Minister Kupka: Better rail connection between Prague and Munich is a common priority
Minister of Transport Martin Kupka discussed the railway connection between the Czech Republic and Bavaria with Christian Bernreiter of the State Ministry of Housing, Construction and Transport in Munich.
The two ministers agreed on the need for joint action in the preparation of the modernization of the Pilsen – Domažlice – Česká Kubice – state border – Munich/Nuremberg line. Together, they also solved the problem of train delays at the Czech-Bavarian border, which was caused by police checks on the German side.
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“Bavaria is one of our key economic partners. I therefore consider it very important that we are able to build a high-quality, high-capacity rail connection in the direction of Munich. On our side, we are preparing the modernization of the Pilsen – Domažlice – state border section. For the success of this project, it is important that the entire connection be electrified and the capacity increased, especially the Schwandorf – Furth im Wald section on the German side, so that it is double-tracked. I am glad that Germany has started assessing the possibility of modernizing this railway section and building three new double-track sections,” said Minister Kupka after the meeting in Munich.
The renovation of the Czech part of the track in the section Plzeň – Domažlice – state border is divided into 4 constructions, and we expect the start of the implementation of this modernization in 2024. “From the point of view of the Czech Republic, it is important to prepare the track not only for passenger traffic, but also to ensure sufficient capacity for freight “, adds Kupka. The aim is to prepare a track with such parameters that would allow for the operation of a minimum of 1 freight train in each direction during each hour, including the highest (minimum of 24 pairs of trains evenly distributed throughout the day).
The two ministers will also discuss the future of the functioning of Prague – Munich. The customer of railway transport in the federal state of Bavaria “Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft” and the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic are preparing a joint tender procedure for one carrier for the line between the Czech and Bavarian capitals. This is one of the first cross-border proceedings of this scale. “The joint procurement procedure for the Prague-Munich line, bearing the identical designation Ex36, brings our country and our citizens even closer. One carrier will provide cross-border transport of 8 pairs of trains per day. Cooperation on this project continues well, on our side we have prepared a working draft of the contract,” says Minister of Transport Martin Kupka. The operation of the trains is to be based on a joint bidding process launched from December 2027 for a period of 15 years. Passengers can look forward to new cars of a significantly higher quality than before and, thanks to the gradual modernization of the track, even faster travel.
During the meeting, a current topic was also discussed – the delay of trains at the common border due to police checks. The delay was usually caused by police checks on the German side, which started in Furth im Wald and continued during the drive up to Schwandorf. After arriving in Schwandorf, due to checks, passengers often miss the connecting train that arrives from Hof and continues to Munich. “This fundamentally complicated travel for many passengers. The Bavarian side informed us that they have let go of the inspection since Friday last week, which should significantly simplify and eliminate the unpleasant delay,” said Kupka.
The Bavarian Ministry also confirmed the planned change of the railway connection from the timetable change at the end of 2023, when the train from Prague in Schwandorf will no longer be connected to the connecting connection from Hof to Munich, but will go directly. “This will significantly improve the comfort of the train connection,” Kupka pointed out.
Today is the first of a series of negotiations that will take place between us and the Bavarian side. The next joint meeting is planned for spring in Prague. At the end of the meeting, Minister Kupka invited his Bavarian colleague to Prague for the PIARC World Road Congress, which takes place from 2 to 6 October 2023. This is the most important world event on the topics of road infrastructure, its development and technological progress. Ministers will also focus on road traffic safety and cycling.
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author: PV
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