How did you get into the train business?

As early as year two at school it was clear to me that trains would be my chosen means of transport. It was decided by a school trip from Tanvald to Kořenov on a rack railway. Originally, I wanted to be a train driver, but I couldn’t because of my eyesight, so I ended up as a dispatcher. It was fulfilling and romantic work. I started in Prague-Dejvice, then in Úvaly and finally in Uhříněves. A dispatcher was in charge of practically everything from the passenger and freight ticket office to the wagon masters who checked the technical condition of the trains. Without a dispatcher, a train just wouldn’t move.

What was your journey from train dispatcher to urban planning and IPR Prague?

I swapped my job as a dispatcher for an office in 2000, when I went to the Kladno Station to work in what was called the technical group. This was the department that provided services for the station’s operation and dealt with technological procedures, and I learned both administration and planning there. I then worked at the General Directorate of Czech Railways and at the Railway Administration, where I headed the Strategy Department. When I was made redundant in 2018, I fulfilled my wish to work for Prague, which I have loved since childhood. At IPR Prague I was initially responsible only for city logistics, but I later took over work on the railways. So I took a break from rail travel for a little while and then it found me again.

What rail projects are you working on now?

I have devoted a large part of my work to the Prague railway junction (Železniční uzel Praha, ŽUP)—one of the most comprehensive studies of the Czech railways in recent decades. Thanks to the study, we now have a clear idea of how we want the railways in Prague to be organised. It defined how the railways should operate in the city and set the framework for all future projects. A key element will be two underground lines under the centre, which will separate suburban and long-distance transport and improve the services between Prague and its surrounding area.

Among our current projects, the development of the Prague-Zahradní Město station is worth mentioning. Although it was only built recently, there is a plan to extend it with tracks towards Brno for the high-speed line and also to Benešov. The station will become the third busiest in Prague. Together with the Railway Administration, we are therefore preparing the conditions for an architectural competition, which should address not only the building itself, but also its connection to the surrounding area.

Another important topic is the Bohdalec-Slatina area, which has been in the works for several decades. The Prague railway junction study showed that the railway needs part of the area here back—mainly for parking passenger trains. A screening study was done last year to find a compromise between the Railway Administration and the borough of Prague 10, and now it will be followed by a spatial study.

You are also involved in freight transport—meaning city logistics. What does this mean in practice?

City logistics addresses how the supply and delivery of goods work in the city, the “last mile”. At IPR Prague we prepared a study that analysed the problems of city logistics and offered specific solutions and examples of good practice from abroad. We also dealt with the delivery of parcels by alternative methods, for example using electric cargo bikes or parcel boxes. This led to the creation of the first micro depots at Florenc and in Smíchov, where carriers rent space and transfer shipments from vans to bikes. Nearly 20,000 parcels are already being transferred here every month and interest is still growing. The project at Florenc won a Eurocities Award 2021 in the Zero Pollution category. Although it is still a small proportion of the total freight traffic, it is of great symbolic importance for the city: its contribution to sustainable logistics in the city has been confirmed.

What are the trends in freight transport in a modern city?

Globally and across Europe, reducing the environmental burden of freight transport is more a matter of wishful thinking than reality. The fundamental difference compared to passenger transport is that freight transport is fully market-based, which means that the city does not order or manage it. It is all the better when small measures such as delivering parcels on bikes or cultivating the appearance of parcel boxes are successful. The market has to find its own way to sustainability and business has to get itself into a situation where sharing is economically viable for it. This is partly what happened with parcel boxes.

Did you contribute to the Prague Tomorrow? Connected City exhibition? What was working with CAMP like?

I delivered the technical content, the creative component was handled by the CAMP team. I also led several guided tours as part of the accompanying programme. I enjoyed it, my favourite people are active seniors, they are probably the best listeners. They ask a lot of interesting and relevant questions, which makes me happy. Once we had a tour that lasted almost three hours due to inquisitive questions, and more than half the participants stayed until the end. We also had several CAMP tours, both by train and by steamer. I also prepared a talk on the history of railways and tracks in Prague, which is a subject that has interested me all my life.

What fascinates you the most from the past of Prague’s railways?

The Belle Époque period, i.e. roughly from the 1870s to the outbreak of World War I. At that time, about 3,000 kilometres of track were built in the Czech lands within ten years. When you consider that the workers only had a wheelbarrow, a pickaxe and a shovel... it’s incredible. From a planning point of view, the period of the First Republic, when Prague began to develop systematically and dealt with transport strategically, is also fascinating. For example, it was already clear then that five tracks were needed between Smíchov and the Main Station. After a hundred years, we have come to this conclusion again, with the only difference that two will go into a tunnel and three will remain on a bridge under Vyšehrad. The history of the railways and the history of Prague are inextricably linked; the railways have shaped and are still shaping the city.

Listen to Marek Binko’s lecture on the history of railways and tracks in Prague: