The ministers met in Berlin last Friday. In addition to the issue of the car industry and not supporting the limitation of combustion engines after 2035 unless there is a clear and binding exemption for synthetic fuels, they discussed better rail connections between the two states.
"As far as the Bavarian capital is concerned, on our side we are preparing the modernisation of the section Pilsen - Domažlice - state border, which will lead to an increase in speed up to 200 km/h. It is important for the success of this project that the entire line is electrified and the capacity is increased, especially on the Schwandorf - Furth im Wald section on the German side. I am pleased that DB Netz has started preparations for the modernisation of the German section," explained Minister Kupka.
The baseline study on the German side, including a cost estimate, is expected to be completed by mid-2024. A joint memorandum, which the two ministers hope to conclude this summer, should also speed up further progress.
A much faster connection between Prague and Berlin will be provided in the future by the construction of the Via Vindobona high-speed line between Berlin, Prague and Vienna, which also includes a high-speed link between Prague and Dresden.
"The planning work for the preparation of the unique cross-border Ore Mountains tunnel is well under way," said Minister Kupka. "It is now important to focus on raising public awareness of our railway projects and patiently explain their aspects to the citizens concerned. This is where we can work hand in hand with our German partners," Kupka concluded.
Kupka was early to point out that the construction of additional railway infrastructure on new tracks is essential for the Czech Republic and rail freight.
"As far as the impact on freight transport is concerned, this is very important, because the current corridors can no longer carry a larger traffic load. The only way to develop freight transport in this direction and take advantage of the modal shift is to free up capacity, which is a necessary step. Today, freight traffic is often only shifted to night time, which significantly limits its further possibilities in terms of wagon loads and so on," said the Czech Minister of Transport in his interview for RAILMARKET.com last year.
