The Slovak railway infrastructure manager, Železnice Slovenskej republiky (ŽSR), has presented the results of a feasibility study on the high-speed rail network required for the VRT V4 project, which aims to connect Slovakia with the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Austria. The most suitable option envisages a two-stage program, with an estimated value of over 3 billion EUR, combining work to increase rail capacity in the Bratislava area with the construction of new rail lines to the Czech and Austrian borders. “Thanks to the study, the concept of developing high-speed lines in Central Europe is strategically clear. Slovakia now has a unique opportunity to join the already advanced projects of its neighboring countries and remain on the map of the European high-speed rail network,” said ŽSR CEO Miroslav Garaj. Analysis of 38 variants and 3 scenarios The study examined three main directions for the development of the high-speed rail network. Two of these envisaged the construction of completely new railway lines adapted for high-speed trains, while the third option was based on a more conservative approach, which involves making maximum use of the existing infrastructure in the Bratislava railway junction. The scenarios also differed in terms of where high-speed trains would stop in the Slovak capital. In total, the three scenarios generated 38 technical options, resulting from the combination of 30 modularly designed infrastructure segments. After an evaluation based on several technical, economic, and operational criteria, the analysis was narrowed down to seven options considered the most promising, which were then examined through a detailed cost-benefit analysis (CBA). The development options included the construction of new railway lines designed for speeds of between 160 and 200 km/h. These would also have involved the creation of new crossing points over the Danube and the Little Carpathians mountain range. The main differences between the options concer
