Railway Administration: According to EU experts, it is more advantageous to replace the bridge at Vyton with a new one

Prague - Experts from the European consulting agency Jaspers, after evaluating options for resolving the unsatisfactory condition of the railway bridge at Prague's Výtoň, concluded that replacing the existing structure with a new one would be cheaper, faster, and more durable than repairing it. This was communicated by the spokesperson of the Czech Railways (SŽ), Dušan Gavenda, in a press release to ČTK. A wave of opposition arose against the plan to replace the bridge, with the association Nebourat stating today that the Czech Railways will not receive funding for the new bridge from the European Investment Bank (EIB). According to the association, a third track is unnecessary.

Jaspers is an expert group of the European Commission, EIB, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which has been assisting cities and regions in preparing large infrastructure projects since November 2005. According to its statement, the Czech Railways approached the agency with a request to prepare an assessment comparing the two main options for the Výtoň bridge: its reconstruction and replacement with a new structure.

According to the organization's assessment, it was found that a new bridge would cost between one and 1.2 billion crowns, while reconstruction with the addition of a third track would cost between 1.75 to two billion. Maintenance costs over 30 years for the new structure would amount to 80 million crowns, while for the reconstructed one, it would be 280 million crowns. Experts estimated the reconstruction duration at SŽ to be between 33 to 41 months, while replacing the bridge would take two years.

SŽ further stated that repairing the old bridge would likely extend its lifespan by about 30 years, while the new one would last a minimum of 100, and with proper maintenance, even 150 years. "Considering that the preparation of similar transport constructions in our country takes several decades, the reconstruction option would require almost immediately restarting the search for a solution for the bridge after another three decades," said Pavel Paidar, director of the construction preparation department at SŽ.

The association Nebourat disagrees with the intention to replace the current bridge structure with a new one and has organized a petition against the plan. Approximately 18,700 people have supported it online so far. The association stated today that it is in contact with the Jaspers agency and, according to its statement, currently does not expect the EIB to use its funds for the Czech Railways’ three-track solution.

The association also announced that it had had the necessity of extending the bridge by a third track, which SŽ also argues, evaluated by an independent transport technology expert. The Prague City Hall also wants to expand capacity but otherwise supports preserving the existing bridge with the addition of another track. The initiative stated that according to its assessment, a third track is not necessary during the modernization of the signaling device. According to them, the findings of the survey will be summarized in a study that they plan to present on Wednesday.

The railway bridge at Výtoň was put into operation in its original form on August 15, 1872. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was replaced by the bridge that still spans the Vltava River today. The bridge has been managed by SŽ since 2008, and in 2004 it was declared a cultural monument. Since 2010, SŽ has attempted twice unsuccessfully to remove this status. Last year, the organization presented the results of an international architectural competition, in which a project that involved preserving only the lower part of the bridge with the pillars and replacing the historical upper riveted structure with a new one was successful. This met with a wave of opposition from local residents, community politicians, and conservationists who demand preserving the current form. Transport Minister Martin Kupka (ODS) previously stated that he wants to decide on the next steps by the end of the year.