The SETA – South East Transport Axis – project was launched as a response to the necessity to establish traffic connections between North and South Europe by a traffic corridor between the Baltic Sea and the Adriatic. Within the SETA project, solutions are developed and searched to a significant part of this traffic corridor, from North Adriatic ports, in particular the port of Rijeka, via Zagreb and western Hungary, up to the mega transhipment centre of Central Europe stretching between Vienna and Bratislava.
The key area of research under SETA project includes improvement and systematic development of international intermodal transport, including all the industries such as international public transport of merchandise and passengers. As informed by Andreas Friedwagner, SETA project co-ordinator, the project is focussed on proposing methods for improving the existing railroad network, through the least investment possible and connecting it optimally with all other means of transport.
As regards the Republic of Croatia, the project is aimed at finding an ideal manner of inclusion in the European transport corridor network, provided that the implementation of the proposed solutions would mean the opening of large transport potentials to various cargo, as well as to fast passenger transport, which certainly would lead to new investments in the development of the Croatian economy.
Rijeka mayor Vojko Obersnel pointed out that the regional development policy predicted all that was included in SETA project, i.e. an intensive regional development and rational use of all available resources.
"In regard to Rijeka, it means the following: the development of the intermodal transport system, under assumption that modern railroad infrastructure would be used in direction to Zagreb and Hungary, where the percentage of railroad transport and inland waterway transport in total continental transport would exceed 85%, and road transport would be less than 15%, which, among others, would be a significant contribution to the realisation of energy savings of 3 x 20 % that everyone is already well acquainted with. Transhipment from the sea to railroad transport directly influences the development of the city and the port of Rijeka, container terminals, warehouses, development of inland waterway transport at terminal ports in the hinterland to increase the port capacities, increasing shunting capacities, stressing the need to connect with river transport," said Rijeka mayor Obersnel.
In addition to the City of Rijeka, the Croatian Academy of Engineering is also a project partner. Their representatives emphasised that their contribution to the project from scientific point of view is to consider and encourage the development of transport connections of Croatia with European countries, where Rijeka as a port with the excellent geo-strategic position and intermodal significance holds a key position.
This spring the SETA project was approved by the European Regional Development Fund. 11 partners from 6 EU state members take part in the project (Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia), the leading partner is the Provincial Government of Burgenland, while Croatia as a future EU member state, through the City of Rijeka and the Croatian Academy of Engineering (HATZ), take part as a partner holding 10%. The project is worth EUR 2.83 million and will last by the end of 2013.
More about the project SETA – South East Transport Axis