Austrian road transport industry anger over 8% HGV road toll rise

Austria's road transport industry is threatening to challenge in the European Court of Justice state-owned motorway operator Asfinag's plan to increase modern HGVs road toll by 8% in 2014. The Austrian transport ministry has ordered that toll prices should be increased by 2.5% from the beginning of January 2014, in order to adapt to inflation. But the price increase for modern HGVs, such as Euro 6 vehicles, is set to be significantly higher in order to keep the volume of toll income stable, as there are now
December 11, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Austria's road transport industry is threatening to challenge in the European Court of Justice state-owned motorway operator Asfinag's plan to increase modern HGVs road toll by 8% in 2014. The Austrian transport ministry has ordered that toll prices should be increased by 2.5% from the beginning of January 2014, in order to adapt to inflation. But the price increase for modern HGVs, such as Euro 6 vehicles, is set to be significantly higher in order to keep the volume of toll income stable, as there are now fewer older vehicles on the road to pay a higher toll.

According to Alexander Klacska, chairman of the federal traffic and transportation division of WKÖ (Austrian Economic Chamber), said modern HGVs have already paid up to €35 million (US$47.84 million) too much in tolls. Klacska estimates that Asfinag's income from tolls increased from €1.4 billion in 2009 to more than €1.6 billion in 2012, while the volume spent on construction works, including road improvement, has fallen from €1 billion to €600 million in the same period.
Highway & Network Management

Related Content

  • Salini Impregilo expands in the US with purchase of Lane Industries
    November 12, 2015
    Italian global infrastructure group Salini Impregilo has agreed to buy 100% of Lane Industries, an American highways contractor and the “top private asphalt producer” in the US. Lane, a family-owned business based in Cheshire, Connecticut, was bought for US$406 million and has a turnover of around $1.5 billion. The company has three divisions: asphalt production, road projects and other infrastructure projects, in domestic and international markets. A statement from Salini said Lane is participating i
    Read More
  • German construction equipment industry’s sales rise 8 per cent
    February 18, 2015
    German manufacturers of construction equipment reported an 8% rise in sales, amounting to €8.4 billion. The level was higher than expected and equal to sales in 2006, according to the Construction Equipment and Building Material Machinery Association (VDMA). However, the VDMA, part of the German Engineering Federation, suggested that company profits may not have risen along with sales and tough times remain ahead. “Turnover is one thing, profit is another,” Joachim Strobel, deputy chairman of VDMA, said.
    Read More
  • Strabag chief executive promises response to tougher trading conditions
    August 31, 2012
    Strabag chief executive, Hans Peter Haselsteiner, has spoken of the need for the Group to respond to tougher future trading conditions after its half year 2012 earnings fell, as expected, substantially from 2011 levels. New figures published by the Austrian construction giants revealed that its EBITDA was € 16.14 million between
    Read More
  • Highway 407 Revisited – smart tollroad extension
    June 7, 2016
    In the late 1990s, World Highways published a supplement on construction of Canada’s Highway 407, the world’s first all-electronic toll road. But how successful has it been? David Arminas reports from Toronto The head office for 407 ETR Concession Company is a low-rise building next to exit 59, just north of Toronto, Canada’s economic powerhouse. The building may be non-descript but inside is the advanced technical heart of Highway 407 ETR – Express Toll Route. It houses the latest toll monitoring techno
    Read More

Highlighted Content