Skip to main content

Transport infrastructure investment for Europe

According to a new report by Timetric’s Construction Intelligence Centre, 15 of the major economies in Europe are investing over US$1.43 trillion in road and rail construction projects in the coming years. Russia leads with investment of $433 billion, followed by the UK and France with $263 billion and $167 billion, respectively. The railways sector has the highest value at $804 billion, followed by the roads sector at $301 billion. Tunnels and bridges is valued at $227 billion and the trams and metros se
April 13, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
According to a new report by 7472 Timetric’s Construction Intelligence Centre, 15 of the major economies in Europe are investing over US$1.43 trillion in road and rail construction projects in the coming years. Russia leads with investment of $433 billion, followed by the UK and France with $263 billion and $167 billion, respectively.

The railways sector has the highest value at $804 billion, followed by the roads sector at $301 billion. Tunnels and bridges is valued at $227 billion and the trams and metros sector has a value of $96 billion. Russia leads in investment in railways, roads and tunnels and bridges.

Despite being the leading economy in Europe, Germany is in seventh place among the 15 countries studied with investment of $51 billion. This comparatively low investment could act as a brake on the economy domestically and in the wider Eurozone. The UK is investing heavily in infrastructure projects, which it is hoped will help drive the economy. Large UK projects include Crossrail 1 and 2, the HS2 rail link and various London-based road and tunnel projects mooted to relieve congestion in the capital, such as the Inner Orbital Route.
 
The developing economies of Eastern Europe are expecting high growth up to 2017, outpacing most western European countries. Investment in cross border road and rail projects as well as those in the major population areas will help to sustain this growth. The 15 European countries studied have over 73% of the projects which are worth $1.05 trillion at the pre-construction stage.

“Infrastructure investment in the road and rail sector is likely to be the driving force for the European economies in the coming years as transport links between east and west are strengthened. Apart from the massive rail projects such as the UK’s Crossrail, HS2 and Russia’s Moscow to Ekaterinburg HS Rail Link, large metro developments in Spain, Russia, Poland, Denmark, Romania and Turkey are also improving the transport infrastructure in these countries' capitals,” said Neil Martin, manager at Timetric CIC.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • US market continues to climb
    April 11, 2013
    A comment often heard at the recent World of Asphalt/World of Aggregates event in San Antonio, Texas was how the US construction market is recovering. The catchphrase for the global construction industry in 2013 seems to be ‘cautious optimism’. The growth rate may be modest and business activity is certainly a long way from the peaks of 2007 and 2008, but the improving conditions can only be good news for the construction sector. In Europe the situation is less clear. The Nordic nations are all in a fairly
  • The market is due for a slowdown
    December 13, 2012
    There is nothing that fuels economic uncertainty like economic uncertainty. Lack of confidence amongst investors ensures a reluctance to invest, and that is a common problem for many of the markets around the world at present. The financial crash that started in the US in 2008 and then spread to Europe is an economic malaise that has lasted longer than previous recessions and has had a wider effect for the world economy. Europe has been hard hit and speaking at the recent Committee for European Constructio
  • Wide variations in Europe's road safety figures
    May 14, 2012
    Road safety in Romania continues to be a major issue, with the country seeing more deaths in 2009 than in 2001. A study by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) shows that Romanian roads are eight times more dangerous than similar links in Sweden, which has Europe’s best record for road safety (see also Safety Report). Romania, along with Malta, has bucked a trend within Europe of reducing road accidents levels between 2001 and 2009 according to the report. However, while Malta’s road fatality rate
  • Road safety challenge for Europe
    December 3, 2012
    Europe’s road safety drive is highlighting key issues - Mike Woof reports In Europe there is a growing understanding that alcohol use amongst drivers still has to be tackled effectively. Accident data reveals that safety standards are improving across most European countries, with steady reductions in numbers of serious injuries and fatalities. But there remains a problem with alcohol use amongst many drivers and it is amongst this group that accident levels have not fallen. In Spain in particular, there ha