Praha will begin preparations for the tram track on Wenceslas Square

Prague - The capital city will initiate the first steps for the preparation of a tram line that will lead from the National Museum down to the middle of Wenceslas Square. The new councilors today, at their second meeting, instructed the transport company to begin preparatory work for connecting to the existing line on Vinohradská Street and to investigate the possibility of reconstructing and reinforcing the ceiling slabs of the metro vestibules. According to the Deputy Mayor for Transport Adam Scheinherr (Prague Together), the line could be completed in up to four years. At the same time, the city is preparing another line from Vinohradská around the main train station to Bolzanova Street, but its preparation will take longer.

"We tasked the transport company to start preparatory work on connecting the museum oasis between the old museum building and the former Federal Assembly to the line on Vinohradská Street and at the same time to examine the possibilities of strengthening the ceiling slab of the Museum Station and the Můstek Station," Scheinherr stated.

Furthermore, it is necessary to check the location of the metro exits to ensure they will connect well with the new line in the future. In advance, it is also possible to secure the connection of the new tracks not only at the Museum but also at the intersection of Vodičkova and Jindřišská streets. Additionally, the work will need to be coordinated with the construction of the collector at the upper part of the square, which the city plans together with its revitalization.

The return of trams to Wenceslas Square has been discussed for some time; in the past, for example, the leadership of Prague 1 opposed it. "The new line will help stabilize traffic and will allow for the development of tram lines at the edge of the city, as the current capacity in the central section can no longer handle more connections, and the slightest disruption leads to a total collapse of central intersections," the deputy stated.

In addition to the line through the square, the city is also planning a line around the main train station, which experts believe is even more significant in terms of creating an alternative route in the center. According to Scheinherr, the city is also preparing this line. "We hope that the line through Wenceslas Square could be constructed within four years, and we are also working on the line around the main train station, but that is a little more complicated," the deputy stated.

The construction to Bolzanova, unlike the line to the square, is complicated by the need to change the land use plan. This is because it would pass through the park in front of the station. According to a document previously created by the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), in the first variant, trams from Vinohradská would turn into Wilson's Street towards the State Opera. Subsequently, the line would deviate across the main road into the park and proceed in front of the station, from where it would follow the main road to the intersection of Bolzanova and U Bulhara. The second option is that the tracks would lead to the opera along the same route as in the first variant, but then would not go in front of the station hall, but into Opletalova Street and further to the intersection with Bolzanova. The final option proposes leading the line from Vinohradská to Wenceslas Square and then to Opletalova and Bolzanova.