Metro S or a new line to Brandýs nad Labem. Prague has fine-tuned its railway plans
The Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague (IPR) has published the final version of the material, as it envisages the Prague Railways in the coming years.
Published by the Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague (IPR). the final form of the materialas he envisages the Prague Railway in the coming years. Trains are set to play a greater role in urban transport in the coming years than before. IPR also proposes completely new lines from Prague to the Central Bohemian Region.
This is a concept that was approved by the previous management of Prague. The strategy is to serve as a basis for solving the future shape and operation of the railway in Prague, which will be prepared by the Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC).
“I believe that the railway is essential for the future development of Prague. We need to serve the whole region and connect us to Europe, but at the same time facilitate public transport. The document clearly describes our vision,“Says Ondřej Boháč, director of IPR Prague.
discovered one-page material confirms that the railway in Prague today has a number of fundamental shortcomings. “Most of the lines suffer from insufficient capacity. won all the lines running across the Vltava, paying either for the capacity of the bridge on Výtoň, where the 3rd track is needed for the development of railway transport, and the insufficient capacity of the Negrelli viaduct, which is, however, an inviolable element and is undergoing reconstruction. The considerable obsolescence of some stops, stations and their equipment is also problematic,“States the material. As expected, the line from the main railway station through the Vinohrady tunnels to Vršovice and Smíchov, to Vysočany and from Libno to Kolín is on the list of the most problematic connections.
The railway in Prague has experienced great growth over the last ten years. According to data from Prague Integrated Transport, 73% more passengers traveled by train in Prague in 2017 than in 2008
IPR envisages the development of fifteen railway lines, their reconstruction, electrification, significant development of connections and new stops. I am also dealing with the connection of five high-speed lines, which are to end at the main station. The goal of long-distance transport is to connect Prague within hours with Brno or Liberec, two with Ostrava or Dresden, three with Berlin and Munich and four hours with Frankfurt. “The diversion of long-distance trains from today’s lines on the new high-speed line will significantly improve the functioning of the suburban railway and ensure its possible further development, “ states the material.
Prague imagines that the main lines will be double-track and electrified and trains will run on them at intervals of 10 to 15 minutes, the other lines will be at least electrified with an interval of 15 to 30 minutes. The route to Václav Havel Airport is 10 minutes away.
The concept also envisages the development of freight transport, although the greatest criticism can be expected from freight carriers because they fear further capacity reductions. However, after the abolition of the Žižkov freight station, the text of the strategy calls for the construction of a logistics center in Prague, which helped the railway to improve the supply of the capital. On the other hand, the freight carrier may be pleased with the plan to build a level crossing in Libeň and double-track the line from Libno to Malešice or the southern freight link. However, Prague wants to introduce other passenger train lines on it.
Probably the biggest change is the introduction of the so-called Metro S. These are new railway tunnels under the city center connecting the lines, which are brought to the wider city center. The purpose of this construction is, in addition to the segregation of long-distance transport, the largest possible service to the very center of the railway city, where there is a high concentration of job opportunities. Therefore, it is part of these constructions and several railway stops and stations. A central transfer station is to be built near the Prague Main Railway Station. “The implementation of these constructions is a sharp increase in the quality of suburban and urban railways, ensuring a fully passable model and much deeper integration into public transport as the backbone system in Prague and the region., ”States the IPR. There are a total of 9 kilometers of tunnels.
The requirements include, for example, the addition of a fourth track from Prague to Běchovice and the management of long-distance railway transport in the section Prague-Běchovice – the border of the capital. m of Prague. This is to take place using a new route to Poříčany and further increasing the capacity of the existing route or a new building to Kolín. The IPR proposes major modifications on the line from Prague to Turnov. Which he wants to double-track on the way out of Prague and electrify. At the same time, new stops are to be created on the line. Similarly, the line to Rudná, which is planned to undergo electrification, is to be modified, as is the line to Hostivice via the Prague Semmering.
In the case of the connection of high-speed lines, the plan envisages completely new routes, thanks to which a new direct railway connection was created. From the north, for example, two new high-speed routes in the direction from Ústí nad Labem and Liberec are to emerge. In the case of Liberec, there is also talk of a conventional line for trains up to 200 kilometers per hour. The line also wants to use Prague for suburban trains, for example to Brandýs nad Labem. “The line is also very important for regional rail transport, where it has great potential to serve the cities of Brandýs nad Labem, Benátky nad Jizerou and Mladá Boleslav and the entire northeastern part of the metropolitan area and create a strong railway radius equal to other double-track lines in suburban railways. In case of sufficient capacity, the line can also be used for the operation of the classic suburban railway – line S, “ states the material.
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