This case study report presents the cross-border public railway service Debrecen (Hungary) – Oradea (Romania), recognising that the connection between Debrecen and Oradea should be put in a broader context of cross-border travel, i.e. Budapest–Cluj Napoca–Braşov. 

It explores the business model of this service, including its governance arrangements, operational provisions to develop the service and address demand, and its territorial scope. Following this the report presents the key obstacles that the service faces and suggests solutions to these. The final section then reflects upon the lessons learnt from this case study, concluding that in the border area, an efficient railway connection between two very similar cities is hindered by an unsuitable timetable and lack of efficient infrastructure. 

This case study report is part of a series of 31 case studies developed in the framework of the study ‘Providing public transport in cross-border regions – Mapping of existing services and legal obstacles’, completed by Spatial Foresight in cooperation with TCP international, TRT trasporti e territorio and EureConsult for the European Commission’s DG REGIO.