📋 Tender Overview
The Minister of Transport Ivan Bednarik has completed his first 100 days in office. During this period the transport department under his leadership focused primarily on stabilizing the funding of transport infrastructure preparing key legislative changes and enhancing transparency and efficiency in the management of subordinate organizations.
Immediately after taking office we along with the team began to rectify the transport budget that we inherited from the previous government which realistically threatened further construction in the Czech Republic. In cooperation with colleagues in the government we managed to stabilize the situation. This year we have a record 169.3 billion crowns prepared for transport infrastructure. The budget has already been signed by the president and we have contracts closed with contractors for the first previously blocked constructions. Construction work will start in the coming days for example on the last section of the D11 near Jaromer said Minister of Transport Ivan Bednarik.
Of the total budget of the SFDI 81.1 billion crowns is directed to highways and first-class roads through the Directorate of Roads and Highways. 72.2 billion crowns is allocated for railway projects of the Railway Administration and 1.3 billion crowns will go towards the modernization of waterways through the Directorate of Waterways.
Legislative changes: fair conditions and higher safety
The Ministry of Transport has begun preparing several key legislative measures based on the governments program declaration. Among the main priorities is the adjustment of the toll system for highways for passenger cars which aims to unify conditions for different types of vehicles and abolish the automatic indexation of highway sticker prices.
We have already prepared and sent the amendment to Act No. 13/1994 Coll. which will bring these changes into inter-ministerial comment proceedings added Minister Bednarik.
At the same time the ministry is preparing to introduce a 75% discount on public transport fares for students and seniors from January 1 2027. The measure is being developed with an emphasis on smooth implementation into tariff and ticketing systems.
The ministry has also opened discussions with municipalities about transparent rules for the operation of municipal radars with the aim of enhancing road safety. An analysis of adjustments in the taxi service sector is also underway including requirements for basic knowledge of the Czech language for taxi drivers and alternative transport platforms.
The legislative changes we are preparing are not self-serving. Their goal is higher transparency safety and a functional system that people will trust said the Minister of Transport.
PPP projects and negotiations for co-financing from Europe
The Ministry of Transport is actively developing all available financing options for transport infrastructure in accordance with the text of the governments program declaration. At the beginning of the year participants in the competitive dialogue were invited to submit final offers for the completion of sections of the D35 highway between Opatovec and Mohelnice in the form of a PPP project. Submission of offers is expected during this summer.
Negotiations are also ongoing at the European level regarding the shape of operational programs for the upcoming programming period after 2028. For the Czech Republic this negotiation is crucial in terms of obtaining European resources for co-financing the preparation and construction of the domestic system of fast rail connections.
Transparency and effective public procurement
Under Minister Bednariks leadership the ministry also emphasizes openness to the public. On the ministrys website records from the meetings of the Central Commission of the Ministry of Transport which assesses transport projects from technical strategic and economic perspectives are now being published.
In cooperation with the Board of Directors of the Railway Administration significant changes are taking place in the functioning of this organization. The administrative apparatus is undergoing a reduction and at the same time the approach to public procurement is changing with an emphasis on maximum financial and functional efficiency.
The first results are already yielding savings in the hundreds of millions of crowns for individual investment actions while maintaining the required quality. Thanks to this we will be able to repair more kilometers of tracks than in the past emphasizes Minister Bednarik.
The Ministry of Transport will continue to work fully on fulfilling the governments program declaration and implementing projects that will improve the accessibility and quality of transport throughout the Czech Republic concludes Minister Ivan Bednarik.
