Meeting in Uzhhorod, Ukraine on 7 November 2025, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport formally handed over grant agreements worth more than €700 million under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). While most of the money goes to projects in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine and Moldova, the upgrades have direct knock-on benefits for Austrian logistics firms that rely on east-west truck and rail corridors.
Key allocations include €294 million for the Polish section of Rail Baltica, €18 million for modernising the Mikołów–Czechia rail link, and nearly €95 million for ERTMS signalling upgrades—investments that will shorten Vienna–Warsaw transit times and improve reliability for high-value semi-conductor and pharma shipments moving through Austria. Austrian forwarder Gebrüder Weiss welcomed the news, noting that the company runs 120 trailers a week through the affected corridors and has seen year-to-date delays of up to 36 hours because of infrastructure bottlenecks.
![EU Signs €452 Million in New CEF Grants, Boosting Eastern-European Corridors Used by Austrian Hauliers]()
The grants coincide with the 4th EU-Ukraine Transport Dialogue, where officials confirmed that the “Solidarity Lanes” – emergency rail and road links opened after Russia’s invasion – will be integrated into the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). That legal change secures long-term priority status for Danube and Carpathian routes that Austrian barge operators and rail freight companies already use for grain and container traffic.
For mobility managers, the practical impact will be gradual but significant. CEF rules require projects to enter service by 2030, yet early works such as ERTMS installation can deliver immediate timetable improvements. Companies should work with 3PLs to model new routings and update Incoterms once draft schedules are published.
The Commission signalled that the next CEF call in 2028 will double funding to over €51 billion, with special envelopes for military mobility. Austria’s Transport Ministry has already hinted at joint bids to upgrade the Semmering base tunnel signalling to match the new Polish systems, creating a seamless digital freight corridor from the Baltic to the Adriatic.
Key allocations include €294 million for the Polish section of Rail Baltica, €18 million for modernising the Mikołów–Czechia rail link, and nearly €95 million for ERTMS signalling upgrades—investments that will shorten Vienna–Warsaw transit times and improve reliability for high-value semi-conductor and pharma shipments moving through Austria. Austrian forwarder Gebrüder Weiss welcomed the news, noting that the company runs 120 trailers a week through the affected corridors and has seen year-to-date delays of up to 36 hours because of infrastructure bottlenecks.
The grants coincide with the 4th EU-Ukraine Transport Dialogue, where officials confirmed that the “Solidarity Lanes” – emergency rail and road links opened after Russia’s invasion – will be integrated into the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). That legal change secures long-term priority status for Danube and Carpathian routes that Austrian barge operators and rail freight companies already use for grain and container traffic.
For mobility managers, the practical impact will be gradual but significant. CEF rules require projects to enter service by 2030, yet early works such as ERTMS installation can deliver immediate timetable improvements. Companies should work with 3PLs to model new routings and update Incoterms once draft schedules are published.
The Commission signalled that the next CEF call in 2028 will double funding to over €51 billion, with special envelopes for military mobility. Austria’s Transport Ministry has already hinted at joint bids to upgrade the Semmering base tunnel signalling to match the new Polish systems, creating a seamless digital freight corridor from the Baltic to the Adriatic.
