The VRT, or high-speed line, is a new construction that is fundamentally changing the face of public transport. "The whole project involves not only the construction of new VRTs but also the modernization of conventional lines with high-speed parameters. In the Czech Republic, the main directions for the development of the HSR system have been identified as follows:
RS 1 Prague - Brno - Přerov
- Ostrava - Katowice
RS 2 Brno - Břeclav - Wien / Bratislava
RS 3 Prague - Pilsen - Domažlice - Bavaria (the conventional route with higher speed parameters)
RS 4 Prague - Ústí nad Labem - Dresden
RS 5 Prague - Wrocław
High-speed lines are part of the European transport system, the so-called TEN-T network (Trans-European Transport Network). Newly built lines with a minimum speed of 250 km/h and reconstructed connecting lines for speeds up to 200 km/h are included in the European high-speed rail network. In order for the development of the high-speed connections described above to take place, the high-speed lines in these sections need to be built in stages:
RS 1 VRT Prague - Brno - Ostrava
RS 2 VRT Brno - Rakvice
RS 4 VRT Prague - Ústí nad Labem - Dresden
RS 42 VRT (Prague -) Louny - Most
RS 5 VRT Prague - Hradec Králové - Wrocław*
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
In May 2023, surveyors from HRDLIČKA spol. s r.o. surveyed the section around Velký Meziříčí, which is part of the upcoming project of the Vysočina VRT Phase II and will form the basis for the processing of the zoning decision. "The result will be not only a cadastral drawing for property law preparation but also a digital model with contours," says the Director of the Railway Geodesy Administration Ing. Libor Vavrečka.
One of the historical structures that also needs to be surveyed is the old, arched, stone viaduct in Potoky I just outside Velký Meziříčí with 9 pillars from 1946 (in the pictures). Brno colleague Ondřej Filip worked with a total station and a laser scanner, from which he obtained 3D point clouds as output. "The data collection concerns the shape of the embankment and all fixed objects and lines. Everything is very detailed. As the job is year-round, the surveyors also have to deal with heavy vegetation, although the ideal data collection is from autumn to spring," says Production Director Ing. Petr Pavelka.
A total of 80 km between Světlá nad Sázavou and Veká Bíteš should be mapped by the end of November this year. The Railway Administration hopes to obtain planning permission by 2027 and start construction 2 years from that date. The first trains could run on the new high-speed line in 2034. For passengers, construction could speed up train journeys by up to 1 hour.
Reportaget for Czech Radio (author: František Jirků)
Mgr. Lucie Kmochová
*Správa železnic [online]: VRT Vysočina II. fáze, [cit. 27.6.2023]. Dostupné z: https://www.spravazeleznic.cz/vrt/vysocina-2-faze
