Western Europe and China no relation New Eurasian Land Bridge
The Košice–Vienna broad-gauge line (Slovak: Široká koľaj do Viedne, German: Breitspurstrecke Košice–Wien) is an international project to extend the 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) Russian gauge (broad-gauge) railway line from the city of Košice in eastern Slovakia to Vienna and Bratislava. It will result in the creation of an 8,000-kilometre (5,000-mile) rail transport corridor linking Western Europe and China.The project is part of the Eurasian Land Bridge initiative to create a continuous rail connection between Europe and East Asia.New railway lines to Vienna
The aim of the project is to expand European rail network by laying Russian gauge tracks from Košice in eastern Slovakia to Vienna, creating an uninterrupted transport chain from Russia, China, Japan and other Asian countries to Central Europe. This will directly connect the European railway network (as well as the Danube River transport system) with the Trans-Siberian Railway.The vast majority of freight shipments between the EU, Russia and the Asian Pacific Region currently go by sea via the Suez Canal, a distance of between 17,000 and 22,000 kilometres (11,000 and 14,000 mi). By extending the broad-gauge line, the promoters of the Košice–Vienna project aim to make the Trans-Siberian Railway more competitive vis-à-vis the sea routes. By eliminating the need to change bogies, freight delivery times from East Asia to Europe will be cut by 14 days to just half of the time required for transportation by sea. And as there will be no freight transshipment the risk of accidental damage to cargo could be reduced. Russian Railways CEO Vladimir Yakunin believes it is the faster freight delivery that will make the project competitive.
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