VRT Polabí
The section of the High-Speed Line VRT Polabí (HSL Elbe Flatlands) is crucial to the Czech railway network, as it will be part of two routes
(Praha – Brno – Ostrava and Praha – Hradec Králové/Pardubice). It will also carry nearly all long-distance trains to the east of Prague using the corridor in the Praha – Pardubice section.
| Fast Connections | RS 1 Praha/Prague – Brno – Ostrava; RS 5 Praha/Prague – Hradec Králové – Vratislav/Wroclaw |
|---|---|
| Section (from – to) | Praha-Běchovice – Poříčany |
| Regions | Capital City of Prague, Central Bohemia |
| Total length (without exits) | 27 km |
| Total length (with exits) | 36 km |
| Exits (city/direction) | Poříčany (direction Kolín) Vycherov (direction Nymburk) |
| Maximum speed | 320 km/h |
| Maximum design speed | 350 km/h |
| Operation | High-Speed units up to 320 km/h Locomotive-hauled trains 200–230 km/h |
| Number of bridges – elevated tracks | 37 |
| Number of tunnels | 6 |
| Number of overpasses | 34 |
| + footbridges for pedestrians and cyclists only | 6 |
| Number of ecoducts | 4 |
| New stations | Praha východ VRT |
| Reconstructed railway stations | Praha-Běchovice Sadská |
| Some points of interest | Only four-track section of the HSL Part of the modernisation and double-tracking of the Sadská – Nymburk město line HSL maintenance base VRT Sadská |
Note: All information is approximate and subject to change.
In view of the expected high traffic levels, this section is the only one being prepared in a four-track design, as it is the convergence of two branches. The project includes new station Praha východ VRT for both long-distance journeys, including those abroad, and for service as an ordinary P+R parking lot for commuting to the heart of Prague. It will be a 45 minutes trip from Brno, from the centre of Prague about 15 minutes.
VRT Will Include Several Connections to the Conventional Railway Network:
- In the direction of Kolín, for operation of long-distance trains on the High-Speed Rail corridor,
- In the direction of Nymburk, for operation of long-distance trains in the direction of Hradec Králové and regional trains to the Central Bohemian Region,
- In Běchovice to the Prague railway node.
In the next phase of development, an interconnection will be built to the Praha-Zahradní Město station (part of VRT Praha section), which will bring a further increase in capacity and significantly improved operational reliability.
