ÚSTÍ REGION - Capitalising the new railway line Dresden-Prague
USTI REGION, NEW RAILWAY LINE DRESDEN – PRAGUE EGTC
Corridor Capitalisation Plan (EN)
Corridor Capitalisation Plan (CZ)
The new railway line Dresden-Prague with the branch line to Most is the most important planned investment on the Orient/East-Med corridor in the Ústí Region. It will significantly reduce travelling times in the direction of Prague and Dresden, creating outstanding opportunities for regional and urban development. Through significantly improved accessibility, the city of Ústí nad Labem and the Ústí Region will become more attractive places for living and work.
To capitalise these opportunities and to create an environment for sustainable transport, a multitude of challenges must be addressed – both in the field of passenger and freight transport. With this regard, the future development of the railway node in Ústí nad Labem and its seamless integration with local, regional and cross-border transport systems will be of crucial relevance.
Challenges addressed
The Corridor Capitalisation Plan for the Ústí Region shall support the preparation of the construction of planned new railway lines, increasing as well the added-value of these investments. In particular, the Plan addresses the following challenges:
- Capitalising the effects of the new railway line Dresden-Prague for regional development, supporting structural change in the Ústí Region,
- increasing the competitiveness of rail passenger transport and enhancing the accessibility of cities and micro-regions not directly connected to the new railway lines,
- providing sufficient capacity for cross-border rail freight transport and improving the conditions for intermodal transport.
In the effect of implementation of the Plan, the transport and logistics system in the Ústí Region should be more in favour of railway transport.
Process and organisation
The Plan was developed based on the regional analysis of challenges and needs, discussions with project partners located along the Orient/East-Med corridor and discussions with stakeholders. The transnational process of elaboration enabled the Ústí Region to reflect its situation in the corridor and to receive inspiration and feedback from transnational exchange and discussion.
During the process of work cooperation and negotiations with the infrastructure operator SŽ Správa železnic, local authorities and possible investors of intermodal terminals were launched, to facilitate the realisation of priorities outlined in the Plan.
Results and recommendations
The Corridor Capitalisation Plan for the Ústí Region is composed of a comprehensive set of targeted actions, which are aimed at the improvement of coordination between transport and spatial planning and the strengthening of logistics locations:
- Incorporating the spatial corridors from the feasibility study for the new railway line Dresden-Prague into the regional spatial plan
- Dealing with conflicts of interest arisen during the planning process of the high-speed railway line
- Securing conditions for transit-oriented development in regional centres through spatial planning and acquisition of land around railway stations
- Enabling faster train connections from Prague and Dresden to as many regional centres as possible
- Assessing changes of the transport system in the Elbe/Labe valley through the new railway line Dresden-Prague (“Elbe Valley 2040”)
- Incorporating the needs of freight transport into strategic planning documents of the Ústí Region
- Securing conditions for future development of intermodal terminals and rail freight facilities
- Increasing resilience of cross-border rail freight transport until completion of the new railway line Dresden-Prague
- Navigability of the Elbe/Labe waterway
- Preserving and developing rail sidings through management of land use change
It is planned to incorporate the principles and recommendations of the Corridor Capitalisation Plan into the regional development strategy. Throughout further implementation, it will be crucial to keep stakeholders and the public continuously informed about plans for the development of transport infrastructure – to prevent misunderstandings, to receive useful feedback and to increase support for planned improvements.
