Economy Ministry to close more rural rail lines in Hungary
The Economy Ministry has announced plans to discontinue 38 passenger rail lines of 2,065km in length from 2008, it was reported Friday, after the previous day's two-hour Locomotive Drivers Union strike to protest the earlier figure of 21 line closures.
The ministry argues that traffic along rural railway lines is minimal, and by closing them, the state-railway MÁV would save Ft 4-6 billion a year. Local governments could take over operations however, but without state funding. It is questionable, whether cash-strapped local governments would be able to run these lines independently.
The ministry must decide on next year's timetable by November 7.
The above story is just one of more than two dozen published today by Hungary Around the Clock, the most comprehensive source of daily English-language news about Hungary. For a free trial of HATC, click here. Hungarian news sources include Népszabadság; Magyar Hírlap; Világgazdaság; Napi Gazdaság; Magyar Nemzet; Népszava; Kossuth Rádió news and Hungarian television's nightly news broadcast.
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