CZECH REPUBLIC: Praha transport authority DPP has selected a consortium of Subterra, Hochtief and BeMo Tunneling to build the 3·3 km Olbrachtova to Nové Dvory section of the first phase of metro Line D including two intermediate stations.
The contract will include TBM and NATM tunnelling. The Nádraží Krč station will be partly under a motorway and partly on a viaduct over a river, while Nové Dvory station will have provision for the future construction of a branch towards Modřany.
Three consortia led by Subterra, Porr and Strabag had bid for the contract
Strabag’s offer was the most expensive and not evaluated. DPP said the other two offers were unexpectedly low in price; Porr’s offer was the lowest but was rejected after the consortium did not clarify certain points regarding the low bids. The Subterra proposal was valued at KC30bn.
DPP Chair Petr Witowski said ‘although we expected this contract to be a big battle’, the procurement process had included ‘some practices that are completely unacceptable to us’, including pressure being exerted on the board.
Line D
The 10·6 km Line D will link Náměstí Míru in the city centre with Depo Písnice in the southeast, with eight intermediate stations. The line is being designed for fully automatic operation with a fleet of 17 four-car driverless trainsets.
Civil works are being undertaken in two phases, each divided into two lots.
In July 2021 a consortium of Subterra, Hochtief CZ, Strabag, Hochtief Infrastructure and Ed Züblin was awarded a KC13·8bn contract for the first lot covering the Pankrác – Olbrachtova section.
This, along with the second lot covering Olbrachtova to Nové Dvory, is scheduled for completion in 2029.
The two lots for the second phase would cover extensions south from Nové Dvory to Depo Písnice and north from Pankrác to Náměstí Míru.
The total cost of the Line D project is estimated at KC97·8bn. This is to be funded from the city’s own resources, commercial loans and by the European Investment Bank, although the city council is hoping to negotiate a contribution from the national budget.
