The European Commission Wednesday presented a proposal for high-speed rail to improve cross-border and long-distance train travel across Europe by 2040. The new High-Speed Rail Action Plan includes the railway line between Sofia and Athens, with travel times expected to take 6 hours instead of 13 hours and 40 minutes.

The Plan also envisages high-speed travel on the following railway lines: Budapest-Bucharest, Berlin-Copenhagen, Berlin-Vienna-Prague, Paris-Madrid-Lisbon, Munich-Rome, and the lines between Baltic countries.

The aim is to develop lines capable of reaching speeds of at least 200 km/h. The Commission’s proposal also includes improving ticket purchasing options and the sale of second-hand rolling stock.

A contentious problem is how the line would traverse the Kresna gorge. The construction of the motorway was delayed with decades because of environmental, archeological and local community concerns.