CZECH infrastructure manager SŽ has signed a contract to upgrade the 15km line between Ruzyně in the west of Prague and Kladno. This is the longest single section of the wider project combining upgrades and new construction to provide a new direct service between Prague city centre, Václav Havel International Airport and Kladno.
Work between Ruzyně - Kladno will be conducted by a consortium of Subterra, OHLA ŽS, Elektrizace železnic and Swietelsky under a Koruna 8.28bn ($US 400m) contract. The winning bid was less than the Koruna 8.6bn budget set for the project.
The project is split into three sections and comprises track doubling and electrifying the line to enable operation at up to 145km/h. Stations at Hostivice, Jeneč and Pavlov will be refurbished while the existing station at Unhošť will be closed and replaced by a new station at Malé Přítočno. New stations will also be added at Hostivice-Jeneček and Pletený Újezd.
The wider Prague - Airport - Kladno project is split into seven sections, which are at various stages of development.
- Central Prague (Masarykovo - Bubny - Výstaviště): existing line upgrades which are partly completed
- Výstaviště - Dejvice: new underground section, construction of which is expected to begin in 2027
- Dejvice - Veleslavín: new underground section, work expected to start in 2028
- Veleslavín - Ruzyně: track doubling and electrification of the existing single-track section
- Ruzyně - Kladno
- Ruzyně - Airport - Jeneč loop: construction of a new 4km line to the airport, and
- Kladno - Kladno Ostrovec: track doubling, electrification and station upgrades.
The Czech government is exploring the use of public-private partnerships (PPP) to deliver the new tunnel sections and the airport loop, the most expensive elements of the Koruna 70bn project. The PPPs are expected to be structured as design, build, finance and maintain contracts, with the private consortium expected to maintain assets for 20-30 years.
Three consortia were shortlisted for the PPP in April 2025 and the winning bidder is expected to be announced this year. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is also proposing to provide €700m in financing for the project. The remaining funding will come from a mix of public investment and private capital from the chosen concessionaire.
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