The European Commission (EC) approved an aid scheme for 300 million euros for the purchase of rail freight rolling stock in Slovakia. “The aid can cover up to 50% of the cost for the acquisition of new rail freight wagons, with a maximum amount of aid of 200 million euros per applicant”, the EC said.
The grant will be available to railway undertakings or owner of rail freight rolling stock in Slovakia. With these subsidies, the Commission hopes to boost the modal shift to rail and create an “incentive effect as the beneficiaries would not carry out the investments in the absence of the public support”.
Rail freight in Slovakia
The market share of rail freight in Slovakia is well above the European average, 20% against 12%. The state-owned company ZSSK Cargo dominates the market with but there are a few private and foreign players, especially active in cross-border operations, such as Rail Cargo Carrier (part of RCG), Metrans and PKP Cargo International. One of the main hubs in the country is the Dunajská Streda terminal, managed by Metrans.