The European Commission said it approved French support for the construction of a €1.32 billion express railway line between Paris and Charles de Gaulle airport.

France plans to contribute state support to a joint venture between SNCF Reseau and Aeroports de Paris, which will build and operate the 32 kilometre line between Paris’s Gare de l’Est and the airport by 2023.

“The project will improve the coordination of different modes of transport, in line with the EU’s transport policy objectives,” the Commission said in a statement.”

The aid will be provided in the form of a tax-free grant to be financed by a tariff imposed from 2024 on all air passengers using the Charles de Gaulle airport, except passengers in transit.

The Commission therefore concluded that the public support for the construction of the express line is in line with EU state aid rules.