en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Czech Republic is advancing a large-scale railway network upgrade plan, aiming to complete the electrification of approximately 600 kilometers of lines by the early 2030s, while simultaneously expanding the European Train Control System (ETCS).
The Czech Ministry of Transport and the national railway infrastructure manager Správa železnic have formulated a medium-term plan covering electrification, safety technologies, and operational changes. This plan aims to support technological upgrades in the railway sector, enhancing safety and operational efficiency. According to the plan, a total of approximately 600 kilometers of overhead contact lines will be installed by 2031 and 2033, with about 235 kilometers to be completed within large-scale infrastructure modernization projects that include electrification, and another approximately 355 kilometers to be electrified through simpler projects not involving major infrastructure modifications. The strategy also incorporates projects prepared by local governments with support from the Modernisation Fund and reflects the increasingly important role of battery-powered trains in railway operations in the coming years.
The ETCS expansion will be prioritized on Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) lines, which carry the majority of the country's railway traffic. For lower-traffic regional lines, the strategy proposes more cost-effective safety solutions, including a simplified version of ETCS and the PZV (Prostředek k zastavení vlaku, train stopping device) system. The PZV system is compatible with ETCS onboard equipment on trains and aims to improve safety on regional lines.
Správa železnic stated that approximately 670 kilometers of railway lines are already fully operating under ETCS, with an additional 180 kilometers to be added later this year. A significant milestone in the plan will be achieved in December, when exclusive ETCS operations will be extended to the entire southern corridor from Prague to České Budějovice. Tomáš Tóth, Director General of Správa železnic, noted that the revised strategy reflects the operator's existing investments and should create more opportunities to equip more lines with modern train protection systems in an economically viable manner.
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