From Vienna to Prague in 2.5 hours: Austria and the Czech Republic strengthen cross-border rail transport Mobility Minister Peter Hanke and his Czech counterpart Ivan Bednárik sign a letter of intent to further develop key rail connections
The Austrian Mobility Minister Peter Hanke today in Vienna together with the Czech Transport Minister Ivan Bednárik signed a letter of intent to further deepen cooperation in the area of cross-border rail infrastructure. The aim is to make key rail connections between Austria and the Czech Republic more efficient, faster and attractive. The focus of the agreement is particularly on the expansion of the major European rail axes between Vienna, Prague and Berlin as well as between Linz, České Budĕjovice and Prague. The long-term goal is to reduce the travel time for the Vienna-Prague connection to 2.5 hours. The two countries thus reaffirm their joint commitment to sustainable, climate-friendly mobility and strengthening rail transport in the heart of Europe – this also includes the expansion of rail freight transport, for which the Czech Republic is increasingly advocating at the EU level.
“With this letter of intent, we are taking an important step for the future of rail transport in Central Europe. Our goal is clear: faster connections, more capacities, and an attractive offer for travellers and businesses. This way, we make a decisive contribution to the mobility transition and strengthening the economic location,” emphasizes Mobility Minister Hanke.
Via Vindobona as a central future project: Vienna-Berlin in 4, Vienna-Prague in 2.5 hours
A particular focus is on the further development of the so-called “Via Vindobona”, the rail connection Vienna–Prague–Berlin. This is considered one of the most important infrastructure projects for European connectivity in the Central European region. Through coordinated measures, bottlenecks are to be eliminated, travel times shortened, and additional capacities created in passenger and freight transport.
On the Austrian side, the expansion of the Northern Railway between Vienna and the border at Břeclav is being driven forward in particular. The aim is a line speed of up to 200 km/h. In parallel, the planning for new high-performance routes between Prague, Brno and Břeclav as well as towards Germany is underway in the Czech Republic. By 2040, the lines should be expanded in such a way that the Vienna-Prague connections are possible within 2.5 hours and Vienna-Berlin within only 4 hours. In the long term, regular direct connections between Vienna, Prague and Berlin will also be extended.
Study for high-performance connection Linz–Prague
The development of the rail connection Linz–České Budĕjovice–Prague is also being advanced. A joint study by ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG and Správa železnic aims to create a solid foundation for a possible high-performance connection by the end of 2026. Both traffic volume and costs and benefits are comprehensively analysed.
Better coordination in construction projects and more capacities
Another key point of the agreement is the close coordination in construction projects along the Northern Railway. Through early coordination of construction times, impacts on ongoing operations should be minimized. At the same time, both countries want to ensure sufficient rerouting capacities on existing routes. This includes, among other things, the electrification of important connections on the Czech side, which is considered a prerequisite for efficient diversion traffic.