EUROPE: Rail accounts for 19 of the 32 projects awarded funding under the latest round of the EU's Marco Polo programme, which aims to support the transfer of freight from road to more sustainable modes.
The rail schemes allocated funding by the European Commission on April 5 include the transport of high-cube containers between southern Italy and Belgium, transport of fresh produce from Spain to the UK, moving finished vehicles from Romania and Poland to Belgium, a Köln - Trento non-stop shuttle train and various international flows carrying steel, glass and containers.
A record 101 submissions totalling €235m were made in response to the 2010 Marco Polo call for proposals, which has a budget of €64m.
