If you’ve gotten used to taking the train from Prague to Ostrava or to Bratislava because of the D1 motorway’s reconstruction, you’re in for a nasty surprise: numerous sections of rail between Pardubice and Brno will also need major reconstruction work. Fortunately, project documentation is only now being ordered by SZDC, the state company that oversees track maintenance, so the delays and complications that will accompany billions of crowns worth of construction is still a few years away. Some reports warn that problems could begin as soon as 2020 or 2021. Repairs are expected to take around 16 months forcing single rail service for much of the time and a complete shutdown of the usual route for five. Alternative routes for traffic to Vienna and Bratislava will go through Havličkův Brod, with trains forced to slow down considerably.
