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TRAVEL

New high-speed rail network to take you from Vienna to Berlin in four hours

Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria have agreed to work together to upgrade train routes and create high speed lines to improve connections between Vienna, Prague and Berlin.

Published: 21 May 2021 11:46 CEST
Updated: 22 May 2021 14:58 CEST
A new night-train connectionion from Vienna to Brussels started in January 2020 (Photo by ALEX HALADA / AFP). 
A new night-train connectionion from Vienna to Brussels started in January 2020 (Photo by ALEX HALADA / AFP). to Berli

Travel times between the capital cities of Germany passenger services between the capital cities of Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria could be slashed in the next 15 years, if plans announced at German Rail Summit earlier this week come to fruition.

German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer spoke about plans agreed by the three countries, called the Via Vindobona Treaty for a combination of upgraded routes and sections of new high speed line.

This could allow passengers to travel from Berlin to Vienna in around five hours with limited stops, while express services could even create journey times of four hours. 

The fastest journey time between the two cities is currently around eight hours and 15 minutes. The Berlin to Prague journey time would be cut to two hours 30 minutes and Dresden to Prague to around one hour, according to Railway Gazette international. 

The news comes following plans to revive night trains across Europe, including a sleeper service from Vienna to Paris by the end of 2021.

READ MORE: Map-a return to night trains across Europe takes a step closer 

At the heart of the scheme is a 30km tunnel under the Erzgebirge on the German-Czech border, for which a joint declaration was signed in March 2020. 

This is expected to be completed by the mid-2030s, as part of a 123km high-performance railway between Dresden and Prague, cutting the distance by around 56 km.

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Czech Transport Minister Karel Havlíček said he was keen to introduce two-hourly services to the neighbouring capitals, increasing to an hourly service in the longer term.

The website Railtech reported in 2019 the Czech rail infrastructure manager SŽDC planned to construct high-speed railways in the country, allowing passenger trains to run at a speed of 320kph, more than twice as fast as is currently possible. 

Future high speed lines in Czechia
Future high speed lines are planned throughout the Czech Republic which will also speed up connections to Austria and Germany.

Austrian Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler promised a start would be made next year on a one billion euro upgrade of the 66 km Nordbahn between Wien and the Czech border at Bernhardsthal.

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VIENNA

Vienna reveals new plan for how to move away from gas heating

Authorities in Vienna want to replace the city's 600,000 gas heating systems with greener alternatives and have presented a plan for how they will do it.

Published: 7 May 2024 16:25 CEST
Vienna reveals new plan for how to move away from gas heating

The “Vienna Heat Plan 2024” was presented this week which outlines a concrete strategy for replacing the city’s 600,000 currently installed gas heating systems with renewable energy alternatives.

Vienna has committed to ending its reliance on fossil fuels for heating and hot water by 2040.

As part of this goal, the capital wants to replace around 600,000 gas heating systems with renewable energy alternatives. On Monday May 8th the city presented the “Vienna Heat Plan 2024”, providing a clear plan for this transition.

The plan considers all buildings in the urban area and identifies where it is possible to expanding district heating, referring to a centralised heating system which efficiently serve multiple buildings.

The goal is to make district heating completely climate-neutral by 2040. Additionally, the plan also identifies areas where alternative solutions may be necessary, reported ORF.

The plan divides areas in three categories 

The areas in Vienna have been categorised into three groups based on demand and local conditions.

The first category include areas where district heating is most suitable.

The second category refers to areas with good potential for local heating networks. These networks can accommodate smaller, localised heating systems that serve buildings located close to each other. Additionally, the third category includes areas where individual climate-neutral heating solutions are needed for single buildings or properties, ensuring necessary adjustment to specific needs of a property.

Additional divisions within these groups have been made, considering factors like existing district heating connections and the possibility of expansion. The city wants to expand the district heating network to cover 1,700 kilometres in the future, according to Vienna.at.

READ ALSO: Austria climate activist aims to take fight to Brussels

Geothermal energy planned to be used in outer districts

The areas selected for local heating networks are mainly situated in the outer districts of the city. In those areas authorities plan to use geothermal energy, heat derived from the Earth’s core. Through the use of heat pumps, the plan is to supply heat to multiple buildings simultaneously, reported ORF.

READ NEXT: Vast Vienna wastewater heat pumps showcase EU climate drive

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