CZECH REPUBLIC: The Ministry of the Environment has approved plans for the construction of a tunnel under the northern suburbs of Praha. This will form part of the ongoing project to develop a rail link to the capital’s international airport.
Running beneath the northwestern suburb of Střešovice, the double-track tunnel linking Dejvice and Veleslavín will replace the existing single-track surface alignment used by suburban route S5 from Praha Masarykovo nádraží to Kralupy nad Vltavou, as well as by regional trains to Rakovník and Blatno u Jesenice.
The airport rail link has been described as one of the country’s largest transport investments at present. The work has been split into 11 separate projects, including the modernisation of the Praha – Kladno line to support more frequent services and the construction a branch from Ruzyně into the terminal area at Václav Havel International. Some elements have already been completed, while others are currently under construction. The work is expected to be completed around 2029-30, at a total cost of around KC50bn.
Following the formal approval of the environmental impact assessment for the new tunnel, infrastructure manager Správa Železnic hopes to complete the remaining permitting procedures in time for construction to begin in 2028.
Putting the railway underground along this section will free up the existing surface alignment for the development of a ‘green corridor’ for pedestrians and cyclists between Dejvice and Divoká Šárka, as well as opening up the surrounding area as a leisure space.
