Nine stops and 25 minutes: Plans for Prague airport-city center express link moves ahead

The Ministry of Transport has announced further details of the hotly anticipated direct train line connecting Prague Airport and the center of the capital. The project, due to be complete in 2030, should take just 25 minutes and feature nine stops.

The Transport Ministry, which recently held a so-called “investor’s day” to look for suitable bidders for the project, will build new tracks between Prague-Veleslavín station and the airport, with trains running every 10 minutes.

Eva Schreierová from the Railway Administration also explained that the Prague-Bubny railway station is also undergoing reconstruction. The station, which is expected to be completed next year, will be equal in size to the main station, with two tracks in the direction of Dejvice and two tracks in the direction of Kralupy (Central Bohemia). Výstaviště will also see a new train station open before 2030, and some of the trains to and from the airport will run underground.

At the beginning of 2024, the Czech Railway Administration also began the modernization of Prague’s Masarykovo nádraží, which is to serve as the starting station. The station will get new platforms, and there will be more tracks and greenery.   

Looking west of the airport, nearby areas will also get new stops and easier connections. The new line will connect the Central Bohemian city of Kladno with Prague’s Václav Havel Airport, including stops at the towns and villages of Jeneč, Pavolv, and Velké Přítočno. A new train stop – Prague-Liboc – will also be created to serve the Liboc area, which borders the Divoká Šárka park.

The SŽ announced last year that the name of the new train station that will be based just outside Prague Airport is to be called Dlouhá Míle, and will include a parking lot. Another key development is the planned sharp rise in train speeds: in some sections of the route, trains will travel up to 80 kilometers per hour, around double the speed of today.

The Ministry of Transport says it is currently in the process of finding an investor for parts of the project – it will find developers by the end of this year. The total cost of the project is estimated at CZK 28 billion. Transport Minister Martin Kupka said in the past week there has been “huge interest from foreign partners” in terms of finding investment for the project.