Development of rail connections in the Three Seas region

Abstract

Abstract: The key condition for the implementation of the Three Seas Initiative is the creation of a modern transport network which integrates the economies of the countries included in this area and creates favorable conditions for the development of economic cooperation. This applies especially to railway networks, where it is necessary to eliminate the communication barrier of the Carpathians - to delineate new routes connecting the railway networks of the countries of the Three Seas Initiative. The subject of this paper is a proposal for the implementation of an investment that allows to create a route with the working name Rail Adriatica, which is an alternative variant (moved to the east) of the first TEN-T (Baltic- Adriatic) corridor; the variant including the so far omitted Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia. The aim of the investment is to create a new railway line with high operational parameters (construction of new sections along with the modernization and revitalization of the existing sections) which connects the Polish and Slovak railway networks in the Podhale and Orawa area - from the Polish Rabka to the Slovak Kralovan. It would be a natural extension of the already constructed “Podłęże-Piekiełko” line towards the south-west, giving the opportunity to delineate a new railway corridor with high operational parameters. Keywords: Railway connections; Three Seas; Transport network