1 803 trains equipped with ETCS, 3 500 trained drivers and 110 km of lines. With these numbers, the Czech railway enters a new era: the exclusive operation of the European Train Control System ETCS, which has been monitoring traffic on a total of 622 km of main lines in the Czech Republic since 1 January and will gradually start controlling traffic in the following weeks of January. ETCS can automatically stop or slow down a train if the driver made a mistake.
Transport ministers in Brussels discussed the latest transport proposals and how to balance the competitiveness and climate ambitions of the European automotive sector. They agreed, among other things, on a common text for draft legislation aimed at better enforcing passengers' rights in all modes of transport and ensuring passengers' rights in relation to journeys by different means of transport. They also adopted the Council's position on a ban on driving with Europe-wide effect.
Seventeen-year-old drivers who are accompanied by a mentor commit significantly fewer offences than 18-year-old licence holders. The new option is used by 20% of drivers who have obtained the licence this year. This is shown by data from the Ministry of Transport, which were evaluated on Tuesday by the Czech Government Council for Road Safety. The Council also approved draft measures aimed at further reducing the number of road fatalities and serious injuries over the next two years.
Accident statistics for 2024 show a decline in fatalities, injuries and offences among young drivers. The possibility to drive from the age of 17 with a mentor (L17) has also contributed to improving the behaviour of young drivers on the roads.
The Ministry of Transport is expanding services on the Transport Portal, which has been providing citizens with one-stop access to digital transport services for two years. Over the past two years, more than 1.5 million users have logged on to the Transport Portal. They for example displayed the Driver Registry 700,000 times and submitting more than 210,000 applications for a driving licence.
Four consortia will compete in a competitive dialogue in the public tender for the concessionaire of the D35 motorway The concessionaire will be in charge of the construction, funding, operation and maintenance of the D35 section between Opatovec and Mohelnice, as well as the operation and maintenance of the section from Litomyšl to Opatovec.