The Czech Republic Railway Infrastructure Administration (SZDC) has signed a contract with the winning consortium of companies Metroproject and Sudop Praha for the preparation of project documents for the modernisation of the line Praha-Kladno with a connection to Václav Havel Airport. The new and reliable railway connection will be available for passengers starting 2020.
This is a new direct railway link from the capital with the Airport and also shows a committment to support the light rail network on the European level. It is important to mention that the Czech Transport Ministry has backed a plan for a railway link to Václav Havel international airport.
The rail line connecting the airport with the city center is estimated to cost about CZK 20 billion (EUR 740 million). Although the innitiation of works has not been announced yet, the infrastructure manager hopes to open a tender for the design of the project next spring.
The preparation documents will look at modernisation, double-tracking and preparation for electrification of the current single-track line for about 4 kilometres between Veleslavín and Ruzyně. The project will include the upgrading of the railway station in Veleslavín with a direct connection to the Prague Metro A Line.
Part of the project is also the construction of a new underground station at Václav Havel Airport and a new 5.5 kilometres double-track line between Ruzyně and the airport, with a maximum speed of 80 kilometres.
“This is an important step for building a key line section of the railway connection between our capital city and an international airport. The modernised line from Masaryk Station to Kladno with a branch to the Ruzyně airport will be double-tracked and electrified in the whole section so that it will be possible to dispatch here up to six pairs of regular stop trains and through trains per hour during traffic peaks,” Pavel Surý, Director General of SZDC explained.
The project aims to connect the Airport to Prague city centre through railway commuter transport and to develop a reliable link to the long-distance railway transport (to Prague Main Railway Station) in accordance with the EU requirements for a sustainable mobility and for a more efficient modal shift towards urban rail transport.
by Elena Ilie
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