RAILWAYS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE: FACING NEW CHALLENGES

The revolutions that shook Central and Eastern Europe in 1989 have had a profound effect on the economic and social structures of the region. The inflexible, centrally planned economic policies of the old regimes were pushed aside by democratic governments committed to free market reforms and industrial restructuring. Trading relationships between Central and Eastern Europe and West have begun to reassert themselves. This article addresses: (1) Economic transformation and its impact on the characteristics of the transport sector, (2) New challenges for the railways, and (3) Responses of railways to the challenges in the different countries of Central and Eastern Europe.