Lower Austrian businesses press for faster road and rail expansion

Lower Austrian business leaders want faster road and rail projects, saying better transport links could boost productivity. The findings come from a new infrastructure report presented on Thursday and reported by ORF. The report does not assess project costs or potential environmental effects.

Managers surveyed said their companies could raise productivity by an average of 22.3 percent with optimal transport connections. Deputy state governor Udo Landbauer, who is responsible for transport, said a calculation by the Vienna University of Economics and Business put the potential productivity increase for Lower Austria at more than 17 billion euros.

Among the road projects businesses want are a motorway ring around Vienna, including a tunnel under the Lobau; completion of the motorway connection between Vienna and Brno; the Traisental expressway (S34); the Marchfeld expressway (S8); and a bypass for the airport region (B260).

Some of the projects have been postponed for budget reasons, while environmental impact assessments are still under way for others. Landbauer said the assessment process should be simplified. According to the report, 81 percent of business leaders want faster assessments for road projects. Landbauer cited the Marchfeld expressway, for which the first environmental approval was granted seven years ago, as an example of delays. He said the process should take “a few months”.

On rail, business representatives prioritise expanding the Nordbahn from Vienna-Süßenbrunn to the state border, upgrading the Nordwestbahn between Stockerau and Retz, building a new airport railway between Schwechat and Bruck an der Leitha, and expanding the Südbahn and Franz-Josefs-Bahn. Study author David Ungar-Klein said 89 percent of managers want the rail network expanded quickly.

The report includes no cost estimates, saying responsibility for those lies with the federal government. Landbauer argued that the key question was not what projects cost, but what the economy loses if necessary projects are not completed.

The report follows the methodology of the Future Business Austria initiative and was scientifically overseen by Sebastian Kummer, head of the Institute for Transport Economics and Logistics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. It combines a survey of managers at domestic companies with more than 100 employees, an analysis of statistical data and interviews with experts.