The relevant ministers of the four countries agreed to jointly complete the study, Hungarian Finance Minister Mihály Varga said at the Krynica economic forum in Poland, Magyar Hírlap reported.
The rail line will link Warsaw, Bratislava, Brno and Budapest and will have a top speed of over 250 km/h (155 mph). The Hungarian government will contribute HUF 1.5 billion ($5.3 million) to the feasibility study. The public procurement tender for the study will be announced shortly in order to have it completed by next autumn for decision-makers.
Varga also said that at the forum Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine signed a declaration of intent to devise a strategy for the creation of a Carpathians economic region. The work will last two years and the aim is to boost the participant countries’ competitiveness, sharing of infrastructure and resources and to bolster cooperation between the region’s institutions.
The Czech Republic, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia will also be part of the cooperation – Romania was already present at the last project meeting. Varga said the participants will also work on concrete projects such as rail and road network development and digital transition.
In addition to funding from the participating states, Varga hoped that the project will also receive funding from the European Union, the business sphere and private investors. He also said that the new cooperation must be closely integrated with the existing Carpathians framework and the Danube region strategy.
