centrope Infrastructure Needs Assessment Infrastructure & Transport Development – from Strategy to Action centrope partners centrope agency Austria centrope coordination office I thematic and operative • Federal Province of Burgenland co-ordination, communication & secretariat: • Federal Province of Lower Austria Europaforum Wien, Rahlgasse 3/2, 1060 Vienna, • Federal Province and City of Vienna [email protected] • City of Eisenstadt • City of St. Pölten centrope local offices I regional project management & co-operation nodes: Czech Republic • South Moravian Region Office Austria I focus responsibility ‘knowledge region’: • City of Brno Regionalmanagement Burgenland, • Vysočina Region (observer) [email protected] Regionalmanagement Niederösterreich, Hungary [email protected] • Győr-Moson-Sopron County Vienna Business Agency, [email protected] • Vas County • City of Győr Office Czech Republic I focus responsibility ‘human capital’: • City of Sopron HOPE-E.S., v.o.s., [email protected] • City of Szombathely Office Hungary I focus responsibility ‘spatial integration’: Slovakia CEURINA NKft, [email protected] • Bratislava Self-Governing Region • Trnava Self-Governing Region Office Slovakia I focus responsibility ‘culture & tourism’: • City of Bratislava Slovenský Dom Centrope, [email protected] • City of Trnava Consortium of the centrope capacity pilot project Infrastructure Needs Assessment Tool (INAT) Rosinak & Partner ZT, Vienna/Austria Academia Istropolitana Nova, Svätý Jur/Slovakia Centre for Regional Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences – West-Hungarian Research Institute, Győr/Hungary PK OSSENDORF, Brno/Czech Republic TINA Vienna Urban Technologies & Strategies, Vienna/Austria Content Introduction: infrastructure and transport development in centrope – from strategy to action 2 Executive Summary 3 Main findings of the centrope Infrastructure Needs Assessment 5 The Strategic Framework for Transport and Infrastructure Development in centrope 16 www.centrope.com © centrope 2012 01 ● Introduction: infrastructure and transport development in centrope – from strategy to action Ever since the beginning of intensified cross-border comprehensive mapping of existing regional devel - co-operation under the centrope initiative, infrastruc- opment strategies, functional specificities as well as ture and transport issues have played a key role. the infrastructure status quo. Eventually, this assess - They are not only about the very concrete needs and ment – which also included feedback loops with the concerns of many citizens who regularly pass the relevant authorities of the partner cities and regions borders but relate to something much more funda- – led to the development of the first-ever common mental: new linkages for transboundary mobility and picture of the state of transport and mobility affairs in shortened travel times in many cases will create a centrope. Even more, by providing a set of compel - functional cross-border region where only limited ling reasons for a more co-ordinated approach, it interaction has existed so far. The notion of centrope suggests that a common development strategy is all as a common, polycentric Euro region thus cannot but indispensable. stand without fast and capable transport links that al- low for a high degree of economic integration as well The “Strategic Framework for Transport and Infra - as labour market mobility and workplace commuting. structure Development in centrope”, elaborated as a second step within the INAT centrope capacity Likewise, the notion of centrope as an easily ac- pilot action, represents the common answer of the cessible business location, European cross-roads partner regions and cities to the needs thus identi - and hub for Central Europe is dependent on efficient fied. Crucially, they now subscribe to a joint vision high-level rail and road links, attractive airports and a of how transport links and infrastructure should look Danube that lives up to its full potential as a water- like in the future from a cross-border perspective and way. At the same time, centrope will only succeed which public transport and other services should be as a region that is able to reconcile its infrastructure on offer. The recurrent consultation process among and transport requirements with a sustainable form the partner regions and cities that led to the Strategic of mobility, ensuring ecologically sound development Framework peaked with its discussion and even - and high quality of life. tual adoption on a political level at the semi-annual centrope Summit meetings. The agreement on the A joint strategy growing from Strategic Framework at the Brno Summit of May a centrope capacity pilot action 2012, however, marked only the beginning of the implementation phase of the co-operation agenda. It is therefore all the more significant that the pi- lot action “Infrastructure Needs Assessment Tool” The brochure at hand provides an overview both on (INAT) was implemented within the project centrope the key analytical findings of the infrastructure as- capacity. As a first step, it produced a comprehen- sessment and on the content of the Strategic Frame - sive overview on the state of transport infrastructure work for Transport and Infrastructure Development in development in the quadrangle and a thorough centrope. All reports under the INAT pilot action can analysis of shortcomings and future demands (INAT be downloaded from the website Mapping Report). Based on a common methodology, a transnational project team from all four countries accessed relevant documents and conducted a www.centrope.com ● 02 Executive Summary Five main challenges requiring a concise strategy aimed at the further development of transport infra- The need for a joint strategy structure and public transport services have been for transport and infrastructure identified in thecentrope Infrastructure Needs development Assessment: 1 The dynamic integration of centrope will lead to In recent years, centrope has shown a remarkable a further increase of cross-border interactions, performance in terms of economic growth and the with a strong expected growth of car traffic unless acquisition of foreign direct investment – two indica- the railway network is substantially upgraded and tors that illustrate the dynamic development of the public transport services are improved. region. At the same time, cross-border traffic within 2 centrope as a transnational and European traffic centrope has grown above average, highlighting and transport node will challenge infrastructure the dynamic economic and spatial integration of the network capacities as well as node facilities. region itself. The accessibility and connectivity of 3 Serious bottlenecks and service deficiencies of centrope are on the one hand crucial preconditions the main infrastructure network are to be expected to foster competitiveness on both a European and in the future. global scale. On the other hand, the region’s posi- 4 Weak public transport supply is a threat for tion at a crossroads of Europe, its increasing spatial sustainable traffic and transport performance. integration and the ongoing rise in motorisation entail 5 The responsibility for decision-making and marked growth of both passenger car and lorry budgets primarily lies with the national and Euro- traffic. pean levels and calls for joint lobbying. 03 ● Executive Summary l The gradual development of integrated cross- The Strategic Framework for border public transport services will improve the Transport and Infrastructure mutual accessibility of the partner regions and Development in centrope cities by public transport. l The implementation of a multimodal and multi- Main points of the politically agreed Strategic lingual traffic information system should create a Framework include: user-friendly online service, with positive effects for an optimal utilisation of the existing infrastructure. l A long-term “Vision 2030” for the main rail and road networks in centrope. It also contains a l The development of joint cross-border planning position on the revision of the Trans-European instruments is promoted, like a centrope traffic Transport Network (TEN-T), with an appeal to model, periodical surveys on cross-border traffic, include important connections in the future Trans- a market analysis of cross-border public transport European Core Network. demand and periodical mobility surveys. l Another main topic is the implementation and up- To support the implementation of the adopted Stra- grading of various regional cross-border connections. tegic Framework, new co-ordination structures are proposed. They will entail a High-level Administrative l The strategic development of the Danube as an Board linked to the political centrope process sup- important transport axis with several multimodal ported by operative capacities to further the cross- freight terminals and promising perspectives for border mobility agenda. passenger traffic is addressed as well, as is the further capacity enhancement of the centrope airport system. gain mobility. gain from centrope. ● 04 Main findings of the centrope Infrastructure Needs Assessment Mobility improvement, business location devel- Due to the motorisation catch-up process in the Czech opment and spatial integration constituted major Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, the car pool in concerns for the comprehensive mapping of the centrope will grow by about 40% by 2030. Without infrastructure status quo that