HSR construction in the Czech Republic to start no earlier than 2026
The construction works require tens of billions of CZK in each section.
The total cost of the project preparation of high-speed rail (HSR) is estimated at CZK 4.3 billion (EUR 176 milio). This follows from the material of the Ministry of Transport on the progress of preparation of the Fast Connections project. There is no indication yet as to how much the construction will cost.
The material summarizes the costs of preparatory and design work until 2026, which are up to millions of CZK in each section. The construction works require tens of billions of CZK in each section.
The preparation of high-speed lines has not cost the rail infrastructure manager Sprava zeleznic much so far. Last year it was CZK 156 million (EUR 6,7 milion) spent mainly on the necessary documentation.
This year alone, however, CZK 508.6 million (EUR 21 million) is to be spent on pre-project works for the RS1/2 (Prague – Brno – Ostrava) and RS4 (Prague – Dresden) sections, with higher amounts in the following years. The material does not mention construction costs, the state expects that a large part will be paid by the European Union.
Map of HSR preparation in the Czech Republic as of 02/2022.
The document also raises the issue of compensation for the high-speed trains running through the country. This will make construction more expensive; the material does not state by how much yet. According to the material, the construction will not start before 2026. In 2018, Sprava zeleznic spoke of starting in 2023, while last year it quoted 2025.