On Friday 20 January 2023, another meeting of the Czech-German Working Group for the exchange of the Czech Republic's port areas took place in Hamburg. The Czech delegation, led by Deputy Transport Minister Václav Bernard, held talks with the representatives of the Hamburg Port Authority. During the negotiations there was a shift in the topic involving the length of the tracks in the harbour and an agreement on the total area that shall be exchanged.
The state enterprise CENDIS and the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure (SFDI) remind drivers to check the validity of their electronic vignettes and buy a new one on time. Those who have set up a notification of the ticket's expiry will receive the notification in their e-mail or, if they have entered their phone number, via SMS.
Increasing safety at level crossings is one of the priorities of Správa železnic. Last year was a record year in this respect, with 233 level crossings reconstructed thanks to sufficient funding. The original plan envisaged the modification of 150 level crossings. In addition to the modernisation and new signalling equipment, the cancellation of level crossings as such has also ensured greater traffic safety. This happened at more than 100 locations.
The railway in Holešovice in Prague will fundamentally change its appearance. This will be thanks to the reconstruction of the section from the station in Bubny to the new stop Praha-Výstaviště, which Správa železnic started at a starting ceremony. This is another of a series of projects that will result in a fast and ecological railway connection from the centre of Prague to Kladno, with a branch-off to Václav Havel Airport. The main objective of the project is a major modernisation of the Prague-Bubny station, double-tracking of the line in the length of about 1.3 kilometres, its electrification and building a new stop Praha-Výstaviště. The construction of an underpass that will allow a direct transfer between trams and trains is also under way. Thanks to coordination with the Prague City Hall, the necessary closures will be utilised for both construction projects.
The amendment to the Road Traffic Act simplifies the points system and tightens penalties for the most serious offences. It also introduces a mandatory prevention programme for drivers-beginners who commit serious traffic offences. The proposal also allows driving from the age of 17 under the supervision of a mentor. The amendment will go to the Chamber of Deputies and will be effective from 2024.
Transport minister Martin Kupka presented the priorities of the Ministry for this year. Currently, a record of 241.3 kilometres of motorways and Category I roads are under construction and most of them shall open in 2023 and 2024. We are also simplifying communication with the authorities and access to information in the transport area, we will add other functions to the Transport Portal, we have proposed to make the points system clearer and are preparing the cancellation of the big car paper from the beginning of 2024.