Germany is planning to construct a railway tunnel through Rudna Gora in order to improve connections with the Czech Republic and alleviate traffic congestion in the Elbe valley. The tunnel will run for about thirty kilometers from Heidenau in Germany to Ústí on the Elbe in the Czech Republic. Deutsche Bahn, the German state railway company, has announced that this project is the best solution for economic, ecological, and technical reasons after considering other options.
The railway tunnel will significantly reduce travel time from Prague to Dresden from 2.5 hours to just one hour. It will also improve Germany’s traffic connections with Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest, and will be part of a wider European railway corridor stretching from German ports on the North Sea and the Baltic to Istanbul and Athens. Additionally, it will increase freight capacity on a key link between Germany and other Central European countries.
Martin Walden, director of Deutsche Bahn in Saxony where the tunnel will be built, stated that construction is scheduled to begin around 2032 and last for approximately 12 years. This project holds priority status for European infrastructure due to its importance as a major transportation hub in Europe and its potential to mitigate flood risks along the Elbe river.
