Praha: The construction of metro line D will be delayed by about three years

Prague - The construction of metro line D will be delayed by two to three years compared to the last expectations. Work could begin in 2020, said Petr Dolínek (ČSSD), Deputy Mayor, in response to a query from ČTK today. The construction is blocked by unsuccessful land acquisitions, and according to Dolínek, Prague may have to resort to expropriation. Opposition councilors consider this a failure.

The Prague City Hall suspended the construction proceedings concerning the metro line D to Písnice for 18 months in July. The reason is precisely the stalled land acquisitions needed for the construction. "I consider it a success just that we have applied for a building permit," said the deputy. "The preparation of the construction is progressing slowly, but it is progressing," he added.

Prague wants to resort to expropriation of land only as a last resort. It would supposedly be short-term expropriations during the construction period. "It is harsh and not very popular in the Czech Republic, but if we have no other choice, we will go this way," Dolínek said.

The problem is said to be with land acquisitions around Písnice and Thomayer Hospital, which is owned by seven owners. Jaroslav Ďuriš, the recently ousted director of the transport company, said last year in an interview with ČTK that the acquisitions are "one of the Achilles' heels" of the construction of metro line D. A year ago, he estimated that the city would acquire all the necessary lands by this September. For the construction of metro line D, the acquisition of about 800 plots is necessary. According to Dolínek, the city has so far acquired dozens.

"A two to three-year delay cannot be considered a success. It seems that with this team of coalition experts, metro line D will never be completed," responded opposition councilor Jiří Nouza (TOP 09). The ODS also joined in the criticism, stating that it is impossible to meet the operational deadline in 2022. "In 2014, the ČSSD made the completion of metro line D one of its main topics. They even built models of future stops as part of the campaign and promised to open it as soon as possible. But it remained just promises," said Filip Humplík, head of the Prague ODS.

The route of metro line D will run from Náměstí Míru to Písnice. The first section to be built will be from Pankrác to the Depo Písnice station, followed by the segment from Pankrác to Náměstí Míru. In total, there will be ten new stations. Driverless trains will operate on the new line. The project costs are preliminarily estimated at about 50 billion crowns. The new A line stations to Motol, which opened last year, cost approximately 20 billion crowns.