Will Hungary be Central Europe’s freight transport hub?

The government is working to make Hungary central Europe’s freight transport and logistics hub, László Palkovics, the minister of technology and industry, said on Friday.

This requires Hungary to handle as big a share of the freight turnover between Europe and Asia as possible, Palkovics told a Railroad Day event organised by Rail Cargo Hungaria. The government devotes special attention to railway development, the minister said, adding that ongoing projects like the development of the Budapest-Belgrade rail line would contribute to making the 21st century “the century of rail transport” in Hungary.

Preparations for the construction of the new V0 freight rail line bypassing Budapest are also ongoing, he said, adding that the cabinet will discuss plans for the new line’s route on July 25.

Palkovics noted that he and his Turkish, Serbian and Bulgarian counterparts set up a transport coordination council this week, which he said would help make Hungary a key player in the region.

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