Germany has recently announced plans to construct a railway tunnel through Rudna Gora in order to enhance connections with the Czech Republic and relieve traffic congestion in the Elbe valley. The tunnel will run for approximately 30 kilometers from Heidenau, a town in Germany, to Ústí on the Elbe, a town in the Czech Republic.
The German state railway company Deutsche Bahn has stated that the tunnel is the most economically, ecologically, and technically sound solution after considering other alternatives. The project has been given priority status as European infrastructure due to its importance in reducing the burden on railway lines in the Elbe valley and mitigating the threat of floods.
The railway tunnel will significantly reduce travel time from Prague to Dresden from 2.5 hours to just one hour. Additionally, it will improve Germany’s traffic connections with Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest. The tunnel will be part of a wider European railway corridor linking German ports on the North Sea and Baltic with Istanbul and Athens. Furthermore, it will increase freight capacity on a key link between Germany and other Central European countries.
According to Martin Walden, director of Deutsche Bahn in Saxony where the tunnel will be constructed, construction is planned to begin around 2032 and is expected to take approximately 12 years.