Správa železnic Completes €3M 5G Tunnel Project in Czech

Prague, Czech Republic – Správa železnic, the national railway infrastructure manager, has finished equipping key tunnels on the Prague–Brno/Ostrava line with 5G mobile connectivity, closing two long-standing coverage gaps. Contractor AŽD carried out the CZK 72,925,200 (€3.01 million) installation, which began in March 2024 and was financed through the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. The project eliminates so-called dead zones in the Vítkov tunnels in Prague and the Krasíkov tunnel, delivering continuous voice and high-speed data services for passengers on one of the country’s busiest corridors.

What Is the Full Scope of This Project?

The project deployed special radiating cables and optical connections inside the tunnels, complemented by technology hubs at each portal where mobile operators can install active transmission equipment. Work was executed during short nightly track possession windows under strict safety coordination with Správa železnic. While the total tunnel length covered has not been disclosed, the infrastructure is configured to support current public 5G services and to serve as the physical backbone for the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) that will eventually replace the existing GSM-R network. The total value of CZK 72,925,200 (€3.01 million) came entirely from the Czech National Recovery Plan, backed by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Key Project Data

How Does This Compare to Similar Projects?

Lao Telecom, the second-largest operator to embark on a comparable railway connectivity initiative, announced in 2025 a two-phase plan to build a 4G network along the entire 414‑km Lao‑China railway (Source: Developing Telecoms, 2025). The first phase is scheduled for completion by end‑2026, with the second starting in early 2027; the project budget has not been disclosed. In contrast, the Czech undertaking focuses on pinpoint tunnel coverage with 5G technology at a cost of €3.01 million, targeting specific dead zones rather than entire line‑of‑sight segments. At a continental level, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) completed 5G coverage in the 57‑km Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2023 at a reported cost of CHF 32 million (€33.6 million) (Source: SBB, 2023). The Czech project’s unit cost per tunnel kilometre cannot be calculated because official tunnel length data was not released. Independent verification of per‑kilometre costs and the Lao Telecom project’s total budget was not available at time of publication.

Editor’s Analysis

By combining immediate passenger service improvement with future‑proofing for FRMCS, Správa železnic is extracting dual value from a single infrastructure investment—a strategy that limits later retrofit costs as GSM‑R sunsets across Europe. The public‑private model used here, coordinated through the APMS, creates a template for the 158 remaining sites on four national corridors, potentially accelerating the country’s wider railway digitalisation programme. The Czech railway signalling market is projected to grow through 2025, fuelled by smart signalling and AI‑driven platforms (Source: Industry analysis, 2025), and reliable tunnel connectivity will be essential for digital twins and real‑time monitoring systems that such technologies enable.

FAQ

Q: Which tunnels now have 5G coverage after this project?
A: The Vítkov tunnels in Prague and the Krasíkov tunnel on the Prague–Brno/Ostrava corridor. The combined tunnel length has not been officially published.

Q: Was passenger service disrupted during the installation work?
A: No major disruptions occurred. Contractor AŽD carried out all work at night during short traffic closures, under strict safety measures coordinated with Správa železnic.

Q: When will all Czech railway corridors get 5G signal?
A: Správa železnic and mobile operators plan to expand coverage to 158 further locations along four main corridors in the coming years, but no final completion date has been announced.