PS: Railway Employees Say Government Lacks Vision for Railway Modernisation

Bratislava, May 2 (TASR) - Even railway employees are now stating that the government and Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee) have no vision for modernising the railways, Progressive Slovakia's transport expert Martin Pekar stated on Friday. "The state of the railways isn't the result of a single manager. It's the outcome of years of political inaction and postponement of necessary reforms. Even after 14 years of Robert Fico's governments, the railways remain in crisis, not only in terms of personnel but also infrastructure. Instead of solutions, there is intimidation. Instead of investment, there are only temporary measures," said Pekar. According to Pekar, statements made by State-owned rail-infrastructure operator ZSR director also clearly indicate that the current leadership of the Transport Ministry lacks a clear vision for modernising the railways, stabilising their funding, and restoring public trust. "Employees who keep operations running every day are now facing the threat of layoffs instead of being involved in a dialogue about reform," he added. lin/mcs