Government Approves Spatial Development Plan for Prague High-Speed Railway
The plan safeguards the required corridors between Vršovice and Běchovice and is also intended to relieve pressure on Prague’s heavily congested railway junction
Foto: Ministerstvo dopravy ČR
The Czech government has approved the partial spatial development plan for Prague’s high-speed railway. This provides planning protection for the land required to expand the capital’s railway infrastructure.
At its meeting today, the Czech government adopted the “VRT Praha” partial spatial development plan. It defines the corridors for the planned high-speed railway within Prague. The new infrastructure is intended to increase the capacity of the railway junction and create the conditions for the future operation of high-speed trains.
The plan covers the section between Praha-Vršovice and Praha-Běchovice. It also includes tracks on which train sets can be temporarily stabled.
New Connection for Freight Transport
The project also includes the construction of a connecting track between the Praha-Libeň–Praha-Malešice and Praha-Malešice–Praha-Běchovice lines. The so-called Jahodnická connection is intended to allow freight trains to pass smoothly through the Prague railway junction.
“The approval of the VRT Praha partial spatial development plan is an important milestone in the preparations for high-speed rail in the capital,” Transport Minister Ivan Bednarik said in a press release. This provides the state with the necessary land protection for strategically important transport infrastructure.
Foto: České dráhy
The planned sections of the high-speed railway are also part of the solution for the Prague railway junction, which is already reaching its capacity limit, the minister said.
The Ministry of Transport is thereby continuing with its plan for a high-speed rail network presented in the spring. This is intended to connect the Czech Republic’s most important economic and administrative centres along the Ústí nad Labem–Prague–Brno–Ostrava axis. Connections to Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Austria are also planned.
More Capacity at the Prague Railway Junction
“VRT Praha is not only part of the future high-speed rail network. It is also an important capacity project for the entire Prague railway junction,” said Tomáš Tóth, Director General of Správa železnic.
Shifting part of long-distance traffic away from the busiest conventional lines will create more capacity for reliable regional, passenger and freight services. It will also increase the resilience of railway operations in the event of exceptional circumstances.
Foto: Ministerstvo dopravy ČR
The partial spatial development plan is a special instrument for preparing major transport projects in which there is an urgent public interest. The document was prepared by the Ministry of Transport. The approved plan is binding for future decisions concerning the use of the affected land.
The Ministry for Regional Development is to incorporate the provisions into the nationwide spatial development plan during its next update.
