A nalysis
TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE: In
cooperation
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C zech L eaders
The end of 2015 holiday season brought about some interesting events concerning Czech transport infrastructure. While activities to utilize as much as possible from the Operation Programme Transport for 2007–2013 get to the final stage, a new space opened for more conceptual and long-term decisions. The Government of the Czech Republic decided on key parameters of tender documentation for the future road toll system. It was found impossible to introduce a new toll system by 1 January 2017 when the valid contract with the present operator Kapsch would expire. This was a consequence of half-hearted preparation in the previous period. The Government has thus decided that, at first, a procurement procedure will be opened for three years of operation of the existing toll system. Simultaneously, a tender will commence for a toll manager to propose possibilities of further actions. Later on, a technologically neutral procurement procedure is to be opened, from which a new toll operator should emerge to manage the toll system after 2019. The Ministry of Transport intends to begin its preparation immediately. The Government also approved a new bill amending the Act No. 104/2000 Coll., on the State Fund of Transport Infrastructure (Státní fond dopravní infrastruktury). The amended Act would enable the Fund to co-finance EU-funded projects, and also finance, inter alia, multimodal centres and important inland waterways including the longterm leased Elbe harbour facility in Hamburg. A positive message could also be registered on the so far undeveloped utilization of public-private partnerships (PPP) in road construction. The first swallow in this field should be the construction of the remaining section of the R4 expressway in Central and South Bohemia. The Ministry of Transport has already available necessary zoning permission
New Events And Next Tasks
for the construction of the 84 km long section, and land purchase and negotiations for a building permit are in progress. Currently, the Outline Business Case with Public Sector Comparator is being tendered to find whether it will be more efficient to use for the construction the PPP method than a classical procurement or not, and then, in case of a positive result, the project will be passed to the Government for decision. A following PPP project may be a section of the R7 expressway. A vigorous discussion has recently taken place on financing of reconstruction and maintenance of 2nd and 3rd Class roads that are owned by the regions. Regional governors are not satisfied with the decision of Finance Minister Babiš who did not wish to repeat this year’s subsidy of about 4 billion CZK to the regions again in 2016 and, instead of it, recommended to use European funds and extended budget allocation of taxes to the regions that is to fortify regions’ budgets by about 3.5 billion CZK. The regions do not deem this trade-off sufficient and require an additional regular yearly contribution for road maintenance from the State Fund of Transport Infrastructure. The topic of future high speed railway transport in Czechia returned back to the scene with the finished study for the upgraded Brno – Přerov railway connection. The study procured by the Railway Infrastructure Administration (Správa železniční dopravní cesty) has recommended as the most convenient for this trunk line a double track and improvement up to a maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour. Although the track would thus be faster than any of existing lines in Czechia (the today’s maximum makes 160 kilometers per hour) it would yet not reach the standard of European high-speed lines. A typical example of such standard is the German high-speed line between Leipzig/ Halle and Nuremberg for up to 300 kmph. It is to be finished in 2017, and when it happens, it will be faster to travel between Berlin and Vienna via this line than via Prague. This only underlines the lack of strategy and resolve to ensure convergence
of the quality of the Czech railway network to that in the “old” EU countries. Situation is still unclear with the legislation that would support strategic infrastructure projects (not only transport ones) that traditionally face numerous and protracted obstacles and the term for their approval and accomplishment is on average much longer in Czechia than in other comparable countries. This problem was even aggravated by this year’s amendment of the Act No. 100/2001 Coll., on Environmental Impact Assessment, which introduced some new legal stipulations facilitating substantially suspensory effect of a motion directed against an investment project. A draft material of an act on transport line projects presented by the Ministry of Transport harvested a number of serious comments, and the same happened with the proposed amendment of the Building Act No. 183/2006 Coll., which will doubtlessly initiate new work and negotiation on the topic. A new legal regulation of public procurement is also only in an intermediate phase of preparation.
From all above facts it is obvious that, notwithstanding achievements reached, much effort and discussion is still to be expected before the process of investment in transport infrastructure gains a new and stable momentum. Another very serious task is to prepare successfully and obtain necessary approvals for projects that are to be financed by the new Operation Programme Transport 2014 – 2020. Emanuel Šíp Partner Allied Progress Consultants Association české znění naleznete v elektronické verzi magazínu na www.czechleaders.com
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