DPP will start constructing another section of the metro and a track at Václavské náměstí next year

Prague - The Prague Public Transport Company (DPP) plans to start construction of the second section of metro line D and a tram line in the upper part of Wenceslas Square next year. It also intends to finish the lines under construction from Divoká Šárka to the Dědina housing estate and from Modřany to Libuš and to build and put into operation the tracks from Holyně to Slivenec. In an interview with ČTK, DPP director Petr Witowski stated this. According to him, the company will also begin construction of a trolleybus line to the airport and enable contactless ticket purchases on all buses.

Construction of the first section of metro line D between Pankrác and the Olbrachtova station in Prague 4 began at the end of this April; currently, about one kilometer of tunnels is completed, and excavation of the Olbrachtova station has recently started. The next planned section is from Olbrachtova to Nové Dvory, for which the contractor is currently being selected through a competition. "I believe that we will be able to start construction of the second section of metro D in the fall of next year," said Witowski. The estimated cost of this section is around 24.6 billion crowns, with the final amount to emerge from the tender.

At the beginning of next year, construction of tracks in the upper part of Wenceslas Square should begin, where trams operated until 1980. Compared to the original state, the tracks will be on the sides of the square, and a promenade will be created in the middle. The estimated cost of building the tracks and modifying the upper part of the square is, according to earlier statements by Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr (Prague Sobě), 1.25 billion crowns. The company also plans next year to construct the second part of the line to Slivenec for 233 million, which will connect with the section between Barrandov and Holyně.

Passengers will also be able to take trams to Libuš by the middle of next year, where the company is constructing tracks from the Sídliště Modřany turnaround for 304 million. Similarly, DPP would like to complete the track construction from Divoká Šárka to the Dědina housing estate, which is expected to be operational at the turn of October and November. This construction will cost 840 million crowns, with 85 percent of the amount expected to be funded by European funds, according to earlier information from DPP. Witowski also mentioned plans to extend the tram line from the Pankrác station to the intersection of Budějovická and Bystřická streets.

"At the beginning of next year, we would like to start contactless payments in all buses, which should greatly simplify ticket purchasing," the director further stated. In 2019, the company equipped trams with contactless payment terminals, and a year later, metro station vestibules. Witowski added that next year the company would start construction of a trolleybus line from Veleslavín to the airport, where the electrified line number 119 will operate. This construction will cost 354.5 million.

Next year, DPP aims to select a supplier for new cable cars for Petřín, complete the tender for the purchase of up to 140 hybrid articulated buses, receive 15 new trolleybuses and put them into operation on the first trolleybus line between Letňany and Čakovice, replace escalators at Jiřího z Poděbrad station, start testing a hydrogen bus, and complete the reconstruction and reopen the tram line between Palmova and Ohrad. The names of stops on trams and buses will be announced by the voice of actor and dubbing artist Jan Vondráček.