High-speed rail construction a chance for development

The construction of high-speed rail as a support for the development of tourist traffic between the Baltic and Adriatic was the topic of a Polish-Croatian conference attended by Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Bittel. The meeting was held at the Cracow University of Technology, 8 May 2021.

Deputy Minister Andrzej Bittel and Alen Gospočić – State Secretary responsible for railway issues at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Croatia discussed plans and projects for the construction of high-speed railway (HSR).

Poland is actively working towards the implementation of the high-speed railway project in the Central European region, including connecting Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. We expect it to bring significant benefits and strengthen cooperation within the Visegrad Group and further opportunities to connect the railway transport system. The HSR V4 project combined with Rail Baltica will create new opportunities for passenger transport, including tourist traffic – said Deputy Minister Andrzej Bittel.

Another aspect of the created railway connections is freight transport. Two main European railway freight corridors run through the territory of Poland. One on the north-south axis (Baltic-Adriatic), and the other east-west (Baltic-North Sea). The geographical location of Poland provides optimal conditions for rail carriers to increase their transport volumes. The further tightening of contacts and cooperation between Polish and Croatian railway companies may lead to the emergence of passenger services in this connection, using the existing infrastructure.

Additionally, during the meeting the attention was drawn to investment activities in the railway sector undertaken by Poland and Croatia in order to fulfil the European objectives of reducing CO2 emissions and railways as an alternative to other types of transport, especially the high emission ones. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss other important topics in bilateral cooperation: EU regulations governing international road transport – the Mobility Package and joint action for the inclusion of the entire Via Carpatia route in the TEN-T core network.

rel PortalMorski.pl after Ministry of Infrastructure