I have previously written about the quality of Dutch railway infrastructure, but Germany’s high-speed ICE network deserves attention as well.
I recently read that Czechia is planning to build a tunnel on part of the railway line between Pilsen and Prague to reduce travel times. What struck me was the timeline itself—the project will start after 2030. By contrast, Germany and the Benelux countries have been investing in modern railway infrastructure for decades. High-speed rail has long been a reality there, with trains operating at speeds of up to 300 km/h or with Eurostar in Benelux even more.
Looking at the pace of development in the Czech Republic, it is difficult not to wonder whether the country will ever catch up something from progressive and advanced infrastructure of Germany or Benelux.
In the way of trains, a good example is the journey from Düsseldorf to Munich. Imagine comparing the same route under two different railway systems: one served by a Czech-style express train operating on conventional infrastructure, and the other by Germany’s ICE running on dedicated high-speed lines.
The contrast is striking.
Today, a direct ICE train completes the journey from Düsseldorf to Munich in approximately 4 hours and 33 minutes to 4 hours and 50 minutes, depending on the service.
If the same journey relied solely on infrastructure comparable to conventional Czech railway network—with maximum speeds typically between 120 and 160 km/h, numerous curves, and significantly lower average operating speeds—it would take roughly three hours longer. In the case of services such as the Berounka train between Pilsen and Prague, with an average speed of 80–95 km/h, the journey between Düsseldorf and Munich would take almost twice as long than with German's trains.
This is not simply a matter of faster trains; it is a matter of long-term investment and system priorities. Germany’s railway network between Cologne, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, and Munich is built around extensive high-speed corridors designed for fast, efficient travel. In contrast, the Czech railway network remains largely conventional, with only limited sections capable of supporting speeds of 160–200 km/h.
While much of Western Europe has spent decades building infrastructure networks for the future, in the Czechia still seems to be debating projects that should have become reality many years ago.
