The winning option was chosen by the Ministry of Transport with the expectation that long-distance traffic would remain on the surface and increasingly busy regional traffic would be moved underground: "The tunnels will cross at two levels in the central station under the main railway station. One will run under the existing underpasses to the platform, and the other will be one level lower," explains Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka.
The capacity of each tunnel will be up to 16 trains per hour in each direction. "The new routes will help separate long-distance and regional transport. This will maintain the comfort of travelling, with minimal impact on the environment. The estimated total cost of this option is CZK 185 billion (approx. EUR 7.5 billion)," says Pavel Paidar from Správa železnic (Railway Administration).
Construction is planned to take place between 2035 and 2047. According to the minister, the financing can also be provided by the so-called PPP cooperation, i.e. the involvement of private capital.
