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DE 
By Michael Rothe
Dresden. The die is cast: The German railroads is in favor of a continuous tunnel through the Ore Mountains for the planned new Dresden-Prague line. This decision was announced by project manager Kay Müller on Monday afternoon in Heidenau almost six months earlier than planned.
According to the results of the preliminary planning, a tunnel around 30 kilometers long between Heidenau and the Czech transport hub Ústí nad Labem (Außig) would provide the best possible route for the region, said the railroad manager at the presentation of the preferred option. It would be Germany's longest rail tunnel. A year ago, the railroad had narrowed down the possible routes between Heidenau and Ústí nad Labem from the original ten to two.
In the tunnel to Prague
The partially above-ground route, which has now been dropped, envisaged a 2.5-kilometre tunnel from Heidenau and a cross-border tunnel through the Ore Mountains that would be around 27 kilometers long. A bridge over the Seidewitz Valley was to connect the two structures. The full tunnel variant also starts in Heidenau and runs a good 30 kilometers to the Czech Republic. It is "the best solution for the environment as well as in terms of traffic, technology and economy", it is now said.
Martin Walden, DB Group Representative for Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, speaks of an "intensive and trusting dialog with all those involved and the citizens". The variant has been continuously optimized. The Dohma citizens' initiative "Base Tunnel to Prague", which had submitted four route variants itself, on the other hand, speaks of "sham participation". It had collected more than 37,000 objections to the partially open route - with success. Deutsche Bahn emphasizes that a wide range of interests had to be taken into account. Passenger associations, environmentalists and local authorities have the same rights as the citizens' initiative. The full tunnel variant was also pursued with great effort. It ultimately prevailed.
Martin Dulig (SPD), Saxony's Minister of Economics and Transport, emphasizes the importance of the link for the whole of Europe. Acceleration of the project is also desirable due to the funding from the EU. "That's why the route needs absolute priority," says Dulig. According to EU project coordinator Mathieu Grosch, it is also "right at the top" in Brussels - as part of the Orient/East-Med core corridor, which connects Scandinavia via the ports on the North and Baltic Seas with the Black and Mediterranean Seas over a distance of 2,820 kilometers and eleven countries.
New construction to relieve the flood-prone Elbe valley
The new line, which is around 43 kilometers long, is intended to relieve the flood-prone Elbe valley, free local residents from the noise of up to 240 trains a day and more than halve the Dresden-Prague journey time from 2:15 to one hour - thanks to speeds of 200 km/h on the German side and up to 320 km/h on the Czech side. Freight trains will then travel at 120 km/h.
Marko Förster
The construction of the new tunnel also includes the expansion of the line between Dresden and Heidenau. Around 46 kilometers of track, around 90 points, modern control and safety technology and stabling facilities for trains will have to be built so that trains can run smoothly through the new tunnel.
According to Deutsche Bahn, the public dialogs in the municipalities will begin in January 2024. There, people will be able to find out about the planning and also provide comments. The preferred option should then be finalized in mid-2024. DB will then submit the documents to the Bundestag. Parliament is expected to decide on implementation and funding during the current legislative period.
After the planning phase, Deutsche Bahn expects construction to take ten to 13 years. If everything goes well, the first trains could be rolling by the early 2040s.
