Two tracks on restored Braník Bridge are in operation

“The Braník Bridge has been serving railway transport in the metropolis since autumn 1964. It will celebrate its sixtieth anniversary in full force and finally with the two tracks for which it was built. Together with the subsequent section to Krč, it forms an important part of Prague's railway network,” said Minister of Transport Martin Kupka.

The mentioned section is mainly used by freight trains, but its importance in passenger transport will increase significantly in the near future. Trains heading from Prague to Beroun and further to Pilsen will also use the reconstructed and higher-capacity line due to the ongoing reconstruction of the Smíchov railway station and the planned reconstruction of the bridge at Výtoň.

“The reconstruction of the Braník Bridge is another important railway construction in the Prague agglomeration, which will enable passengers to use the train more often. The enormous contribution of the twenty years of Czech membership in the EU, which we are commemorating this year, can be clearly seen just in the railway transport: modernised lines, station buildings and new trains make travelling more pleasant for all of us. Thanks to extensive European investment, we are no longer a transport museum, but a modern part of the TEN-T pan-European transport network,” reminded Martin Svášek from the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic.

The introduction of double-track operation was preceded by a load test of the Braník Bridge last Thursday. “The load-bearing capacity of the newly built bridge structures was tested by two historical vehicles, namely the motor locomotive ‘Sergei’ and the steam locomotive ‘Šlechtična’ (Noblewoman). The tests have shown that the builders have done a good job, and trains can start using the restored bridge and the section up to the new branch line at Spořilov,” said Jiří Svoboda, Director General of Správa železnic.

Work on the so-called ‘Intelligence Bridge’ included the renewal of the track superstructure and catenary, new drainage and waterproofing system. The builders also replaced the bridge over Údolní Street, and the bus stop at Kačerov gained a completely new look. It now consists of a 230-metre-long double-sided platform with a roof and a new access footbridge with a lift. The line speed has been increased to 100 km/h.

“The second track on the Braník Bridge was put into operation in accordance with the schedule. This was preceded by demolition of parts of the existing structure, construction of a new slab, ledges and insulation followed by technological works and rehabilitation of the reinforced concrete structure according to the condition of its individual parts. Thanks to the flexible cooperation with the client and also within the association, we managed to complete and hand over the project on time, despite a very demanding timeframe,” Aleš Gothard, Director and Chairman of the Board of Metrostav TBR, said. Other contractors of the construction were companies PORR, Elektrizace železnic Praha and GJW Praha.

The total investment costs of the construction amounted to CZK 2,637,358,914. The project was co-financed by the European Union from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). The total amount of eligible project costs is CZK 1,717,829,705. The rate of EU support is 85 % of the eligible costs, so the maximum amount of subsidy is EUR 60,873,872, i.e. approximately CZK 1.5 billion. National funding was provided by Státní fond dopravní infrastruktury (State Fund for Transport Infrastructure).

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