<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Civic Network of South Tyrol

Welcome to South Tyrol

Transport

trainThe land of South Tyrol has been for ages an important thoroughfare. Emperors and Kings travelled over the Brenner. Today more than ever the Province is criss-crossed by important traffic routes which, although an economic necessity, are increasingly felt by the population to be a burden. The main traffic artery is the Brenner motorway, on which a daily average of 18,800 automobiles and 7,500 lorries travel.

26.9 million tons of goods are transported over the Brenner annually. On 6 March 2000 the 7.3 km long "Pflerscher tunnel" has been officially opened. This is an important pass towards the transfer of the goods transport from the road onto the rail. Thanks to the tunnel, 80 per cent of the goods traffic passing the Brenner (actually 33 million tons) can now be conducted on the rail. The construction of the Pflerscher tunnel represents a milestone in the history of the Italian goods traffic. In 2000, the goods transport on the rail has increased for about 10 per cent.
Efforts to shift the traffic, especially the heavy-duty traffic, from the roads to the railways will only become possible with the expansion and modernisation of the 1867 Brenner railway line, and in particular only after the realisation of the new Munich - Verona railway, with the planned tunnel between Innsbruck and Franzensfeste.

Altogether the Province is covered by a network of 224 km of railway, a 116 km long motorway, a 30 km long highway Meran-Bozen (MeBo) and - since the State roads have passed to the Province of South Tyrol in July 1998- 2,745 km of provincial roads, to which should be added 6,500 km of open country municipal roads. Numerous goods roads and forest roads built privately or by associations, the municipalities or the Province, link outlying hamlets, farms, alpine meadows and managed forests. The building and maintenance of the railways are the responsibility of the State Railway Ltd., the motorway is run by the Brenner Motorway Company. The remaining roads and ways are maintained by the Province, the municipalities, other bodies or privately. With effect from 1 July 1998 responsibility for the building and maintenance of State roads passed, as already mentioned, to the Province of South Tyrol.

The airport of Bozen ABD (Airport Bozen Dolomiten), which was opened in march 1999 after a serious of controversies, plays an important role in the economic system of South Tyrol. It represents an important extension of the existent infrastructures. At the moment five flights a day are offered, but - corresponding to the popular demand- an extension of the air traffic is planned. Therefor in November 1999 the take off and landing runway of the ABD has been prolonged, so that also bigger planes can be used for scheduled flights from and to Bozen, what makes the ABD more attractive for other airlines.
In 1999, the works regarding the trans-shipment station at Bozner Boden have been concluded. Its aim is to encourage the transfer of goods transport from the roads to the rail and to limit thereby the heavy traffic on the roads.

Thanks to the second Autonomy Statute of 1972 the Province of South Tyrol has primary, exclusive powers in regard to roads, transport and communications of provincial interest, including the technical regulations for cable cars and their management. On the basis of these powers, the Province has recently reorganised the public transport service with provincial laws, by which especially advantageous rates were introduced for local residents and sharply reduced rates for commuters. In addition, special services have been put on for school children and workers. Invalids, old people and families with many children also benefit from preferential rates. Town transport fares in South Tyrol are among the cheapest in all Italy. In addition in South Tyrol this system of preferential rates has been extended to the railway in the Province so that all means of public transport (bus, train and in part cable cars) can be used with the same ticket. This system is unique in Italy and has met with great interest at home and abroad. The success of this system is enormous: in the last few years the number of the train passengers has increased up to 40 per cent, while in the rest of Italy the number of train passengers decreases constantly.
The system corresponds to the idea of "less car and more human life"; the motto of the provincial administration is: transport for a purpose and not as an end in itself.

motorwayIn order to sensitise the youth to the theme of the traffic the provincial government has approved in December 1999 the project "traffic education on intermediate and superior schools", which is organised by the Italian Automobilclub (ACI), Federazione Motociclistica Italiana (FMI) and the association of driving schools in South Tyrol. Its aim is the education of the youth to responsible road-users.

As a mountain and a tourist area South Tyrol has an extensive network of uphill facilities. In 2000, there were 22 shuttle-lifts, 69 circular lifts, 111 chair-lifts and 190 ski-lifts in South Tyrol, as well as a cable car.