DPP has commenced the reconstruction of metro station C Opatov

Prague - The Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) today began the reconstruction of the Opatov metro station on line C. The company will not only repair the station but will also build elevators for wheelchair users and people with strollers. City and DPP representatives announced this to journalists today. DPP estimates the costs at 276 million crowns. Work will mainly be carried out during regular operations. It will last until July of next year. In the future, DPP will also create barrier-free access at the Jiřího z Poděbrad and Invalidovna stations.

At Opatov, both normal and emergency lighting will be repaired. Electric switchboards, the power supply for the information system and advertising panels, and the control system will be reconstructed, and acoustic beacons for the visually impaired will be replaced.

The project includes the creation of barrier-free access. This will consist of a cascade of passenger elevators. An elevator from the vestibule will be incorporated into a solid staircase to the platform, similar to the metro stations Chodov and Roztyly. The second will lead from the vestibule to the bus stops. Both will accommodate two strollers. There will be new bins and benches at the bus platform, and DPP will clean and replace broken glass, including cladding.

DPP anticipates service interruptions on two weekends in February and March during the repairs. No changes will be made to the surface. The development of the area around the station is not yet clear. In the past, there was a proposal to build administrative buildings, but that eventually fell through.

"We want to obtain funds from European funds for the repairs," said DPP spokeswoman Aneta Řehková. She said it's not yet possible to say how much the company will ultimately receive.

The Opatov station was opened in November 1980 under the name Družby. The construction cost was 264 million Czechoslovak crowns, roughly the same amount as the current partial reconstruction.

DPP operates 61 stations on three metro lines. The annual metro operating costs amount to several billion crowns. DPP is the largest city company and employs nearly 11,000 people. Prague subsidizes DPP with more than 13 billion crowns annually.