The launch of a high-speed rail service from Berlin to Warsaw is planned for 2030, and its extension to Kyiv is scheduled for the next phase of development of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) - by 2040.

Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European Union’s commissioner-designate for sustainable transport and tourism, said this during his confirmation hearing at the European Parliament, the CFTS portal reports, citing the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

"I will make sure that this is a top priority: to develop this network in a timely manner... I will work very closely with Germany, Poland, and Ukraine to ensure that these public works are carried out," he said at his confirmation hearing at the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism on Monday evening. He was responding to a question from Polish MEP Dariusz Joński, who stressed the importance of this area.

According to Tzitzikostas, there is a problem with the gauge of railways between the EU and Ukraine, and even between some countries in the eastern part of the EU and the rest of the EU.

"We need to work on that a lot, it is very costly, but we need to do it because otherwise, trains cannot move from one place to another," he said.

He added that if confirmed as commissioner, he would present a plan next year to connect EU capitals and major cities by high-speed rail, noting that citizens and businesses do not hesitate to switch to rail, including night trains, if the connections are affordable, convenient, and reliable.

In addition, Tzitzikostas pledged to present a proposal for a Single Digital Booking and Ticketing Regulation in the first year of his mandate.

Members of the European Parliament urged the commissioner-designate to be tough on EU member states to meet their commitments to double rail freight by 2050. In particular, to harmonize different national regulations, they proposed the introduction of English as a fallback language for train drivers, who currently have to speak the language of each country they pass through, resulting in freight trains stopping at borders to change drivers.

In response, Tzitzikostas said: "I believe that the Combined Transport Directive and the increase in multimodal and intermodal transport are both proposals that will help us in this direction. Now we understand that there is a need for support measures to ensure a level playing field, so that no mode of transport has a better 'deal,' if you like, but that it's rather on a level playing field."