From Pankrác to Písnice in 16 minutes. Prague has started the construction of metro line D
Representatives of the capital and transport company (DPP) on Thursday in Pankrác started the construction of metro line D from Pankrác to Olbrachtov. The cost of this part of the line is about 14.5 billion crowns and the work will last 90 months, ie about seven and a half years. It includes two stations, where the Pankrác station will be transferred to the current station of the same name on line C, and the city expects more than 120,000 passengers a day. The section then started to Nové Dvory and as the last section to Písnice. The costs should be a total of 52.09 billion crowns, including inflation.
In January this year, the DPP completed a geological survey, which it conducted in four places in Pankrác. Buildings created during the survey will be possible in the future. In the first stage, created on a 1.3-kilometer-long section not only of the two stations, but also inter-station tunnels, a tunnel for reversing tracks and a parking tunnel, technological tunnels for air conditioning, a link between lines C and D and several escalator tunnels. After completing the section to Písnice, the metro is to continue from Pankrác to náměstí Míru.
“A moment such as the start of a new metro line was last seen 44 years ago, when construction of line B began. I think it is (the start of construction of metro D) an incredibly important step for the development of the city, not just the southern part, which suffers from it. that it is served only by car, “said Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr (Prague Sobě).
The Pankrác station will be single-seater with side platforms and will be the largest on route D. The track will be 33 meters underground. Olbrachtova station will consist of two station tunnels in an arch with an inner platform and will have two vestibules. The tunnel between the stations will measure 675 meters. The mentioned tunnels created during the geological survey will be used in Pankrác. A 468-meter-long jumper between lines C and D will also be built. Metro to overcome the height difference of 15 meters. The trains will leave the Kačerov depot until route D has its depot.
Work will first be started on the relocation of engineering networks, which will be followed by the depth of the access shafts necessary for the excavation of the stations themselves. Furthermore, the excavation of tunnels between stations will begin. In the second phase, in 2024 and 2025, workers will start excavating stations. In the end, the construction of the vestibules will begin.
The city will finance the construction not only from its budget, but also negotiates a loan with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the government. “We are in advanced negotiations with the EIB. We hope that Prague will be supported by the Czech state and government, not only morally but also financially. Cities in the civilized world do not build subways on their own, but are supported by central governments, “said Deputy Mayor Pavel Vyhnánek (Prague Sobě). The city could borrow more than 20 billion crowns from the bank. For this year, the capital has allocated more than four billion crowns in the budget for the construction of the metro.
The preparation of the construction involved a number of problems. The city had to reach an agreement with the landowners along the planned route. The Pankrác Society Association filed several complaints against the construction, among other things, it accused the municipality of systemic bias, which the Ministry of Transport subsequently rejected. A complaint against the issuance of a building permit was also resolved from the same complainants. The Antimonopoly Office also dealt with a complaint about a tender in which DPP selected construction contractors. This complaint was also rejected.