Dresden (dpa/sn) - The municipalities along the planned railroad tunnel in the Ore Mountains on the new Dresden-Prague line will receive support from the Ministry of the Interior in terms of fire protection. Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) signed a cooperation agreement with the mayors of Pirna, Heidenau, Altenberg, Dohna, Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel, Bahretal and Dohma.
The new construction project is considered an internationally important rail transport project. It is intended to reduce the journey time between Dresden and Prague to one hour in future, but passengers will have to wait at least another two decades: Deutsche Bahn is currently aiming to start construction in 2032, with an estimated construction period of around twelve years. A tunnel around 30 kilometers long is planned between Heidenau on the German side and Usti nad Labem on the Czech side.
Support for preventive and defensive fire protection
"Fire protection is an immensely important part of the construction project - both in terms of construction and deployment," said Schuster according to a press release. The Ministry of the Interior will therefore advise, support and represent the municipalities in the tunnel construction project with regard to preventive and defensive fire protection.
A project group from the ministry has already taken part in Deutsche Bahn's dialog forums and is in contact with colleagues in Thuringia and Austria who are involved in similar projects. Future focal points will be negotiations on fire protection standards for the tunnel and deployment procedures for the cross-border fire department units.
Copyright 2024, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
