Twenty-three years after the first plans for building a rail connection from the center of Prague to its international airport, the project is finally taking shape. In 1996, when the initial plans were laid, the goal was for trains to begin running to the airport by 2004. The current goal is to complete the route by 2028, with construction beginning within two years, according to an article in the weekly Euro. It writes that the CZK 30bn project will require substantial land acquisitions and permits, since two-way rail traffic will be required, much of which will run underground. Getting to the airport would then take just 25 minutes, while those trains running to the city of Kladno would complete the trip in just half an hour. Arguably, the first portion of the route, getting across the Vltava river, is nearing completion, as the Negrelli viaduct that will lead trains over the water between Prague 8 and Prague 7 is due for completion in June. From there the trains will continue on to the Veleslavin station underground in what’s clearly going to be the most expensive portion of this massive investment.
