Czech Republic and Saxony want rail corridor to connect the North and the South
The Czech Minister of Transport, Petr Bendl, and the Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony, Stanislav Tillich, signed a joint declaration on the Prague – Dresden – Berlin railway corridor on 18 February 2009 in Prague.
Both politicians believe it is important to incorporate this route (extended TEN 22 rail axis) into the currently planned European backbone network when the EU Directives on trans-European transport networks are reviewed, or at least to consider the route a priority.
The route between Dresden and Prague forms a part of the E Corridor (Dresden – Prague -Vienna/Bratislava – Budapest) provided for in the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the European Commission and the Association of European Railways and in the Letter of Intent (signed by the Transport Ministries of the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary), while the Berlin – Dresden route forms a part of he extended E+ Corridor (Dresden – Berlin/Magdeburg – Hamburg).
“We really cannot easily foresee the launch date of such an important and costly project”, said Bendl. However, Bendl sees today’s signature as a “clear political consent”. The development should be at least co-funded by the European Union. “The EU wants to hear what the priorities are. With this memorandum, we say that the rail connection between the North and the South should be a priority”, added the Czech Minister.
Tillich believes a high-quality connection between Prague and Berlin is vital for the development of the region in the next 20 years. “We are connecting three cities with a total of seven million inhabitants and a good chance of becoming the wealthiest region in Europe”, said the Prime Minister of Saxony. Mr. Tillich also believes that the EU should include the corridor connecting Saxony with the Czech Republic among its priorities.
The new route is a greenfield project. The railway line will run through many tunnels, especially in the České středohoří region and in the Ore Mountains. The time of travel from Prague to Berlin will drop to two hours from the current four hours and forty minutes; a trip from Dresden to Prague will take about an hour. In the distant future, the corridor should connect the North Sea and the Baltic Sea with the Adriatic.
Contact:
- Ing. Lada Hlaváčková, Spokesperson of the Czech Ministry of Transport for the Presidency
- tel: +420 225 131 530, mobile: +420 607 946 989; e-mail: lada.hlavackova@mdcr.cz
Photo Gallery
- Petr Bendl, Stanislav Tillich
Last update: 16.8.2011 15:44
