DPP: The construction of metro line D is not endangered, construction supervision is secured

Prague – The construction of the first section of the new metro line D, which is expected to start in the second half of April, is not at risk and technical supervision is secured. The Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) stated today in a press release in response to an article in the MF Dnes newspaper, according to which the start of work is threatened due to disputes between DPP and the company Inženýring dopravních staveb (IDS), which is to ensure technical supervision of the construction. According to the company, IDS has accepted the challenges to commence construction and if it does not withdraw from the contract itself, DPP will not take such a step. DPP is looking for a statement from IDS.

The MF Dnes newspaper reported that construction could be at risk due to disputes over the mandate agreement between DPP and IDS from 2010, under which the company was to receive 580 million crowns for activities related to the construction of the metro, including 316 million crowns for technical supervision. The newspaper quoted the general director of IDS, Michal Lec, who stated that the company has not been paid by DPP for technical supervision during engineering-geological surveys. Another dispute is regarding the payment system for the construction itself.

In response, DPP stated that IDS is taking the necessary actions to start construction and it does not seem that the company wants to withdraw from the contracts. According to the company, the contract from 2010 stated that the company should ensure valid construction permits for the entire metro line D within three years of signing, but this only happened after more than nine years and only for the first section.

According to the statement, the company refused to pay for some declared activities by IDS, which it was supposed to secure in the past according to the contract, but did not. "DPP, as a municipal company, must act with the care of a good manager. We cannot reimburse any supplier for services or work that they did not perform at all. This is fundamentally contrary to the law and ethics. We will reimburse them if IDS provides credible statements of the work performed, which it refuses to do," stated DPP's general director Petr Witowski.

He added that the company has been trying to find a solution from the beginning and considers the article in MF Dnes a attempt to exploit the beginning of the construction and discredit the company and the construction of the metro D. "In any case, the management of IDS threatened us several months ago that if DPP does not pay, it will publicize this matter. Nevertheless, DPP will not be intimidated by such practices from the 90s or common in further eastern countries," the director stated. The company further noted that if IDS decides to withdraw from the contract, it will respect that and promptly select a new contractor through a competition.

Last week, DPP obtained a valid construction permit for the first section of the new line from Pankrác to Nové Dvory with five stations. The deputy mayor for transport, Adam Scheinherr (Prague Sobě), stated that construction will begin no later than the second half of April. It is now necessary to prepare the construction site or address so-called traffic-engineering measures, such as closures. The costs for the first part of the construction should be approximately 52.09 billion crowns, accounting for inflation. The line will then continue to the Písnice Depot and in the future, a section will be constructed from Pankrác to Náměstí Míru.