The D subway line has been in preparation for several years, Prague has postponed it multiple times

Prague - Selection of information about the planned new line D of the Prague Metro, construction of which will begin on April 21:

- Line D has been spatially defined in the city’s zoning plan since the 1990s and later in the Principles of Spatial Development, as a connection between the southern sector of Prague and the center. The first plans for the establishment of line D were created as early as the 1970s.

- The line, marked I.D, will have ten stations, and the entire planned route will be 10.6 km long.

- In the first phase, line D will run from Pankrác to Nové Dvory (five stations), followed by the addition of three stations towards Písnice, and later a connection from Pankrác to Náměstí Míru.

- The stations will be either bored or dug: Náměstí Míru (bored, transfer to line A), Náměstí Bratří Synků (dug), Pankrác (bored, transfer to line C), Olbrachtova (bored), Nádraží Krč (partly dug, part is on a bridge, transfer to train), Nemocnice Krč (dug), Nové Dvory (bored), Libuš (dug), Písnice (dug), Depo Písnice (dug).

- The line will feature a new generation of automatic driverless metro. Modern lightweight train sets will be pass-through between cars. There will be safety screens with sliding doors between the platforms and the tracks.

- The operation is expected to be launched in 2029.

- The total estimated cost of line D, according to this year's update, is 97.79 billion crowns.

A selection of events related to the planned construction of line D of the Prague Metro:

1970s - The first plans for line D were created. The route was to run from Žižkov or Strašnice to Palackého náměstí, and from there to Modřany.

October 8, 2013 - Prague councilors approved the construction of metro line D for nearly 25 billion crowns. The first section was to run from Pankrác to Písnice. The route, over ten kilometers long, was to be completed by 2022. It was to serve several housing estates in the areas of Krč, Lhotka, Libuš, Nové Dvory, and Písnice, as well as other catchment areas. It aims to relieve line C.

October 18, 2013 - Route D received a zoning decision from Prague 4.

September 15, 2014 - Then Prague Mayor Tomáš Hudeček (TOP 09) said that the construction of route D from Náměstí Míru to Písnice would cost 60 billion crowns. Later, other cost estimates emerged.

July 21, 2015 - Prague councilors decided that trains on route D would run without a driver. The construction of the first part was to be completed by 2022.

June 23, 2016 - Prague applied for a building permit for construction from Pankrác to Písnice.

August 6, 2016 - It was announced that the project documentation for metro line D would be processed by Metroprojekt. The same company also designed the new stations on line A.

August 11, 2016 - Deputy Dolínek announced that the magistrate had suspended the construction proceedings for 18 months in July, primarily due to delays in land acquisitions.

December 12, 2016 - Prague will have to rework the change to the zoning plan for route D. The Supreme Administrative Court rejected the city’s cassation complaint against the ruling of the Municipal Court in Prague, which annulled the change to the zoning plan.

February 6, 2017 - Deputy Dolínek said that the first phase of the construction of metro D could begin in 2019 and be completed by 2023.

April 19, 2017 - The supervisory board of the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) decided that construction would start in the section Pankrác - Olbrachtova, followed by the construction of the section to Písnice.

November 7, 2017 - Prague councilors approved that the city would acquire the necessary land for construction from private owners; the depot will be built on these lands.

March 22, 2018 - Prague councilors decided on the creation of a joint venture between the city and a developer for the construction of the metro. DPP wanted to establish the company due to difficulties with land acquisitions.

May 22, 2018 - Prague councilors ordered the Institute for Planning and Development (IPR) to start work on a change to the zoning plan, which will allow the construction of the route from Náměstí Míru to Žižkov and Vysočany.

May 24, 2018 - It was announced that DPP and Penta Investments plan to establish a joint venture due to land acquisitions for the metro line D. However, the councilors rejected the plans for the venture between DPP and Penta in August 2018.

March 21, 2019 - The city leadership estimated that the construction of line D from Písnice to Náměstí Míru would cost 72 billion crowns. The costs for preparations so far amounted to approximately one billion crowns.

May 27, 2019 - DPP signed agreements with companies Hochtief CZ, Metrostav, and Strabag for geological surveys.

June 19, 2019 - DPP began geological surveys for the construction of metro line D at Pankrác. The survey was estimated to cost approximately 1.58 billion crowns.

October 31, 2019 - The Senate approved a railway amendment, according to which the metro operations will be possible even without drivers.

January 7, 2020 - DPP announced a public contract for the first section of metro line D, which includes the transfer station at Pankrác, the new Olbrachtova station, and tunnels. The construction of the first section will take 7.5 years and cost about 10.8 billion crowns without VAT.

April 6, 2020 - The coronavirus slowed preparations for the construction of line D. DPP extended the deadline for bids in the tender by two months.

July 3, 2020 - The Office for the Protection of Competition (UOHS) prohibited DPP from concluding a contract with the winner of the public contract for the construction of the first section of metro D by preliminary measures.

September 11, 2020 - According to DPP, construction of metro D between Pankrác and Olbrachtova will most likely begin only in spring 2021; tunneling was originally supposed to start in September 2020.

October 16, 2020 - UOHS decided that DPP must reconsider the objections sent to it by Eurovia CS regarding the tender for the construction of the first part of metro D.

April 23, 2020 - Councilors approved a change to the zoning plan, line D is completely included in the city's zoning plan.

June 7, 2021 - The city leadership agreed to start the construction of the first section from Pankrác to Nové Dvory. The costs, taking inflation into account, should be approximately 52.09 billion crowns. According to the document, construction of the first part could begin in October 2021.

June 14, 2021 - Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr announced that there is a risk of delay in the start of construction. The Ministry of Transport canceled its own decision, which rejected the magistrate's bias in decision-making about the construction. This decision postpones the issuance of the building permit. The case must therefore be reconsidered by the Ministry of Transport.

June 17, 2021 - The council decided that the city will begin construction of line D, starting with the section from Pankrác to Nové Dvory. The exact start date of construction is unclear. The councilors also approved the financing guarantee for the construction. DPP will seek funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) as well as commercial banks. The city also intends to negotiate state support.

June 29, 2021 - DPP announced that it could conclude a contract with the winner of the tender for the construction of the first part of metro D. UOHS Chairman Petr Mlsna confirmed the office's decision that the conditions and course of the tender were in order.

March 9, 2022 - DPP announced that it has obtained a valid building permit for metro D and can begin construction. The Ministry of Transport rejected the appeals of opponents of the construction against the issuance of the building permit, so it is valid - it became effective on March 24. The actual construction will begin on April 21.