The regions called for the urgent repair of the Branické and railway bridges in Prague
The railway bridge seen from the right bank embankment. Photo: archive
Representatives of the capital’s regional transport organizers and carriers today signed a request to the Railway Administration (SŽ) and the Ministry of Transport not to delay the repair of Prague’s Branické bridge and at the same time to start the repair or rebuilding of the Výton railway bridge. However, if both bridges are blocked, there is a risk of a collapse of passenger and freight rail traffic to the southwest of Prague. Representatives of all parties involved told reporters. ČTK is looking for a statement from SŽ and the Ministry.
SŽ has already announced a tender for the expansion of the Branické bridge. Construction is expected to start in July this year and the work will last 13 months. The costs reach 2.25 billion crowns. For the Výton bridge, SŽ launched an architectural competition, in which the proposal was successful, which envisages preserving only the pillars of the bridge and replacing the riveted structure with a new construction. Part of the public, Prague 5 and the mayor’s deputy Adam Scheinherr (Praha Sobě) are against it.
“We demand from SŽ and the ministry that the repair of the Branické bridge will not be postponed and that top priority will be given to its completion by the end of this year. We are concerned with postponing the risk of closures on the Branické and Výtoňské bridges,” said Central Bohemian councilor Petr Borecký (STAN).
According to him, it is not necessary for the planned second track to be completed immediately, but for it to be possible to drive on at least one track during its possible completion.
The signatories of the appeal request the Ministry of Transport, Martin Kupka (ODS), to use their powers and give priority to the bridge. The repair of the Branické bridge and adjacent track sections is absolutely necessary, namely in such a way that the work is completed by the end of this year at the latest.
In the case of the Výtoni bridge, due to its condition, SŽ is going to reduce the maximum permitted speed from 60 to 20 kilometers per hour and prohibit the meeting of oncoming trains on the bridge.
According to Václav Haas from Prague’s Ropid, which plans Prague public transport, the bridge’s capacity will thus be reduced by up to half. At the same time, he said that if the repair of the detour route, i.e. the Branické bridge, is postponed, there is a risk that traffic on both bridges will be closed. “And we won’t get from one shore to the other,” he said.
If both bridges were to be closed, problems would also affect freight traffic, which primarily travels over the Branický most bridge. If trains cannot run over the bridges, long detours via Ústí nad Labem or České Budějovice would await.
According to Martin Hořínek from the Association of Railway Freight Carriers of the Czech Republic (ŽESNAD.CZ), the costs of transporting goods by rail would increase so much that they would be transferred to trucks.