Railway Modernisation at Border of Central and South Bohemia Reaches Final Stage

Modernisation of one of the last bottlenecks within the Rail Corridor IV between Prague and České Budějovice in the section Votice – Sudoměřice started in May 2018. Although it will not be fully completed until next year, trains will start using approximately 19 kilometres of the practically new line already this year. Its dominant features are mainly three viaducts near Heřmaničky, two tunnels (Mezno and Deboreč), one new station and five new stops. “This modernisation is very important, as it will increase capacity and also ensure smoother railway traffic. As a result, the trains could attract new passengers. Moreover, a good transport network has a number of positive impacts on the country's economy and also on the quality of life of the citizens,” Martin Kupka, the Minister of Transport, said. “Thanks to the new construction of the line and the higher maximum speed of trains of up to 200 km/h, the travel time of trains between Prague and České Budějovice will be reduced again. The competitiveness of railway transport compared to road transport will improve, too,” continued Jiří Svoboda, Director General of Správa železnic.

Construction of the new line will be finished during a three-month closure

During a continuous 90-day closure, which will start on 2 April, the entire section of the line will be switched to a new route. Freight trains will start to use the new line on the evening of 30 June. The first passenger trains will pass through the section on 1 July. Only the second line track will be temporarily in operation between Votice and Červený Újezd, both tracks will be used further on to Sudoměřice. Full double track operation in the whole section will be launched in September, when the test operation begins. Train speed will be gradually increased up to 160 km/h. After the implementation of exclusive ETCS operation, tilting train sets will be able to run at speeds up to 200 km/h, while the speed of conventional trains will be limited at 170 km/h. At present, works continue primarily on the railway superstructure, completion of new bridge structures and tunnels as well as installation of required technologies. The total cost will reach CZK 6.7 billion. The project is co-financed by the European Union from the Cohesion Fund under the Operational Programme Transport 2014 – 2020. The EU contribution may reach up to CZK 3,966,814,703. National funding will be provided by the Státní fond dopravní infrastruktury (State Fund for Transport Infrastructure). The contractor is OHLA ŽS.

Trains will also start to run on a new line near Soběslav
Another important investment project of Správa železnic in South Bohemia is the modernisation of the line between Soběslav and Doubí. The work began in August 2019 and should be completed by August 2023. The aim of the project is the replacement of the single-track line with insufficient capacity and in inadequate structural condition with a double-track relocation, in part parallel to the D3 motorway. Opening of the single-track operation on the new relocation line is planned for early September this year, and both tracks will be operable by the end of November. The new line with a planned speed of 200 km/h will be 8.8 kilometres long. The most important structures include the tunnel Zvěrotice, the elevated tracks over the valley of the brook Černovický potok and over the pond Kamenný rybník and the relocation of the II/135 road. A new stop in Myslkovice will be built within the construction. The total investment cost of the project amounts to CZK 4.8 billion excluding VAT. The project is co-financed by the European Union from the Cohesion Fund under the Operational Programme Transport 2014 – 2020. The EU contribution may reach up to CZK 1,511,088,992. The national part of the funding will be provided by Státní fond dopravní infrastruktury. The contractor is the company Soběslav – Doubí, a partnership of STRABAG Rail, EUROVIA CS and METROSTAV.