The railway administration signed a contract for the repair of the Negrelli Viaduct

Prague - The Railway Administration (SŽDC) has signed a contract with the consortium of companies Hochtief, Strabag, and Avers for the repair of Prague's Negrelli Viaduct. Repairs will begin no earlier than July. Marek Illiaš, spokesperson for SŽDC, said today. On Wednesday, the railway administration handed over the construction site to the construction companies. Due to the extensive reconstruction, trains will not run over the bridge to Masaryk Station and will terminate at the Prague - Bubny stop.

SŽDC plans to announce more detailed information about the upcoming operational restrictions at the beginning of next month, Illiaš stated. The construction companies are now fencing off the construction site and preparing to start work.

The repair of the historic Negrelli Viaduct is part of the planned modernization of the line to Kladno with a branch to Prague Airport, which is often referred to as a fast track. The planned repairs will include not only the replacement of the railway tracks and substructure but also the dismantling of two bridge arches on Štvanice, which were damaged by floods and whose condition SŽDC describes as critical.

The entire reconstruction of the Negrelli Viaduct will last until 2019 and will be associated with restrictions on operations on the lines heading over the bridge to Masaryk Station. The price of the reconstruction, amounting to approximately one billion crowns offered by the winning consortium, is nearly 150 million lower than what SŽDC originally anticipated.

The Negrelli Viaduct is the first railway bridge over the Vltava River in Prague and the second oldest standing bridge in Prague. It connects Masaryk Station via Štvanice Island with Bubny. The structure, which is 1100 meters long, was put into operation at the beginning of June 1850 and is a protected monument. It is named after engineer Alois Negrelli, who supervised its construction.