Construction of new D metro line to begin at Pankrác
Construction works on a long-delayed Metro line are set to begin soon. A planned new north-south link of the Prague metro, the so-called D route, will be launched at Pankrác station, outside the Arkády shopping mall, the head of the Prague Transport Company Martin Gillár announced on Wednesday. This is where the tunnel boring machines will be brought under the ground.
The construction work was originally to start on the premises of a Pankrác sports club, but in the end the transport company came up with an alternative solution. The construction will be preceded by archaeological examination of the site, which is set to start in the summer of 2018.
The new D route is meant to relieve the crowded Metro C route and also connect the centre with its southern districts. The line from Pankrác to Olbrachtova would later be continued south in the direction of Písnice and another section should connect Pankrác with the city centre and Náměstí Míru. The entire line is estimated to cost around 50 billion crowns.
According to Prague Transport Company, building the line from Pankrác to Nové Dvory, and later extending the route to Písnice is the most efficient option for construction. The time for building the Pankrác to Náměstí Míru section has not yet been decided.
Construction of the Metro’s D route was supposed to start last year, but it was postponed due to problems with acquiring all of the land. According to previously released plans, it should be completed by the year 2022 or 2023.
The Prague Metro launched operation in 1974 and currently has three lines with 61 stations.
