Modernization of Prague - Ostrava rails could begin by 2020

The company that overseas Czech rail infrastructure (SZDC) is preparing a major investment into the modernization of what's currently the slowest portion of the trip between Prague and Ostrava: Chocen – Usti nad Orlici. SZDC has launched a tender for the design of the modernization project's first phase, which is the section between Brandys and Usti nad Orclici. Zdopravy.cz reports that initial indications are that costs on the first phase, less than 10 km in length, should be around CZK 3.6bn. Around 150 trains pass along the section in each direction, but they're currently limited to speeds of 80 to 120 km/hr. Modernizing this portion of the country's primary rail corridor would enable speeds of up to 160 km/hr, which is a bit of a disappointment compared to the sort of speeds being achieved by trains in Western Europe, but also in China and Japan.