By train to Prague? As in the case of Austria-Hungary, the electoral leaders in the region agreed
After four years, polling stations will open on Friday afternoon and people will decide on the new composition of the Chamber of Deputies. In the Liberec Region, seventeen parties are seeking the favor of voters, from which eight deputies will emerge.
Wording of questions:
What do you think is a better solution in the Turów case? Probably leave the Court of Justice of the EU, or sign an agreement with the Polish side and withdraw the lawsuit?
Does it make sense to invest time and energy in a faster Liberec-Prague train connection and why?
The daily addressed the leaders of political parties with two regional issues. One of them focused on the issue of the Turów mine. The agreement between the Czech Republic and Poland regarding mining in a lignite mine near the border is deadlocked. “It is crucial for us that the situation is resolved as soon as possible and that no further damage occurs. The lawsuit will be ineffective and will not resolve anything anyway. The region did not proceed prudently and with foresight, and the government of ANO and the CSSD fell asleep as a punishment, “commented SPD leader Radovan Vích on the situation.
Petr Beitl from the Spolu coalition also prefers an agreement to litigation. Especially when it comes to neighborly relations. “I hope that the Polish side will return to one table soon. Paying fines to the budget of the European Union is definitely not recommended, “he stressed. Jan Farský, the number one in the coalition of STAN and Pirates, has a similar opinion and amicable solution. “Unnecessary escalation of the conflict will not help. The Polish side should respect the Czech requirements and the Czech Republic should be ready to create a compromise solution, “he specified.
The leader of the KSČM candidate in the Liberec Region, Jan Koros, sees the way in a specific solution. This should consist of massive investment from the European Union in this area, which would provide enough jobs for Poles who would lose their jobs due to the closed mine. “If this investment is not made, Poland will unfortunately not close the mine and the water will continue to flow into Turów and we will all pay for it,” he said. If this investment comes, he said, the Czechia should return to intensive negotiations with Poland.
Otto Jarolímek from the Tricolor Free Private movement also spoke in favor of a solution at the level of the governments of both countries. “We are convinced that both parties have a part to play in the collapse of the current negotiations. In our opinion, solving this problem through the institutions of the European Union is a wrong step, which unnecessarily complicates the mutual relations of states, which should be the closest allies, “he said.
Traffic is stuck
The train connection from Liberec to Prague is also a burning problem. Today, the journey from the center of the capital to Liberec takes almost three hours. The journey by bus or car takes about sixty minutes. Vích thinks that the problem is about the priorities of the governments and leadership of the Liberec region. “Our region is the only one that does not have the entire line electrified, the railway is not sufficiently busy. People prefer road transport, and thus the road suffers much more, “he added.
According to Beitl, the Görlitz-Liberec-Prague connection needs to be included in the TEN-T trans-European transport network. Four hundred thousand inhabitants of the region would thus accept not only a chance for further connections with Prague, but also operational connections with European railway networks. “We are the same region in our country that does not have such a modern, alternative connection. The train from us runs to Prague at the same speed as in Austria – Hungary, “he emphasized. The KSČM number one came up with a similar comparison. “The saddest thing is the fact that the track was already running here in the time of Austria-Hungary and we haven’t moved forward since then,” Koros said.
Jarolímek came up with the idea that the solution to the problem has three levels. The first is the introduction of direct express connections Prague – Liberec. The second step to speed up traffic on this line is its electrification and minor modifications to its corridor. “The highest levels in solving this problem are fundamental changes in the routing of this railway. The greatest time savings would be brought by crossing the lobe to Rychnov near Jablonec nad Nisou. It is necessary to realize that this adjustment completely cut off the second largest city in our region from the expressway, “added the leader of the Tricolor Free Private movement.