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Mobility and Transport

The Scandinavian - Mediterranean corridor

Corridor description

The total length of the Scandinavian - Mediterranean corridor (SCM) is 11 925 Km, including the Connecting Europe Facility 2 (CEF 2) extension. It crosses 7 countries: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria, and Italy.

Crossing the Baltic Sea from Norway and Finland to Sweden and passing through Germany, the Alps, and Italy, it links the major urban centres and ports of Scandinavia and northern Germany to continue to the industrialized high-production centres of southern Germany, Austria, and northern Italy and further to the Italian ports and Valletta. The SCM CNC is a crucial north-south axis for the European economy.

Key railway projects on this corridor are the fixed Fehmarnbelt crossing and Brenner base tunnel, including their access routes.

ERTMS deployment on the corridor

The following image shows the state of play and deadlines for the ERTMS deployment in the SCM corridor, considering the dates of the EDP:

Scandinavian - Mediterranean Corridor: Passenger & freight

Overall, ETCS is operational on 11% of SCM, while GSM-R is operational on 93% of the corridor. According to the EDP, 1 849 Km are expected to be operational by 2023. In March 2023, 39% of the SCM length planned in the EDP by 2023 was in operation with ETCS. According to the TEN-T Guidelines, the entire SCM corridor is expected to be equipped by 2030.

The deployment status per Member State where the SCM corridor runs is as follows:

  • According to the Finnish plan, the commissioning of most SCM sections is planned by 2034 and 2036. Only one section, from Turku/Naantali to Karjaa (located between Turku and Helsinki), will be commissioned by 2030.
  • In Norway, there are two lines on the SCM corridor. Both lines connect Norway with Sweden. According to the Norwegian plan, the commissioning of the Narvik – Swedish border is planned by 2027 and Oslo – Swedish borderline is planned by 2034.
  • In Sweden, there are already some lines in operation in SCM. According to the Swedish plans, the remaining sections are planned by 2030, except for sections included in CEF 2 extension. Swedish authorities envisage full network equipment with ETCS by 2035, but there is no confirmation if CEF 2 sections will be equipped by 2030. 
  • In Denmark, there are already some lines in operation on SCM. The remaining sections will be commissioned between 2022 and 2030, except for the line currently equipped with no train system protection, i.e., the last mile of Hjørring - Hirtshals section in the north of Denmark. 
  • In Germany, there are already some lines in operation on SCM.  According to the German plan, some sections planned in the EDP by 2023 will be delayed, and their commissioning is expected between 2025 and 2028. Regarding German sections planned in the EDP beyond 2023, although the entire German network will be equipped by 2040, most SCM sections have no specific deadlines. 
  • In Austria, the line from the Italian cross-border (Brennero) to the German cross-border (Kufstein) had been already commissioned when the EDP was published in 2017. According to the Austrian plans, the remaining SCM section will be commissioned by 2030.
  • In Italy, there are already some lines in operation in SCM. According to the Italian plans, some sections planned in the EDP by 2018 and 2020 are delayed, and their commissioning is expected by 2023. The remaining lines are planned to be equipped by 2030, except for the Fortezza – Verona line, which is delayed to 2032.