photo: SITA
RAILWAY network operator Železnice Slovenskej republiky (ŽSR) began additional track modernization on March 1, 2006. "This year, the track between Bratislava and Trnava will be modernized between March and December and work will move closer to Leopoldov and Piešťany," ŽSR spokesperson Nela Blašková said.
However, the most extensive work will be done on the Leopoldov train station, which will cause the Trnava - Leopoldov, Trnava - Leopoldov - Hlohovec - Lužianky and Leopoldov - Sereď routes to have to be replaced by bus transport, the SITA news agency wrote.
ŽSR launched modernization of the Slovak part of the fifth European Railway Corridor in 2000, but intensive work only started last spring and focused chiefly on the Bratislava - Trnava route. According to the project schedule, the railway tracks from Bratislava - Rača - Trnava should be modernized in 2007 and the Trnava - Nové Mesto nad Váhom section one year later. The railway track between Nové Mesto nad Váhom and Púchov should be modernized from 2008-2012, as should the Púchov - Žilina route.
The modernization's main goal is to increase the permitted track speed to 160 kilometres per hour, which would bring it in line with EU rules. Of the 2,831-km corridor that goes Italy - Slovenia - Hungary - Slovakia - Ukraine, the Slovak part is 545 km, or 19 percent, and goes from Bratislava via Žilina and Košice to Čierna nad Tisou on the Ukrainian border. ŽSR estimates the total costs of the Slovak part of the modernization at €2 billion.
