The šice–Košice–Vienna broad-gauge line (, ) was a proposed international project to extend the (broad-gauge) railway line from the city of Košice in eastern Slovakia to Vienna and Bratislava. It would create an rail transport corridor linking Western Europe and China.
The project is part of the Eurasian Land Bridge initiative to create a continuous rail connection between Europe and East Asia.
Austria announced in 2021 that it did not intend to go forward with the project.
Broad gauge
The most commonly used railway gauge in Western Europe is , while Eastern Europe uses . Russian gauge railways link more than 15 countries, including the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Baltic states, Mongolia and Finland. This gauge is the primary gauge of Russia's railways, making it possible to transport freight directly from Eastern Europe to the Far East.
In total, there are over of Russian gauge railway lines, comprising 18% of all rail lines in the world.
There are several individual Russian gauge lines in countries where this gauge is not the standard, including: In Poland: the -long Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line – (Polish: Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa, known by its abbreviation LHS); In Romania: the line connecting Moldova and the iron and steel works at Galați; In Slovakia: broad-gauge lines from Uzhhorod (Matevce) to Košice and from Čierna nad Tisou to Chop (Ukraine).
The westernmost point on the broad-gauge network is in the town of Sławków in southern Poland, where the LHS ends.
Moving freight on the broad-gauge network is considered less expensive, as the lines can take more cargo (higher axle weight limits and higher maximum trainloads). Wider rolling stock can also be used on this gauge.
New railway lines to Vienna
The aim of the project is to expand European rail network by laying Russian gauge tracks from Košice in eastern Slovakia to Vienna, creating an uninterrupted transport chain from Russia, China, Japan and other Asian countries to Central Europe. This will directly connect the European railway network (as well as the Danube River transport system) with the Trans-Siberian Railway.
The vast majority of freight shipments between the EU, Russia and the Asian Pacific Region currently go by sea via the Suez Canal, a distance of between . By extending the broad-gauge line, the promoters of the Košice–Vienna project aim to make the Trans-Siberian Railway more competitive vis-à-vis the sea routes. By eliminating the need to change bogies, freight delivery times from East Asia to Europe will be cut by 14 days to just half of the time required for transportation by sea. And as there will be no freight transshipment the risk of accidental damage to cargo could be reduced. Russian Railways CEO Vladimir Yakunin believes it is the faster freight delivery that will make the project competitive.
The project will require a extension to the broad-gauge line and associated infrastructure, as well as reconstruction of the existing Russian gauge railway line within Slovakia, from the border station at Matovce to Haniska pri Kosiciach (Košice) – a distance of . A new transport terminal will also be built in the vicinity of Vienna and Bratislava.
The new track is to be laid alongside the existing standard gauge line. Commissioning of the new line is planned by 2025. The Vienna–Bratislava transport hub will become the most westerly point on the Russian gauge network.
History of the project
The idea of building a Russian gauge broad-gauge railway line from Haniska pri Košiciach station to Eastern Europe was first suggested by Russian Railways CEO Vladimir Yakunin in May 2006 at the Strategic Partnership 1520 international forum. In 2008, Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia and Austria set up a joint company to build the broad-gauge line from the Slovak city of Košice to the international logistics terminal in Vienna. The company was given the name Breitspur Planungsgesellschaft mbH and is equally owned by the national railway companies of the participating countries (ÖBB, ŽSR, UZ and Russian Railways).
On 6 April 2010, a four-party agreement was signed between the participating countries. Russia was represented at that meeting by its president, Dmitry Medvedev.
In December 2010 Roland Berger Strategy Consultants completed a project feasibility study. According to the published findings of this study, there are no technical or legal barriers to implementing the project.
In June 2012, a delegation from the EU led by Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas voiced its support for the project at a conference in Sochi.