Austria, Czech Republic strengthen cross-border rail transport

VIENNA: The Austrian Mobility Minister Peter Hanke together with the Czech Transport Minister Ivan Bednárik signed a letter of intent (LOI) to further deepen cooperation in the area of cross-border rail infrastructure.

The aim is to make key rail connections between Austria and the Czech Republic more efficient, faster and attractive.

The focus of the agreement is particularly on the expansion of the major European rail axes between Vienna, Prague and Berlin as well as between Linz, České Budĕjovice and Prague.

The long-term goal is to reduce the travel time for the Vienna-Prague connection to 2.5 hours. The two countries thus reaffirm their joint commitment to sustainable, climate-friendly mobility and strengthening rail transport in the heart of Europe – this also includes the expansion of rail freight transport, for which the Czech Republic is increasingly advocating at the EU level.