The extension of the broad gauge railway from Kosice, Slovakia to the Twin City region of Vienna-Bratislava as part of the New Silk Road project is the opportunity of the century for Austria’s industry. This was emphasised by Walter Ruck, President of the Vienna Economic Chamber, Thomas Kargl, RCG Board Member and Li Xiaosi and Kairat Sarybay, the respective Ambassadors of China and Kazakhstan in Austria, during a press conference in Vienna on November 23rd.
However, such a large-scale major project can only be implemented with the consent of the population and the industry. That’s why MAKAM Research interviewed both groups on behalf of WK Vienna for the first time. Accordingly, there is a lot of approval for this project.
The results of the population survey:
-) 74 per cent of Viennese are in favour of extending the broad gauge railway to Austria
-) 72 per cent of Viennese want the eastern region of Austria to become Europe’s trading hub
-) 78 per cent of Viennese expect the Silk Road connection to have positive effects on economic growth
-) 71 per cent of Viennese expect the Silk Road connection to have positive effects on jobs
-) 74 per cent of Viennese expect the Silk Road connection to have a positive effect on Austrian companies
The results of the survey of entrepreneurs:
-) 76 per cent of Viennese entrepreneurs want the eastern region of Austria to become Europe’s trading hub
-) 76 per cent of Viennese entrepreneurs want Austria to become part of the Silk Road by extending the broad gauge railway from Slovakia
-) 85 per cent of Viennese entrepreneurs expect the connection to the broad gauge railway to have positive effects on economic growth
-) 73 per cent of Viennese entrepreneurs expect the connection to the broad gauge railway to have positive effects on jobs
-) 74 per cent of Viennese entrepreneurs expect the connection to the broad gauge railway to have a positive effect on Austrian companies
The extension of the broad gauge railway would create one of Europe’s largest logistics hubs with thousands of new jobs in the Twin City region.Beneficiaries of the project would be both, Slovakia and the entire eastern region of Austria, they stressed in front of the press.According to experts, the implementation of the project would result in additional value added of around EUR 450 million per year.
The cargo division of ÖBB has been successfully operating since 2017 on the northern, southern and maritime route of the Silk Road. “With the growing supply of rail logistics services to the Far East and Central Asia, we underpin our internationalisation strategy across European borders. It is planned to expand the Eurasian relations over the next few years, to expand the capacity at the borders and thus to double the intermodal traffic volumes by 2025,” said Thomas Kargl, CEO of the Rail Cargo Group.
