Guided by Interreg Central Europe’s motto “Taking cooperation forward”, the project successfully tackled the challenge of establishing public transport links between regional, peripheral and cross-border areas .
- 03 February 2022
Today, most people live in urban areas, whereas the population in rural borderlands are steadily loosing inhabitants. Lack of efficient public transport connections can isolate those peripheral areas even more and decrease regional attractiveness.
The CONNECT2CE project aimed to explore the potential for cross-border public transport, the challenges it faces and how to overcome them. The 13 project partners and additional 13 associated partners from 8 central European countries – Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia as well as some Italian and German regions – looked at three elements in particular: Connectivity, integrated ticketing and accessibility.
The results are impressive: Not only did the project develop 3 transnational tools and 3 toolboxes that allow for the easy dissemination of the project findings, it also tested them in not less than 8 pilot projects! Whether it is the harmonization of timetables at the border between Austria and Hungary, the development of an integrated cross-border ticket between Italy and Slovenia or the development of new services between Poland and Germany – the results are already being felt on the ground.
And while the project has ended last year, its impact will be felt positively in the pilot regions for years to come. In this sense, CONNECT2CE is a perfect example how Interreg funding can provide the foundation for initiatives that will affect positive change long after the initial financing and support has ended.
More information
Interreg Central Europe Programme