective of this call is to develop rail transport infrastructure projects on the TEN-T core [1] network Scope: Works and / or studies related to: Construction/upgrading of cross-border and missing links Interconnections between rail and other modes of transport, namely inland waterway and maritime transport (including port hinterland connections) and projects aimed at the integration of the high-speed rail and air networks to make the feeder network for long-haul flights more sustainable. Priority will be given to projects fostering the development of high-speed rail in line with the Commission communication on high-speed rail [2] Support will not be given to railway stations, except for railway infrastructure components. If the project includes such components, they shall be presented as a separate work package. Support will not be given to track side ERTMS deployment, electronic interlockings and/or Class A radio communication (5G/FRMCS/GSM-R) components. Support will not be given to activities related to the Class B systems nor to rolling stock. Projects shall comply with the provisions of Directive (EU) 2016/797 [3] and with the related Technical Specifications for Interoperability. Where relevant, projects shall also be compatible with the alignment of operating procedures across borders to ensure the most effective use of the supported infrastructure. In case a proposal combines studies and works components, these must address different sections / activities. Facilities and infrastructure supported under CEF must be accessible for use by all operators on a non-discriminatory basis. Show more Topic updates 18 June 2026 The submission session is now available for: CEF-T-2026-COREGEN-IWWP-WORKS, CEF-T-2026-COREGEN-RAIL-WORKS Show more Topic conditions and documents Conditions 1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout described in section 5 of the call document. Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. 2. Eligible countries described in section 6 of the call document. 3. Other eligibility conditions described in section 6 of the call document. 4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion described in section 7 of the call document. 5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes described section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual. 5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds described in section 9 of the call document. 5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in section 4 of the call document. 6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants described in section 10 of the call document. Call document and annexes: CEF-T-2026-COREGEN Application form templates Standard application form — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System Detailed budget table per WP Letter of support/MS agreement Timetable (Gannt Chart) Simplified CBA calculator Full CBA cash flow template Environmental compliance file Additional documents: Amended Work Programme 2021-2027 - 5 June 2026 CEF Regulation 2021/1153 TEN-T Regulation 2024/1679 EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 CINEA Guide for Economic Appraisal for CEF Projects DG REGIO CBA Economic Appraisal Vademecum Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement Decision on unit costs for SME owners Decision on unit costs for personnel (usual cost accounting practices) Show more Budget overview Topic Budget year : 2026 Stages Opening date Deadline Contributions Indicative number of grants CEF-T-2026-COREGEN-RAIL-WORKS - CEF-INFRA CEF Infrastructure Projects CEF-T-2026-COREGEN-IWWP-WORKS - CEF-INFRA CEF Infrastructure Projects 350 000 000,00 € Single-stage 18 June 2026 6 October 2026 Items per page: 10 50 100 Showing 1–1 of 1 Partner search announcements 18 Searches of partners to collaborate on this topic View / Edit LEARs, Account Administrators or self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics after logging into this Portal, as well as any user having an active public Person profile. Start submission Need help? To access the Electronic Submission Service, please click on the submission-button next to the type of action and the type of model grant agreement that corresponds to your proposal. You will then be asked to confirm your choice, as it cannot be changed in the submission system. Upon confirmation, you will be linked to the correct entry point. To access existing draft proposals for this topic, please login to the Funding & Tenders Portal and select the My Proposals page of the My Area section. Please select the type of your submission: CEF Infrastructure Projects [CEF-INFRA], CEF Action Grant Budget-Based [CEF-AG] Start submission Topic Q&As28 item(s) found General FAQ Under CEF Transport, rail topics, are studies/works concerning railway infrastructure components related to maintenance workshop/rolling stock depots, including their railway connections to the core and/or comprehensive networks, eligible for funding? Studies/works concerning railway infrastructure components related to maintenance workshop/rolling stock depots, including their railway connections to the core and/or comprehensive ... Under CEF transport, how will the Commission/CINEA deal with projects that are twinned? Asset 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 pa... Under CEF Transport, can a rail infrastructure project located on the Rail 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, be supported for funding? 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 Reg... Under CEF Transport, can infrastructure works aimed at connecting TEN-T core network (including high-speed rail) with rail–road terminals be supported?, 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 a... Under CEF Transport, can the acquisition or decarbonisation/electrification of mobile handling equipment be supported if the equipment is not used exclusively for the interconnection between rail and another mode of transport? Funding is strictly restricted to railway infrastructure components (e.g. substructure, superstructure, catenary, etc.). Transshipment equipment, whether mobile or stationary, and wh... Under CEF Transport, what are the requirements for the submission of the Environmental Compliance File? Applicants must submit (upload) the Environmental Compliance File for all applications. For works applications and study applications with physical intervention, the ECF must be comp... Under CEF Transport, are rail infrastructure projects located within a maritime port or IWW port eligible, where they provide interconnection between the port and the TEN-T core rail network? 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 cor... Under CEF Transport, which railway network layer should be used to determine the location of the proposal on the TEN-T network? 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 conc... Under CEF Transport, rail topics, are railway connections to maritime or inland core ports eligible for funding? Yes, a railway connection (including port hinterland connection) to a core maritime or inland port is eligible for funding if the concerned railway connection is part of the core net... Under CEF Transport, in case the project consists of different investments implemented in different locations/ member states, can separate CBAs be submitted, or should one single CBA covering the whole project be submitted? Underthe 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 s... Under CEF Transport, railway topic, are investments in synergetic elements supported? No. Section 2 of the call texts define which infrastructure elements can be supported. Synergetic elements are not supported under this topic. Under CEF Transport, is it allowed to apply for funding for activities that were part of a previous CEF project but were not successfully completed? Asindicated 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 call... Under CEF Transport, rail topics, are studies/works concerning Traffic Control Centres (TTC) and/or Local Control Command and Signalling System Centres eligible for funding (LCS)? 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 w... Under CEF Transport, 2026 calls, which calls are exempted from the requirement to submit a CBA? 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-2... Under CEF Transport, rail topics, is light rail, such as tram or metro, eligible for funding? No. Light rail, such as tram or metro is not eligible for funding under the rail topics. Under CEF Transport, rail topics, is construction and/or upgrading of railway stations facilities with the objective to give access to persons with reduced mobility and in conformity with the TSI PRM eligible? Yes, in principle such an intervention would be eligible. However, if submitted as a standalone proposal, it might be considered as a lower priority. Under CEF Transport, rail topics, are national Control Command and Signaling solutions and equipment eligible for funding? 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 CEF Transport, rail topics, are automatic track gauge changeover systems between countries with a different track gauge eligible for funding? 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 c... Under CEF Transport, rail topics, are studies and/or works concerning railway stations eligible for funding? And, in particular, which railway infrastructure components are considered eligible? Concerning works…