Transport ministers from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary have agreed to build a high-speed rail link between their four countries, a news agency has reported.

Poland’s Andrzej Adamczyk (right), Hungary’s Péter Szijjártó (left), Slovakia’s Árpád Érsek (second from left), and the Czech Republic’s Dan Ťok (second from right) shake hands on the project on Monday. Photo: PAP/Grzegorz Momot

Poland’s Andrzej Adamczyk, the Czech Republic’s Dan Ťok, Hungary’s Péter Szijjártó, and Slovakia’s Árpád Érsek on Monday signed a joint declaration to go ahead with the project, which is expected to see trains travel at high speeds between Warsaw, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.

At a meeting in Štrbské Pleso in Slovakia, the four ministers announced plans to establish a working group to prepare a feasibility study for the project, according to PAP.

The news agency quoted Poland’s Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Adamczyk as saying that trains would in the future travel at speeds ranging from 250 to 350 kph in the region, with the journey time from Warsaw to Budapest, for example, shortened to just over three hours “in the fastest option,” from almost 12 hours today.

Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia together form a regional cooperation platform known as the Visegrad Group (V4).

(gs/pk)

Source: PAP