For the first time, the budget envisages high-speed lines
The current overstepping of the state around the acceleration of domestic rail transport could end next year. In the draft budget of the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure, for the first time ever, an item appeared where money is set aside for the preparation of high-speed lines (VRT). A total of 45 million crowns is calculated for this purpose.
“The money is intended for pre-project work. If the budget is approved by the Chamber of Deputies, it can be said that the preparation of high-speed lines has started formally, “the deputy head told the E15 daily. Railway administration Petr Šlegr. According to him, it is high time to start preparations if he wants to start construction of the tracks by the end of the decade.
The use of a new financial instrument of the European Union, the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), is envisaged. Among other things, part of the money from the cohesion fund will be transferred there. But the money from CEF will not be certain for the states, the members of the union will compete for it. “It is difficult for us to succeed with anything other than high-speed lines. In particular, we will take into account that the union’s plan is to triple the current high-speed network, “added Šlegr.
Therefore, a concept with the working title Fast Connections is being developed at the Ministry of Transport. The Office intentionally does not use the term “high-speed”, as the concept will also include the modernization of existing lines that will connect to the new high-speed network.
As for the “drills” themselves, the first sections should be Prague-Lovosice and Prague-Benešov. The section of the fourth corridor of České Budějovice – Ševětín is also being prepared for higher speeds. Today, the maximum on the tracks is 160 kilometers per hour, and not everywhere.
So far, the Czech Railways is uncompetitive on the road in most sections. While corridors, with the southern section of the fourth corridor Prague – České Budějovice, is being repaired in hundred-year-old tracks, the motorway is being built directly on a green field.
The situation will be similar for high-speed lines, the approaching Czech network should follow the pan-European one. The Czech state thus avoids the foreign risk that carriers will avoid Czech territory.