Debrecen and Oradea have made plans to reconstruct the railways between the two cities. For carrying out the cross-border project that counts as unique in Europe, Debrecen and Oradea can count on EU support in the next EU budget period, after 2013.
Traffic on the railway connecting Debrecen and Oradea began in 1911 but the railway was eliminated after the Treaty of Trianon. At present, the rails end on the Hungarian side, 10-15 kilometers from Oradea. The Deputy Mayor of Oradea expressed her confidence about restoring the railway: “I believe that rebuilding the rails is realistically feasible since there are EU funds that can provide the financing.”
The so-called tramtrains function as trams inside a city and as trains outside a city. Such vehicles might go between Debrecen and Oradea, stopping at the most important transport, commercial and cultural centers in the two cities. “The next decade will provide a possibility to renew the rail transport that existed in the times of the Monarchy…” – said László Papp, Deputy Mayor of Debrecen.
There are plans to renew the Petőfi Square in Debrecen which could be done parallel to the restoration of the railway connection to Oradea. An intermodal transportation hub in Petőfi Square could be built with 21 billion forints after the next EU budget period, in 2014. A conference on the possible infrastructure developments has been held in Kölcsey Center.
Source: dehir.hu
