Mr. Tomáš Javořík, a railway transport expert from the Czech Technical University in Prague, described what the train-tram is : "You will see something that looks more like a tram, but at the edge of the city it will run on a classic railway track."

The train is narrow so that it can run on city streets, but at the same time it must meet stricter safety standards than a regular train. It promises less complicated travel for passengers. Javořík continues: "Passengers arrive at a tram stop in the city center and then travel to their destination. No transfers. Transportation is more user-friendly and attractive for people."

Train-trams first appeared in the 1990s in Karlsruhe, Germany. In Czechia, there have also been a number of proposals to introduce them, such as the Regiotram Nisa project in the 2000s to connect Liberec, Jablonec nad Nisou, and other cities, or their deployment in the vicinity of Most, between Olomouc, Přerov, and Prostějov, or in the Šumava Mountains. All of them were unsuccessful.

In recent years, the Central Bohemian Region has been the main proponent of rail trams. Zdeněk Šponar, director of Integrated Transport of the Central Bohemian Region, outlines the plan: "We have medium-sized municipalities where the railway line bypasses the city center. It is up to 1.5 kilometers away. The train-tram could not only meet classic trains on railway lines, but also become a tram in cities." This could include lines from Čelákovice to Neratovice, from Prague to Dobříš or Hostivice.

Preparation of a legislative proposal

But Czech laws do not currently allow for the operation of train-trams. The Ministry of Transport planned to change the legislation in 2012, but ultimately backed down. The Central Bohemian Region now wants to submit its own proposal by the middle of next year. Šponar describes the process:

"The Central Bohemian Region will use its legislative initiatives to push through this amendment so that we can operate train-trams in Czechia. At the end of 2025 and in the first half of 2026, we and our colleagues from Karlsruhe will prepare legislative amendments to Czech regulations. At the same time, we will commission a study, which we will then evaluate to determine where the line would be economically viable."

The Ministry of Transport is now waiting for its own analysis to be completed, which will examine the viability of other lines. According to the head of the ministry, Martin Kupka (Spolu), rail trams are not yet viable in Czechia. Kupka with more: "According to our analyses, the way we have built our railway network in the capital city of Prague, Brno, and other metropolitan areas is not ideal for Czechia. It is more of a combination of separate tram lines and conventional railways."

Two years ago, Czech Railways announced that it would bring a train-tram from abroad for testing. However, the carrier is reportedly still negotiating the loan of the vehicle.

Prepared by the team from the foreign office CzechTrade Egypt.
Source: Radio Prague International, https://english.radio.cz/a-train-tram-could-be-introduced-czechia-8861680
Authors: Jakub Ferenčík, Jakub Vik