40 billion contract: Prague and Central Bohemia are preparing a tender for the operation of trains until 2059

“We are actually competing with a carrier to buy the trains to run for us,” stated Borecký. Part of the tender is the procurement of large-capacity double-decker train sets for approximately 400 passengers. Compared to the current ones, they will have roughly a quarter more capacity.

The technical parameters of the new cars include, for example, low-floor entry, space for bikes and strollers, sockets and wireless charging, barrier-free toilets, tally frames and a camera system. According to the councilman, the advantage of a 30-year contract compared to a 15-year contract is that it pays to build, for example, a new depot, which is essential for the maintenance of sets.

For now, according to Borecký, it is assumed that the region and Prague will cover the costs without subsidies. However, it is not excluded that suitable subsidies could be tendered. The division of costs between the capital and the region will be based on the so-called train kilometers, roughly half the amount for the governorship, half for Prague.

“Up to 300,000 people commute to Prague every day, and of course, if everyone were to drive, it would create an unsolvable situation in Prague, because we simply don’t have that many roads here. That’s why we want to convince people as much as possible to get on the train and use the capacity rail transport“, Hřib added.

Trains will run on railway corridors and also on the currently modernized Prague – Kladno line. The tender process will be supervised by the anti-corruption organization Transparency International (TI). The costs of ensuring the transport services of the region will also increase substantially, by approximately 1.4 to 3 billion crowns. According to Borecký, the increase in fares will also be related to this.

In addition, other competitions are being prepared for railway carriers, for example for RegioPanter units or for electric units on the Prague – Lysá nad Labem line. The governor’s office plans to issue these tenders next year, their value will also be in the tens of billions of crowns. According to Borecký, more tenders should ensure the participation of as wide a spectrum of producers and carriers as possible. Conversely, on regional non-electrified lines, the Central Bohemian Region extended the contract with Czech Railways (ČD) until 2034. It was originally supposed to expire in 2029. The extension of the contract will be made possible by investments in vehicles and other equipment for almost 4.8 billion crowns.