The Czech Republic will commission a feasibility study for a high-speed rail connection between Prague and Wroclaw that would run through Hradec Kralove, a town with no meaningful rail connection to either city. Sprava zeleznic, which maintains the country’s railway infrastructure, is to hold a public tender for the study, which must determine if the expected high costs of the project would be worth it. At the moment, the cost of building the route is estimated at anywhere between CZK 86 and CZK 152 billion. A connection to the Polish city has long been a goal of Sprava zeleznic, but it wasn’t until last year that going through the town of Liberec was ruled out, as the cost would be even higher. But demographic realities also played a role in the decision. “The size of the agglomeration was decisive for Eastern Bohemia,” said the parliamentary deputy Martin Kolovratnik. “After all, together Hradec Kralove with Pardubice have more than 200,000 people so access for the entire region is truly huge.” The study for the route begins in Poricany and ends at the Polish border and must match the altitude and direction of the existing Polish rails. The project calls for rails enabling trains to reach speeds of up to 320 km/h along a route that would measure 160 km and would likely require the construction of a new train station on the outskirts of Hradec Kralove. Regional officials have welcomed the plan as it would provide an important new connection to Europe and help to promote business and tourism.
