SŽ has selected the architectural design of the terminal for the rapid transit system near Roudnice nad Labem

Prague - The Czech Railway Administration (SŽ) wants to build a terminal for high-speed railway near Roudnice nad Labem according to the architectural design by the Rusina Frei architects office. SŽ signed a contract with them after the office succeeded in a public competition. The authors of the design will now refine it and prepare the technical solution for the terminal in the documentation for the zoning decision. Today, SŽ informed about this. The terminal will be on the planned route from Prague to Dresden.

The terminal near the Roudnice airport will be created on the section of the rapid rail line between Prague and Lovosice. The Railway Administration is currently searching for a contractor for the documentation for the zoning decision for this approximately 60-kilometer stretch. "The documentation for the terminal will subsequently be incorporated into the design of the track. This will allow us to prepare the section as one functional whole,” said Martin Švehlík, director of the High-Speed Track Preparation Department.

The actual building of the future terminal, according to the administration, will preserve the character of the landscape of Roudnice and Podřipsko in its original form. The so-called maintenance base, from which high-speed infrastructure service will be conducted, will also be addressed with respect to the surroundings. Its roof will be greened in such a way that it will blend in with the surrounding landscape when viewed from above. The architects also concealed parking lots and other parts of the transport hub with green belts and trees, which is expected to increase the transport accessibility of the region. It will be connected to the D8 motorway, connecting bus transport, and also a regional line from Roudnice nad Labem to Straškov.

Nine candidates participated in the international competition. The winner was selected by a jury composed of representatives from the investor, the region, and independent experts in the field of architecture and urbanism, who consulted the designs with experts from the National Heritage Institute, operators of French railway buildings from SNCF Gares & Connexions, and with an architect from Roudnice nad Labem.

Construction of the high-speed railway in Podřipsko is expected to begin in 2027, with the first trains expected to start running three years later. The maximum speed on the line should be up to 320 km/h. Thus, the travel time between Roudnice nad Labem and Prague's main train station should be shortened to 19 minutes. Currently, the fastest connections take about an hour. The terminal will also offer faster connections to other cities.

The construction of high-speed rail lines is expected to significantly increase the capacity of the current railway network and also speed up connections on heavily trafficked routes. Discussions about construction in the Czech Republic have been ongoing since the 1990s, but preparations have only started in recent years.