Railways are one of the most sustainable and safest forms of transport for people and freight. They are responsible for only 0.4% of the greenhouse gases emitted by transport. Railways are used by 7% of passengers in the European Union, and 17% of goods transported in the European Union use the railways. In the Czech Republic, the use of rail transport has risen over 40% for passengers and 13% for freight since the country joined the European Union in 2004, despite steadily growing car use and truck transport.

Czech rail growth has been driven by sectoral reform, extensive EU investment and substantial improvement in the frequency and quality of trains. Over the last 17 years, Czech authorities have benefited from over 50 EIB JASPERS technical advisory assignments for the railway sector. JASPERS, which stands for Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European Regions, is a technical advisory programme funded by the EIB and the European Union.

In 2023, the Czech Republic took a major step to support the Green Deal when it signed its largest ever loan with the EIB, a €992 million deal to modernise and extend the rail network. The funding will significantly improve train travel and encourage a bigger shift to rail transport.

The investments will reduce travel times and eliminate bottlenecks on the TEN-T network, increase the safety of rail crossings, boost cyber security and make it easier for people with disabilities or families with children to use the trains.

Six JASPERS advisory assignments have supported projects covered under the new loan. The JASPERS experts focused on developing ideas to upgrade parts of the TEN-T network, including Prague-Plzeň. They also helped with substantial enhancements to Prague’s network, including modernising Smichov Station, upgrading the southern freight bypass, and upgrading the line from the centre of Prague to Kladno, adding a new branch to Prague Airport. This railway infrastructure is expected to carry over 60 000 passengers daily and shift 10 000 urban car trips to the railway.