Russian, Slovak railways discuss wide gauge line to Vienna

MOSCOW, February 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian and Slovak railway
officials this week discussed a project for laying a wide gauge line to Vienna.
"The talks were constructive. We all understand that the construction of a wide gauge line to Vienna is global, and its implementation will have a major impact on the socio-economic life of Europe, Russia and Asia," said the head of the Russian Railways company RZD, Vladimir Yakunin.
He said that that together with Slovakia's First Deputy Prime
Minister, Minister of Transport, Posts and Telecommunications, Jan Figel, they discussed in a preliminary way "the appropriate levels of investment in the project and its expected repayment period."
Yakunin said that "the project (for extending the wide gauge railway to Vienna) will increase the transit of container traffic and bring Russia and Europe closer in terms of railway infrastructures."
In turn, Figel said that "cooperation by the Slovak and Russian
railway workers in operating the container terminal in Dobra and in the
production of new rolling stock at the Tatravagonka plant over the past
two years has shown good results."