As the Danube corridor opens up the growing markets of Central and Eastern Europe, the last few years have witnessed an extremely strong growth in all transport modes. The overall transport volume on the Austrian part of the Danube (inland transport – reception, shipment, transit) amounted to approximately 11.0 million annual tonnes in 2000 and to nearly 12 million tonnes in 2005. Forecasts indicate that even without the implementation of any significant measures transport volumes will increase to 15.2 million tonnes by 2015.

Since the improvement of the waterway infrastructure is an important marginal condition for the positive development of transport volumes, forecast models anticipated the effects of the “Integrated River Engineering Project East of Vienna (FGP)” and, building on this project, the effects of the other measures under the National Action Plan on Danube Navigation. In addition, the results were presented relative to the further development of the Bavarian part of the Danube in two scenarios (Bavaria A and Bavaria B). The “Bavaria A” scenario represents a reduced development of the Danube in Bavaria (implementation of variant A in Straubing – Vilshofen without impoundment, offering a minimum navigable depth of 2.20 m at Danube reference low water level), while the “Bavaria B” scenario (implementation of variant C280 in Straubing – Vilshofen including impoundment, offering a minimum navigable depth of 2.65 m at Danube reference low water level) would provide adequate conditions with regard to the Integrated River Engineering Project.