Traffic Control Centre in Prague starts operation

29.01.2016

Prague, 29 January 2016 – On Monday 1 February, the Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC) starts operation of the so-called practice hall in the recently finished building of the Traffic Control Centre (CDP) at Balabenka in Prague. This is an additional step for starting remote traffic control on the first railway lines in the Czech Republic.

Construction of a new traffic control workplace started within the premises at Balabenka in April 2014. The completion of the project with total costs amounting up to 365 Mio CZK is planned for April this year. In the meantime, a building with five storeys was constructed within the area bordered by three railway lines; the top three storeys will be reserved especially for traffic control halls.

Testing operation of the new building started on 18 January 2016. It will be used for verifying all technologies in the building – power distribution systems, air conditioning, communication and control and command equipment power feeding, alternate power sources as well as lifts. On 1 February, the so-called practice hall will be opened for Traffic Control Centre employees to get acquainted with managing their respective domains.

Full operation will start first on Czech Rail Transit Corridor III in the line section Beroun - Rokycany which should be transferred to remote control during March.   

Terms of operation start in further line sections:

According to the approved schedule, up to 100 line traffic controllers and 30 railway traffic operators will be controlling traffic from Balabenka at the end of the year, taking shifts in continuous operating mode. In the years to come, the network of remotely controlled line sections will extend up to 2,200 kilometres in total, not only on corridor lines but also on selected regional rail systems throughout the whole Bohemian territory.

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