The TGV train is in the Czech Republic, promoting the benefits of high-speed rail lines

The TGV train is in the Czech Republic, promoting the benefits of high-speed rail lines
6/6/2022Press releases

France's pioneer of high-speed rails, the legendary TGV train, has arrived in the Czech Republic. In was on Monday that train was presented at the main railway station in Prague. The train then continued to Brno, Jihlava and Ústí nad Labem.

The TGV train is in the Czech Republic, promoting the benefits of high-speed rail lines
 
"It is not only an impressive piece of technology, but also a promise and a commitment. A commitment that we, too, must erase the debt of our railway sector and build our own high-speed lines as soon as possible. These are no empty promises, but a concrete plan that we really have. High-speed rail lines carry a great promise for passengers, towns and cities and the whole economy and society. I do not exaggerate when I say this will be one of the biggest revolutions in travel in our country that has ever happened," says Transport Minister Martin Kupka.
 
Preparations for the start of construction of the first high-speed rail line (HSL) in the Czech Republic are already under way. Construction is expected to start at the turn of 2025 and 2026 on the Prague-Běchovice – Poříčany section. In 2027 construction of line sections in Central Bohemia and near Brno shall start. And the start of construction of the high-speed rail line through the Vysočina region (highlands) is scheduled to start in 2029. 
 
As the feasibility studies approved by the Central Commission of the Ministry of Transport have shown, the high-speed rail lines to Brno and Ostrava have greater economic benefits than the amounts to be spent on this investment. To be specific, this concerns the high-speed lines Prague – Brno – Břeclav and Brno – Přerov – Ostrava. Together with the already approved feasibility study from the end of 2020 for the line from Prague to Dresden, an economic justification is now for the basic framework of the high-speed rail system in the Czech Republic.

Experience from France

Cooperation also continues with German partners and the French national railway carrier SNCF, with who Správa železnic signed the contract for services in the preparation for the construction of high-speed lines. The SNCF experts are able to transfer not only know-how but also their foreign experience in building a high-speed system, for example in Morocco. The French solution has also been the starting point for building high-speed rail networks in Spain, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and Turkey. 
 
The Czechs are now intensifying communication not only with experts but also with the representatives of French local authorities who have experience of the benefits of high-speed rail lines. The recently approved Transport Service Plan 2022-2026 also foresees the future operation of high-speed trains.

A speed record

The TGV PSE train, sometimes referred to as TGV Paris Sud-Est, that is currently presented in the Czech Republic was part of the delivery of the first 109 high-speed trains that were serving on the newly opened line from Paris to Lyon. During its service life, this train experienced the opening ride with all the honours, film shooting, a test of the chassis for the next TGV development series and also set a world speed record. In 1981 it reached a speed of 380 km/h on the section between Paris and Lyon that was still closed for regular operation.
 
The train is still in service and is the only high-speed presentation train in the European Union. It has undergone two major modernisations and offers the latest communication technology. It stopped normal operation in 2018. By that time, its odometer stood at an impressive figure of 13 383 189 kilometres.
 
The train has a total of ten cars: two traction cars and eight inserted cars. Its total length is 200 metres. Space for luggage, a mobile bar, a bistro and a service compartment are not missing. The train has a total of 238 seats in second class and 104 seats in first class.

Find out more on the presentation of the TGV train in the Czech Republic here.

For more information on the high-speed rail lines click here


 
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