The company that oversees the Czech railway network SZ has launched a tender worth CZK 160 million for the updating of planning documentation for a train tunnel along a new route connecting Prague’s Smichov station with the town of Beroun. The length of the trip would be shortened from 32 minutes to just 12 minutes and is envisioned as one section of a high-speed connection to the town of Pilsen. At the moment, commuters spend 90 minutes travelling to and from the western regional town. The new line would cut that time in half, while increasing the capacity for the transport of cargo. The tunnel, which would cut into the hills above Prague from down at river level level, would be 24 kilometers in length, and would be designed as two separate, one-way tubes. The estimate cost of the investment is around CZK 50 billion.
