Minister of National Development Zsuzsa Németh opened the conference National Transport Days 2013 in Siófok on 5 November 2013. At the professional conference held for the fourth time this year, the minister as the main patron of the event spoke about the achievements attained in the field of transport policy in the past three years.

Considering the organisational rationalisation of transport companies, Zsuzsa Németh underlined that, as a result, the debts of MÁV, formerly of HUF 330 billion, had shrunk by HUF 60 billion in the past three years. The coordination of rail and road public transport schedules and the improvement of the operational efficiency and economic viability of the transport service companies produced further significant savings. As a result of reorganisation to be implemented by the end of next year, the tasks performed by the currently operating 24 Volán bus transport companies were to be performed by 7 regional companies in future, the minister said.

Financed from the funds of the New Széchenyi Plan, significant road reconstruction programmes had been implemented in the past period, Zsuzsa Németh also revealed. In 2013, the total reconstruction, at the national level, of 450 km of minor roads was completed as an investment of Magyar Közút Non-profit Ltd. The reconstruction is to continue on stretches of 215 km next spring. Winning applicants can spend a total amount of over HUF 150bn from EU funds on the development of the minor road network in 2010-2013. In the field of the development of roads of the numbers 4 and 5, almost 100% of the funds have been successfully contracted in all the regions in the current programming period.

Pursuant to a Government decision, the public road management activities of the State Motorway Management Company Ltd. were transferred to the Hungarian Public Road Non-profit Ltd. as of 1 November 2013, which is expected to produce uniform professional management and significant simplification. The rationalisation of the public road management activity is thus also to produce savings, the minister added.

Since the introduction of e-tolls for roads in July, the further development and fine tuning of the system has been ongoing in view of the experience of the four months that have passed. Revenues have come up to expectations and the six-month target of HUF 75 billion seems attainable, the minister said.

Initiated by the Ministry of National Development, the National Transport Days have been organised by the Transport Development Coordination Centre for the fourth time this year. The three-day conference is a venue for acknowledged experts of the field to discuss transport policy issues.

(Ministry of National Development, Communications Department)