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Two years from now, trips from Czech Republic to Poland by train will become faster, safer and greener thanks to a refurbished section from Dětmarovice to the Czech-Polish border, via Petrovice u Karviné.

The project is part of an investment programme aiming at removing bottlenecks along the main railway corridors in the Czech Republic, co-financed by a Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) grant and EIB loan. It comprises the modernisation of eight railway sections located on the core network corridors of the country. In total, 10.8 kilometres of the railway line will be refurbished for an investment cost of nearly CZK 3 billion.

Removing bottlenecks on the Czech Republic core network

The reconstruction project officially started on 25 September 2020. Along with an electrified double-track section on the transit railway corridor from Dětmarovice to the Czech-Polish border via Petrovice u Karviné, the single-track connection between the Závada and Koukolná branches will also be renovated, making it possible to travel by train from Poland to Karviná without ‘zig zag’.

Thanks to the improvement of railway substructure, track structure and bridges, trains will no longer have to slow down from 100 to 65 kph in the Petrovice u Karviné station. State-of-the art safety equipment will be installed along the entire section, including the stations and railway crossings. The project will also include the reconstruction of the overhead lines and installation of new lines where needed. The power supply station in Petrovice u Karviné will also undergo refurbishment, thus improving its energy efficiency.

Connecting Europe Facility

European Commission’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Transport Blending Facility was launched in 2019 to further promote the participation of private sector investors and financial institutions in projects supporting environmental sustainability and transport efficiency in Europe. The €200 million facility supports two specific transport areas: European railway traffic management systems and alternative fuels. 

EIB’s investment for sustainable transport

Historically, the EIB has supported in large extend clean investments in the railway sector and urban public transport in particular metro and tramway projects contributing to the large share of climate action projects. EIB’s investments in lower carbon transport (railway, metro, tramways and alternative fuels) increased by 30% between 2018 and 2019 to reach EUR 7.6bn in 2019.

To learn more about EIB’s transport activities, read our Sustainable transport Overview 2020.

Find out about The Czech Republic and EIB