Transport Minister Hanke: Austria's mobility needs innovative solutions!

Transport Minister Hanke: Austria's mobility needs innovative solutions!

The new transport minister Peter Hanke clearly commented on the future challenges of Austrian mobility and infrastructure policy at a meeting of the Transport Committee. As OTS will strive to be based on facts and put innovative solutions in the first place to ensure the mobility of the future. The COVID-19 funding was largely used for mobility research projects and Hanke confirmed that investments in rail and street were essential to strengthen Austria as a business location.

challenges in rail transport

A challenge that was repeatedly brought up is the transit problem, especially in the Tyrolean space. The different national regulations represent an obstacle that, according to Euractiv , affects the efficiency of freight transport. The report of the European railway agency points out that trains can lose up to nine hours due to technical obstacles at the borders. This contradicts the goal of the EU to shift 30 percent of the total goods transport to the rails. The current modal share of the railway in freight transport stagnates at around 18 percent.

The transport minister emphasized the need to reduce technical barriers in order to make the rail infrastructure more attractive. He will address the topic directly at his first talks with his German counterpart. At the same time, Hanke announced that he was checking a number of rail routes and evaluating the extent of the investments in the infrastructure. In addition, he emphasizes the importance of technical undergo controls to ensure traffic safety, which puts Austria at the top in Europe.

Hanke confirmed his unexpected support for the expansion of bicycle traffic and plans to get advice from experts, in particular with regard to the lobaut tunnel, which is considered questionable in an environmental policy. The coming months will be decisive to set the course for sustainable and future -oriented transport policy in Austria.