Czechia allocates EUR 3 billion for rail in 2026
The Czech government has earmarked CZK 72.2bn (around EUR 3 billion) for rail investment in 2026, via infrastructure manager Správa železnic.
The ministry says the CZK 72.2bn will fund both renewals and day-to-day asset condition work. It earmarks CZK 20bn for track maintenance and CZK 0.75bn for level crossing safety measures.
It also flags station building works “in the hundreds of millions of crowns” and electrification on “several” lines.
Alongside the headline numbers, the ministry points to a 2026 start pipeline including a 15 km new-build/realignment section between Praha-Ruzyně and Kladno (part of the Prague–Airport–Kladno scheme), with a stated line speed of up to 145 km/h after curve realignment and electrification.
Other 2026 works cited
Other 2026 starts include works on the Ostrava rail node, modernisation west of Plzeň (Plzeň–Nýřany–Chotěšov) on the route towards Bavaria, and flood-related repairs on the Opava–Kravaře line after autumn 2024 flood damage.
Further items cited include reconstruction on Kolín–Kutná Hora and grade-separation-related works on the corridor network.
The rail allocation sits inside the proposed CZK 169.3bn budget of the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure (SFDI). The same package sets CZK 81.1bn for the national roads authority (ŘSD).
Budget structure and funding mix
The transport ministry describes the 2026 SFDI budget as largely investment spending: CZK 119.5bn in investment expenditure and CZK 49.8bn in non-investment spending.
Funding comes from CZK 144bn in national resources and CZK 25.3bn from European sources, including the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and the national transport operational programme.
What to watch: The ministry links the formal start of projects to approval of the state budget in the Chamber of Deputies. The next thing to watch is the parliamentary timetable — and whether first 2026 works can begin on the schedule set out by the ministry.
Modernisation works on the Praha–Airport–Kladno rail corridor, one of the schemes cited in the 2026 start pipeline. Photo: Správa železnic.