<h1>Head of Rail Administration: The railway to the airport will be built by 2020</h1>

Prague - Václav Havel Airport in Prague will have a railway connection to the city center by 2020. This was stated today by Jiří Kolář, the general director of the Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC), at the Žofín Forum dedicated to the development of transport infrastructure. The Railway Administration is currently working on a study that will determine the route the trains to the airport will take. The option of using the existing line to Kladno or a connection from Smíchov via the so-called Prague Semmering is being considered.
Recently, the railway manager has leaned towards the option of connecting via Ruzyň, Veleslavín, Bubny, and the Negrelli Viaduct, as the second line does not have sufficient capacity and trains from the airport would not fit between the suburban services from Beroun and long-distance transport in the section from Smíchov Station.
"In agreement with the Ministry of Transport, we will start preparing higher capacity for the Prague - Kladno line with the intention of completing the branch to the airport," Kolář stated, expressing confidence that the entire project can be funded through European grants from the Operational Program Transport II.
The railway connection to Prague Airport was also addressed by the ČSSD during the electoral campaign, which, according to its shadow Minister of Industry and Trade Milan Urban, promised to build a fast track to the airport with an extension to Kladno within three years in the event of electoral victory. It should partially follow the existing line leading to Letná and then be routed through a tunnel beyond Prague. It is expected to cost approximately 20 billion crowns, with 80 percent of this amount possibly covered by EU subsidies.