The City of Brno and the South Moravian Region have been calling for a direct train to connect Brno with Vienna Airport for some time, and this project may now soon become a reality. Representatives of the region, the Ministry of Transport, Czech Railways and other institutions, met with their Austrian counterparts on February 22nd, during the launch of a demonstration train to test the route. Photo credit: Brno City Municipality
Brno, Feb 22 (BD) – Last year, the Brno city authorities announced their intention to establish a direct train connection from Brno to Vienna Airport, avoiding the need for passengers to change trains at Vienna Central Station. “Our aim is to make it easier for people from Brno and from the whole region to get to the airport, from where they can continue their trip to the rest of the world. We used this pilot run to meet with representatives of the airport, the City of Vienna, and Austrian ministries to discuss what needs to be done in order to make this project a reality,” said Brno Mayor Markéta Vaňková (ODS).
“Almost half a million passengers arriving or departing from our region use Vienna Airport every year,” added Jan Grolich (KDU-CSL), Governor of the South Moravian Region. “Last year, the South Moravian Region approved a declaration that together with the City of Brno we will support access to Vienna Airport by public transport.” This joint declaration was signed today by representatives of the region and the city on the train.
The aim of Tuesday’s meeting with the Austrian representatives was to determine the necessary next steps required for the establishment of a regular, direct train. “In cooperation with the Ministry of Transport and Czech Railways, we are working intensively to ensure that the first train will run in April this year,” said Petr Kratochvíl (ODS), Brno’s councillor for transport. “Our goal is to provide up to six direct connections per day. However, we still have a number of obstacles and negotiations to overcome. We believe that for Brno and its metropolitan area, where up to 600,000 inhabitants live, and for the whole region, a direct connection to the airport would improve its accessibility and, as well as the mobility of its inhabitants, would have a positive effect on economic activity.”
The fact that Vienna Airport is a key hub for travel to Brno and South Moravia “will also help to increase tourism in our region,” added Jiří Crha, South Moravian Regional Councillor for Transport. Depending on the technical capacity of the line, the journey from Brno to Vienna Airport could take around one hour and 40 minutes. An extra stop in Breclav is planned, and a stop in the centre of Vienna is also being discussed.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”443″ gal_title=”Train to Vienna”]Pictures of the inauguration this morning on February 22nd. Photo credit: Sefora S. / Brno Daily
