In September 2020, The Slovak Spectator published its Business Focus on Transport and Logistics in Slovakia. Here is your overview of stories from the focus issue:
Highways do not solve every regional traffic problem
The now proverbial highway could connect Bratislava and Košice as early as next year. It will not run through Slovakia, though. The completion of the cross-country D1 highway has been a priority of most post-1993 governments. None has managed to complete it to date. Sooner than the Slovak branch, the two largest Slovak cities will be connected through Hungary.
In Slovakia, the D1 still lacks three stretches in northern Slovakia, and it is hard to say when they will be completed.
“The current state of the last stretch between Turany and Hubová, the construction of which has not even started yet, makes it impossible to say when the highway between Košice and Bratislava will be finished,” Ivan Rudolf, spokesperson of the Transport Ministry, told The Slovak Spectator.
Highways do not solve every regional traffic problem Read more Slovakia gears up for a new highway toll system
Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes have been paying for kilometres driven on highways and first-class roads across Slovakia for 10 years. But while the current contract on the operation of the electronic toll system will terminate within less than two years, the state has not chosen a new operator. This means that there is little chance for a smooth transfer. Nevertheless, the government of Igor Matovič (OĽaNO) promises that the new system will be less costly and more effective. Contrary to the current one operated by SkyToll, its whole infrastructure will be under state ownership.
“The most important change is the ownership of the system; we would be very flexible,” said Transport Minister Andrej Doležal (Sme Rodina). “We would like to have an opportunity to dynamically set the tolls in time and selectively charge the toll or lift the charges on certain road sections.”
Slovakia gears up for a new highway toll system Read more COVID-19 pandemic accelerating new trends in the logistics sector
While Slovakia’s small and open economy was one of the most hit by the COVID-19 pandemic within the European Union, the local industrial and logistics segment was not as negatively affected as other real estate fields. The novel coronavirus crisis has brought a demand for short-term rentals, the development of e-commerce and acceleration in implementing new processes and innovations.
COVID-19 pandemic accelerating new trends in the logistics sector Read more
12. Oct 2020 at 11:20 | Compiled by Spectator staff
