Line between Soběslav and Doubí is ready for speed of 200 km/h

Soběslav became today the venue of the ceremonial completion of the modernisation of the line section between the local station and Doubí u Tábora. The result is a new construction of the double-track line, which will enable trains to run at up to 200 km/h after the installation of the European Train Control System (ETCS). They can now pass through the new section with a maximum of one hundred and sixty, but even so the travel times of trains connecting South Bohemia with Prague have been significantly shortened.

Originally, a single-track line with a maximum speed of 100 km/h led between Soběslav and Doubí. Now trains use a double-track relocation 8.8 kilometres long, which partly follows the D3 motorway. This not only speeds up the trains, but also increases the capacity of the line and the regularity of transport, as waiting for an oncoming train at Soběslav and Roudná stations is no longer necessary.

The track is structurally prepared for the speed of 200 km/h. Pendolino type trainsets will be able to run at this speed after the installation of the European ETCS system. The maximum speed for other trains will be 185 km/h. “Travel from South Bohemia to Prague has already been significantly shortened, with the fastest connections covering the route from České Budějovice to the capital in 100 minutes. This made it possible the completion not only of this section, but also of another long relocation between Sudoměřice and Votice. In total, trains can use 30 kilometres of completely new line,” explains Jiří Svoboda, Director General of Správa železnic.

The work has been underway since September 2019 and has resulted, among other things, in second longest railway tunnel on the South Bohemian railway, the Zvěrotický Tunnel with a length of 370 metres. Other construction landmarks are the 830-metre-long bridge over the Černovický Brook and the 263-metre-long flyover over the Kamenný Pond. Passengers can use the relocated platforms in Doubí u Tábora and the completely new stop Myslkovice, which was created instead of the station Roudná. An important contribution to the environment is the tunnel bridge carrying the bio-corridor over the railway in the Hluboká locality. From the point of view of traffic safety, the removal of all level crossings, that have been replaced by underpasses or overpasses, is important.

The total investment costs of the project amounted to CZK 4,859,601,137. The contractor was the company Soběslav – Doubí, which consisted of STRABAG Rail, EUROVIA CS and Metrostav.

Project Modernisation of the line Veselí nad Lužnicí – Tábor – Part II, section Veselí nad Lužnicí – Doubí u Tábora, 2nd stage Soběslav – Doubí was co-financed by the European Union under the Operational Programme Transport 2014–2020. The EU contribution may reach up to CZK 1,511,088,992. National funding was provided by Státní fond dopravní infrastruktury (State Fund for Transport Infrastructure).

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