CZECH REPUBLIC: Construction of Praha metro Line D is expected to get underway next year, following the award of the civil works contract for the most challenging section of the 10·6 km route.
Once completed, Line D will run from Náměstí Míru to Depo Písnice, serving eight intermediate stations at Náměstí bratří Synků, Pankrác, Olbrachtova, Nádraží Krč, Nemocnice Krč, Nové Dvory, Libuš and Písnice. Interchange with the existing Line C will be provided at Pankrác.
The line is being designed for fully automatic operation and will be worked by a fleet of 17 four-car driverless trainsets. Total cost of the project is currently estimated at KC97·8bn. The project is to be funded from the city’s own resources, along with a mix of commercial loans and funding from the European Investment Bank, although the city council is hoping to negotiate a contribution from the national budget.
The business case for the initial section was formally approved by Praha municipality on June 7, allowing city transport authority DPP to start awarding construction contracts. This first phase covers the route between the Line C interchange at Pankrác and Nové Dvory, together with the intermediate stations at Olbrachtova, Nádraží Krč and Nemocnice Krč. Construction is expected to take around 7½ years, at a total cost of KC52·1bn, including the rolling stock, automation and signalling.
On June 29 DPP signed a KC13·8bn contract with an international consortium of Subterra, Hochtief CZ, Strabag, Hochtief Infrastructure and Ed. Züblin covering civil works on the 1·2 km between Pankrác and Olbrachtova, where the line will run around 33 m below ground level. The longest subsection between two stations on the route is expected to be the hardest to build, as a result of difficult geological conditions in the Pankrác area and the complexity of the interchange below Line C. This section is expected to be built using the new Austrian Tunnelling Method, although the necessary permits have not yet been granted. According to the city’s Deputy Mayor for Transport and Chairman of the DPP Supervisory Board Adam Scheinherr, a one-year delay in the procurement process has inflated the projected cost by between KC2bn and KC4bn.
Tenders have been called for the next section between Olbrachtova and Nové Dvory, and DPP is hoping to announce the winning bidder by the end of this year. Construction is provisionally scheduled to begin in April 2023 for completion within six years. The remaining Nové Dvory – Depo Písnice and Pankrác – Náměstí Míru sections are expected to take four and six years respectively.
