First lines gradually reopen in flood-struck Central and Eastern Europe

After a week of disruptions caused by heavy rainfalls and floods in Central and Eastern Europe, some important rail freight lines are slowly starting to reopen. In Czechia, for example, “the corridor line Hranice na Moravě – Ostrava-Kunčice should probably be put into operation on Friday, 20 September 2024”, rail freight operator ČD Cargo pointed out.

“Slow journeys will be introduced in critical places, which will be reflected in the reduced capacity of this section”, the company added. However, the timetable for the full reopening of other routes in Czechia remains unclear. The line between Ostrava and Dětmarovice, which leads into Poland, does not yet have a reopening date scheduled, ČD Cargo specified.

Austria

The situation remains quite complicated for Austria as well. The Vienna-Salzburg line, for instance, remains unavailable due to a flooded tunnel in Atzenbrugg, where water levels reached one metre. “The task now is to restore the power supply, pump out the water and repair the damage”, Austrian rail freight company Rail Cargo Group underlined. The company pointed out that making predictions is quite difficult but that the situation is improving by the day.

Poland

The scenario seems a tad less catastrophic in Poland, where “the main lines are passable”, as infrastructure manager PKP PLK mentioned. However, circumstances are far from optimal along the Polish-Czech border crossings, with many of them remaining largely unavailable. Some passenger traffic was restored along the Zebrzydowice – Petrovice border crossing, but dozens of trains, both passenger and freight, keep getting cancelled or running on shortened routes.