Cross-border rail links and innovation. Minister Kupka held talks with his Saxon counterpart24/8/2023|Press releasesConnecting Prague and Dresden by high-speed rail, deepening cooperation in preparing and securing funding for key transport projects and joint Czech-Saxon applied research projects in smart and alternative mobility. These were the main topics of the meeting between transport ministers Martin Kupka and Saxon state minister Martin Dulig, which took place today in Prague. "The Free State of Saxony is one of the Czech Republic's close transport partners. The big task ahead of us is to prepare and start the construction of a high-speed rail line between the Czech and Saxon capitals. Saxony prepares international agreements on the details of the construction and operation of the Erzgebirge Tunnel. Správa železnic, the Czech railway infrastructure manager, is also now preparing a tender for the contractor for the geological survey in the area of the future tunnel. The survey is expected to start later this year. We are also discussing project financing with our international partners and the European Commission," said transport minister Martin Kupka at the meeting. "With its current parameters, the project has a very good economic assessment. In the future we will be able to get from Dresden to Ústí nad Labem in 30 minutes," adds Kupka. The design work, commissioned jointly with Deutsche Bahn on the cross-border section of the high-speed line “Erzgebirge Tunnel”, is in full swing. The planning permit design is current being prepared for the Prague – Lovosice section. This process should be completed by the end of 2024. The Czech and Saxon sides are also continuing to inform the general public about the upcoming construction. Since May, the information centre in Heidenau-Großsedlitz in Saxony has been operating on the German side, while on the Czech side those interested can come to the information centre of Správa železnic at the railway station in Ústí nad Labem. The activities of the EGTC New Dresden-Prague Connection, in which the Czech Republic, Saxony and representatives of regional governments participate, also help to present the project to the public. The Czech Republic and Saxony also cooperate closely in the field of autonomous mobility and transport innovation. We support the cooperation between Czech and Saxon research teams. "Current trends in transport know no boundaries. Together with the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, we have prepared a call for joint Czech-Saxon applied research projects in the field of smart and alternative transport. We expect significant involvement of Czech research institutions and companies, for example from the Ústí Region," says minister Kupka. The winning projects should be implemented from the beginning of 2024.