The change of the zoning plan for trams to the main station will be done within a year

Prague - The Prague City Hall will complete the proposal for the amendment of the zoning plan, which will allow the construction of a tram line from Vinohradská Street to the main train station. The proposal will then be discussed. The amendment could be approved within a year. In response to a query from ČTK, Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (TOP 09) said today. The city will, together with Prague 1 and the transport company (DPP), look for a designer for the line. Today, the Prague councilors approved the route of the tracks, which will lead from the National Museum to the State Opera, across the main road and further to the station and into Bolzanova. It is unclear when the construction of the line will start.

Today, the selected route still needs to be approved by the Prague representatives. Subsequently, the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) will incorporate it into the already prepared proposal for the amendment of the zoning plan and submit it for discussion. "We can expect that we could have the change approved, perhaps within a year," said Hlaváček.

In the past, the IPR developed several variations of the route. The city ultimately chose the one where the tram from Vinohradská will go Wilsonova to the State Opera, where it will turn across the main road and lead through the park in front of the train station building and further into Bolzanova. However, this did not please the conservationists, as they claimed it would disturb the promenade park. Thus, according to the newly approved route, trams will run from the opera down Politických vězňů Street and turn into Washingtonova Street, from which the tracks will lead in front of the train station building.

Alongside the preparation of the amendment of the zoning plan, the city, together with Prague 1 and DPP, will initiate a so-called competitive dialogue, during which a designer and the form of the line will be selected. This is an interactive form, in which the city, IPR, and the competitors communicate and agree on the final form of the proposal. The city has already used this procedure when searching for a project for the reconstruction of Karlovo náměstí.

"We chose a competitive dialogue as the form of the competition because this is not a simple tram route in street space, which is defined by, for example, heights. The area known as Sherwood is complicated in height and spatial terms, and we have to navigate the area urbanistically, without damaging the park," said Hlaváček.

The current leadership of the capital city is also preparing the construction of a line from Vinohradská Avenue across Wenceslas Square, where it will connect to the tracks linking Vodičkova and Jindřišská Streets. This construction does not require an amendment to the zoning plan. However, it is unclear when it will begin.