CZECH infrastructure manager SŽ has selected a contractor to upgrade the Mstětice - Čelákovice section of the Prague - Lysá nad Labem line. The Koruna 2.2bn ($US 98.2m) contract has been signed with a consortium of Eurovia, Subterra, GJW Praha and Elektrizace Železnic. Preparatory work will start in November this year to allow construction to begin in 2023.
The work includes track renewal and realigning two sections totaling around 3km to increase the line speed, which currently ranges from 80-100km/h, to 140km/h for conventional trains and 160km/h for tilting passenger trains.
A new 220m-long island platform will be built at Mstětice station. The 6.1m-wide platform will be 550mm high to improve boarding and alighting for passengers. Two level crossings will be replaced by road underpasses.
The line will be resignalled. Traffic control at Mstětice will transferred to the control centre at Prague Balabenka after the completion of the project while preparations will be made for the future transfer of traffic control from Čelákovice to Prague.
Upgrading of the 30km Prague Vysočany - Lysá nad Labem line started in early 2017. Over two-thirds of the work will be completed by the end of this year with completion of the entire project scheduled for mid-2025. Once completed, a large part of the line will be suitable for 160km/h operation, which will cut journey times by five minutes.
A new station will open at Rajská zahrada in autumn 2023 to provide an interchange with Prague metro Line B.
The total cost of upgrading the Prague - Lysá nad Labem line is about Koruna 10.7bn with a large part of the funding provided by the European Union.
Track doubling
The Votice - Sudoměřice section of the Prague - České Budějovice line was closed on April 2 for three months to allow a new 20km double-track section to be connected to the existing line. The new section is straighter than the old single-track stretch, which will be abandoned, and has two tunnels and several viaducts. Full double-track operation on the section will begin in September. Line speed will gradually be increased to 160km/h. After the introduction of ETCS, tilting trains will be able to run at 200km/h and conventional trains at 170km/h.
