A new silk road connecting Slovakia with China could benefit the planned Global Logistics Industrial Park (GLIP) in Bočiar, located in the Košice Self-Governing Region (KSK). According to Rastislav Trnka, chairman of the Self-Governing Region, there is the potential to create between 5,000 and 10,000 new jobs in the area, but the project will require support and a unified attitude at all levels of government management. "The good news," he said, "is that China is interested in ending one of the New Silk Road corridors near Kosice. This eastern location is most advantageous for this investment because there is a functioning broad-gauge track, as well as space for reloading and manpower available," said Trnka on Tuesday. He has recently returned from a Hong Kong Summit devoted to the New Silk Road project, where he had the opportunity to negotiate with potential Chinese investors and suppliers about the construction of a goods-reloading facility at the Bočiar site. He was also able to become acquainted with Silk Road projects in other countries that are currently operating successfully - for example in Poland, where the volume of freight at one such terminal has increased by more than 100% over the past three years.
Trnka stated that the possible extension of the broad-gauge line to Vienna, which has been suggested by the steps taken by some representatives of the Slovak government, is unfortunate at this time. He said what is needed at this time is to think especially of eastern Slovakia, which needs to accelerate economically. We need to be clear, he said, about whether we want the railroad and associated investment to only pass through Slovakia and slip through the country's fingers, or whether we want to have a functional transshipment point that will be the entry and exit gateway for trade between China and Europe, which could benefit the region for decades if not centuries. It is projected that the wide-gauge connection with China through Košice would speed up the transport of goods from 40-45 days to 10-15 days as compared with sea transport.
