The trouble started on Thursday. On the main line, near Karlštejn, an express train ran into a freshly slid slope, causing the locomotive and the first car to derail. In addition, the track is also being repaired in another place.

The capacity thus remains limited, some trains have to be replaced by buses. Part of the express trains now terminate in Beroun and passengers transfer to buses. For many of them, it is an inconvenience.

“At the moment, we would like to have single-track operation as long as possible, and when some parts of the rock are actually removed, we will have to stop the operation,” explained Director General of the Railway Administration Jiří Svoboda.

Another complication

The new warning came on Friday. In the morning, the workers were repairing at least one track there, making it passable, and that very evening, more stones fell on the tracks. There was no driving for almost two hours.

“We would like to publish next week what effect this will have on operations,” said Svoboda, adding that geologists are also looking into the situation.

All trains that do not depend on electricity are already routed by the dispatchers from Prague to Beroun via the local route via Rudná.

It’s even worse for the freight forwarder. They need to find another, much longer route from the center to the west of Bohemia. There is practically no capacity left for them. This too is the result of decades of delayed reconstruction of the key line.

Trouble in the South

Also, the railway line between Strakonice and Horažďovice in the south of Bohemia remains closed due to damage removal after the storm. The element caused damage there during the night from Monday to Tuesday. Fallen trees damaged the lines and the water washed away part of the tracks. The preliminary costs of repairing the damage are still in the tens of millions of crowns.

Due to the storm, the workers have to repair about 300 meters of track. These days, they are relieving the embankment here, which will have to be reinforced afterwards. After completion, the planned shutdown will begin here due to the repair of the traction line. Trains could return to the main railway route from České Budějovice to Pilsen on July 30.