Preparations for the construction of the high-speed rail line from Prague to Dresden continue

“We are already discussing the details with our German partners, preparing a feasibility study for the high-speed rail line and the route the railway could lead through, solving the specific routing of the common 26 km long Ore Mountains tunnel, including its financing,” says the Minister of Transport Karel Havlíček. Thanks to the new high-speed rail line, the journey between Prague and Dresden will only take 60 minutes, and thus it will be shortened to a half.

In a joint letter to the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, the Czech Republic supported Germany's request to co-finance the preparation of the German section from the CEF funds. On the Czech side, the preparatory work on the project will be financed from national resources and then from 2021 from CEF2.
The preparation of the construction is currently focused mainly on the section Ústí nad Labem – Dresden, including the 26 km long tunnel section. A feasibility study is being prepared for the Railway Administration in order to select a suitable route of the line and appropriate speed for passenger and freight traffic.

The common costs of the cross-border tunnel preparation are divided in the ratio of 43 (Czech Republic): 57 (Germany), this ratio takes into account the length of the tunnel on each side of the border. The Federal Republic of Germany expects the costs of the pre-project phase of EUR 30 - 40 million, the total design costs are expected to be approximately EUR 500 million .

Other common topics at the meeting in Berlin also included the issue of modernizing the railway from Prague via Pilsen – Domažlice – Furth im Wald – Munich and Nuremberg. The modernization of the Pilsen – Domažlice – state border line will take place in its full length of approximately 70 km.

The aim of the constructions is to increase the track speed up to 140 kph on the existing sections of the line and up to 200 kph on the new realignment, the length and solution of which were specified when the feasibility study was completed. It is essential for the Czech Republic that the electrification and capacity increase of the Schwandorf – Furth im Wald section be carried out on the German side in order to follow up the ongoing steps in project preparation in the Czech Republic in terms of the extent of modifications.

The delegations also addressed the issue of alternative mobility, when the Czech Minister of Transport informed about announcing further calls for the construction of hydrogen filling stations and for the support of the construction of conventional charging stations. The Czech Republic would like to draw on Germany's experience in introducing hydrogen mobility. “I think it is important to obtain information primarily on the usability of hydrogen propulsion in our railway transport,” says Karel Havlíček.