The Magistrale for Europe (German: ''Magistrale für Europa''; French: ''Magistrale européenne'') or Main Line for Europe is a

Trans-European Transport Networks The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is a planned network of roads, railways, airports and water infrastructure in the European Union. The TEN-T network is part of a wider system of Trans-European Networks (TENs), including a telecommun ...

(TEN-T) project for the creation of a

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...

way line between

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

, with a branch-off to

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. It was listed as TEN project No. 17 (Paris—Bratislava) by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

in 1995, and is already under way. The project was planned to be completed by 2020, however the entire project has not been delivered on time, with only some of the sections running. It will link 34 million people in five European countries. The overall length of the route from Paris to Budapest is .

Sections

Parts of the route were formerly served by

Orient Express The ''Orient Express'' was a long-distance passenger luxury train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company ''Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits'' (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe, w ...

trains, which ceased operations in 2009. Today

TGV The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...

rail connections exist from Paris to

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

or at longest

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. The

Austrian Federal Railways The Austrian Federal Railways ( , formally or () and formerly the or ''BBÖ'' ), now commonly known as ÖBB (), is the national railway company of Austria, and the administrator of Liechtenstein's railways. The ÖBB group i ...

(ÖBB) currently provide direct

Railjet Railjet is a high-speed rail service in Europe operated by Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and Czech Railways (ČD). Branded as ''Railjet Express'' (RJX category) for the fastest services and as ''Railjet'' (RJ) for services with additional s ...

and

EuroNight EuroNight, abbreviated EN, is a European train category that denotes many mainline national and international night train services within the Western and Central European inter-city rail network. Overview The classification and name were brough ...

connections between Munich and Budapest in addition to direct

Nightjet Nightjet (stylised as nightjet) is a brand name given by the ÖBB, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) to its overnight passenger train services. ''Nightjet'' operates in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Switze ...

connection between Vienna and Paris since December 2021.

France

The French part of the line is the LGV Est européenne high-speed railway. Its first section as far as Baudrecourt east of

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

has been in use since 2007 whilst the second section to

Vendenheim Vendenheim (;; , ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department, Alsace, administrative region of Grand Est, northeastern France. It has been the eastern terminus of the LGV Est high-speed rail from Paris to Strasbourg since 2016. Population See ...

near

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

opened in July 2016. The new railway line provides a maximum speed up to and reduced the travel time from

Gare de Paris-Est The Gare de l'Est (; English: "Station of the East" or "East station"), officially Paris Est, is one of the seven large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. It is located in the 10th arrondissement, not far southeast from the Ga ...

to the largely refurbished Gare de Strasbourg to .Infos horaires train Paris-Strasbourg
on the sncf-connect website (22 April 2025).

Germany

In Germany, the line follows the Appenweier–Strasbourg railway (''Europabahn'') from the Rhine Bridge to

Appenweier Appenweier () is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany in the district of Ortenau. Geography Appenweier consists of the main municipal Appenweier (4,075 inhabitants), Urloffen (4,301 inhabitants), kn ...

and then the Mannheim–Karlsruhe–Basel railway (''Rheintalbahn'') down to

Bruchsal Bruchsal (; South Franconian: ''Brusl'') is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Bruchsal is the lar ...

. The ''Europabahn'' is built for a maximum speed of , while the ''Rheintalbahn'' to

Rastatt Rastatt () is a town with a Baroque core, District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 51,000 (2022). Rastatt was an ...

Süd is for . The second part of the new ''Rheintalbahn'' (Rastatt Süd to Bruchsal) is to be completed by 2014. At the

Bruchsal Rollenberg junction Bruchsal (; South Franconian: ''Brusl'') is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Bruchsal is the lar ...

the MoE joins the

Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed railway The Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed railway is a long railway line in Germany, connecting the cities of Mannheim and Stuttgart. The line was officially opened on 9 May 1991, and Intercity-Express service began on 2 June. The Hanover–Würzbu ...

which was built for .

Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof (; ) is the primary railway station in the city of Stuttgart, the state capital of Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany. It is the largest regional and long-distance railway station in Stuttgart, the main node of the ...

is currently being rebuilt (scheduled for completion in 2025) as a through station in the course of the controversial ''

Stuttgart 21 Stuttgart 21 is a railway and urban development project in Stuttgart, Germany. It is a part of the Stuttgart–Augsburg new and upgraded railway and the Main Line for Europe (Paris—Vienna) within the framework of the Trans-European Networks ...

'' project. Despite some protests, a 2011 statewide referendum upheld the majority support and thus the political decision to rebuild the station and let the Magistrale for Europe project proceed. StuttgartHauptbahnhofNordfluegel 2010-08-26

StuttgartHauptbahnhofNordfluegel 2010-08-26

In Stuttgart, the line joins the Stuttgart–Augsburg new and upgraded railway (including the Stuttgart–Wendlingen and

Wendlingen–Ulm high-speed railway The Wendlingen-Ulm high-speed line is a high-speed railway in Germany, entirely within the state of Baden-Württemberg. The line crosses the Swabian Jura mountain range, with trains traveling at speeds up to . It mostly follows the A8 motorway, ...

lines replacing the

Fils Valley Railway The Fils Valley Railway (, historically ''Filsbahn'' or ''Württembergische Ostbahn''—Württemberg Eastern Railway) designates the Württemberg line from Stuttgart via Göppingen to Ulm. It runs from Plochingen to Geislingen an der Steige thr ...

), which Wendlingen- Ulm section is completed at the end of 2022 and provides a maximum speed of between Stuttgart and

Ulm Ulm () is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 60th-largest city. Ulm is located on the eastern edges of the Swabian Jura mountain range, on the up ...

and on the

Ulm–Augsburg railway The Ulm–Augsburg line is a German railway line. It was constructed as part of the Bavarian Maximilian's Railway. It was built for the Royal Bavarian State Railways as part of the east-west connection between Neu-Ulm in the west via Augsburg ...

line. The

Munich–Augsburg railway The Munich–Augsburg line connects München Hauptbahnhof, Munich and Augsburg Hauptbahnhof, Augsburg in the German state of Bavaria. It was built by the Munich-Augsburg Railway Company and opened in 1840. It was nationalised in 1846 and extended ...

is being upgraded to separate slower traffic (freight and short-distance trains) from high speed trains, which will be able to reach . From

München-Pasing station Munich-Pasing is a railway station in the west of Munich. It is the third-largest station in the city, after München Hauptbahnhof and München Ost railway station, München Ost. History When the Munich–Augsburg railway, first Munich rail ...

trains may run directly to München Ost without passing

München Hauptbahnhof München Hauptbahnhof or Munich Central Station is the main railway station in the city of Munich, Germany. It is one of the three stations with long-distance services in Munich, the others being Munich East station (''München Ost'') and Munich- ...

. Plans for the reconstruction of the Munich main station similar to ''

'' have been abandoned. Trains from München Ost shall reach

Salzburg Hauptbahnhof Salzburg Hauptbahnhof (German for Salzburg main station; abbreviated Salzburg Hbf and occasionally translated as Central Station) is the main railway station in Salzburg, capital of the federal state of Salzburg in Austria. It is the most import ...

via the upgraded Munich–Mühldorf railway, providing a maximum speed of , and the Mühldorf–Freilassing railway line. In

Freilassing Freilassing (), until 1923 Salzburghofen is a Town#Germany, town of some 16,000 inhabitants in the southeastern corner of Bavaria, Germany. It belongs to the "Regierungsbezirk" Oberbayern and the "Landkreis" (County) of Berchtesgadener Land. Loca ...

the MoE joins the

Rosenheim–Salzburg railway The Rosenheim–Salzburg railway is a continuous double track and electrified main line railway almost entirely within the German state of Bavaria. It is an international transport corridor, linking to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, Salzburg in Austria. ...

leading across the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n border including a new third track serving the

Salzburg S-Bahn The Salzburg S-Bahn is a large transport project in and around Salzburg in the Euroregion of Salzburg–Berchtesgadener Land–Traunstein (district), Traunstein, which crosses the border between Austria and Germany. Its S-Bahn network has been par ...

commuter network.

Austria

In Austria, the Western Railway line was extended to reduce travel time between Munich,

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...

, and

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

to one hour each. The section between the Attnang-Puchheim rail hub and Wels Hauptbahnhof near Linz was already upgraded until October 2012 to provide a maximum speed of . Between Linz and Vienna a new parallel high-speed railway line (''Neue Westbahn'') for a maximum speed of was completed in 2015, including the Wienerwald Tunnel. In Vienna, the former Südbahnhof terminal station was demolished and replaced by the new

Wien Hauptbahnhof Wien Hauptbahnhof, Vienna Central Station or Vienna Main Station is the main railway station in Vienna, Austria, located in the Favoriten district. It became fully operational in December 2015, linking major railway lines from the North railway ...

. From here, trains run on the Eastern Railway line to Bratislava-Petržalka railway station, including a connection to

Vienna International Airport Vienna Airport is an international airport serving Vienna, the capital of Austria. It is located in Schwechat, southeast of central Vienna and west of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Its official name according to the Austrian Aeronaut ...

. East of Vienna, a southeastern branch-off leads via

Győr Győr ( , ; ; names of European cities in different languages: E-H#G, names in other languages) is the main city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron County and Western Transdanubia, Western Transdanubia region, and – halfwa ...

to Budapest.

Route

^{1 It is calculated with the fastest possible durations between the towns.}
^{2 Real duration is longer due to changing.}

^{Source (unless stated otherwise)
annual report 2006/07 of Péter Balázs
/sup>

See also

* High-speed rail in France

France has a large network of high-speed rail lines. As of June 2021, the French high-speed rail network comprises of tracks, making it one of the largest in Europe and the world. As of early 2023, new lines are being constructed or planned. Th ...

* High-speed rail in Germany

Construction of the first high-speed rail in Germany began shortly after that of the French LGVs (''lignes à grande vitesse'', high-speed lines). However, legal battles caused significant delays, so that the German Intercity-Express (ICE) tra ...

* High-speed rail in Italy

High-speed rail in Italy consists of two lines connecting most of the List of cities in Italy, country's major cities. The first line connects Turin to Salerno via Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples, the second runs from Turin to Venice v ...

References

External links

Main Line for Europe

{{Trans-European Transport Networks

High-speed railway lines
High-speed rail in Europe}