Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Former Prime Minister and opposition leader Andrej Babiš has accused the Czech government of halting major transport projects because of insufficient funding, a claim that Transport Minister Martin Kupka strongly denied.
Following a meeting with the head of the Road and Motorway Directorate (ŘSD), Radek Mátl, Babiš said that the shortage of money was leading to the suspension of key road and rail developments. He cited several examples, including the planned motorway between Jaroměř and Trutnov, sections of the Prague Ring Road, and the railway modernization projects between Hradec Králové and Pardubice as well as Prague and Kladno. “It’s complete paralysis. The whole transport infrastructure has stopped,” he told reporters.
Minister Kupka dismissed the allegations as misleading, insisting that all active construction projects are continuing. “The railways are being modernized, and the highways are being built,” he said in an interview with Czech Television. According to the Transport Ministry, more than 276 kilometres of motorways and first-class roads are currently under construction, with 67.5 kilometres expected to be completed by the end of the year. Kupka added that land purchases for the Prague Ring Road are still underway and fully funded for 2025.
While the minister admitted that securing financing for future years will be challenging, he attributed the pressure to the accelerated preparation of new projects, not to funding cuts. “Because preparations have advanced so rapidly, the next government will need to find tens of billions of crowns more to keep pace,” he said on the social platform X.
Under the draft 2026 budget, the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure (SFDI) will receive CZK 144.6 billion, about CZK 15.7 billion less than in 2025. The Road Construction Association has warned that the reduction could threaten the timely completion of the motorway network and delay the start of new projects.
Babiš also met on Sunday with Fire Chief Vladimír Vlček, who he said is short CZK 670 million for volunteer firefighters and lacks roughly 1,000 service positions. Vlček confirmed the talks centred on the fire service budget but declined to comment on speculation that he might take a government post in the new administration.
ŘSD director Mátl, meanwhile, said that while funding constraints remain a concern, no ongoing projects are being suspended. He expressed willingness to continue in his role, adding that future staffing decisions will depend on the next transport minister.
The exchange highlights mounting political tension over infrastructure spending as the Czech Republic faces tighter fiscal conditions and rising construction costs. While Babiš portrays the slowdown as a sign of government mismanagement, the Transport Ministry maintains that work is progressing and that the challenge lies in sustaining long-term investment levels amid a shrinking budget.
Source: CTK
