By Ashley Karen
A considerable milestone was reached in Prague’s metro line D construction, heading into the weekend. The first section of the new line, traveling from the future Olbrachtova station to the tunnel behind the future Pankrác D station, was officially linked as a wall between them came down.
This line was achieved under the Na Strži and Jeremenkova streets intersection in Prague 4. Over the 19 months since construction started, more than 2,100 meters of tunnels have been excavated for Metro D, illustrating almost 60% of the total excavation volume for the first section of the connection.
Mayor Ondřej Kubín of Prague 4, Transport Councilor Jaroslav Míth, and Finance Councilor Zdeněk Kovářík attended Friday’s breakthrough event. Mayor Kubín praised the progress, conveying gratitude to both builders and residents for their patience during the construction.
Moreover, Kovářík expressed: “I’m glad that the excavation in the Pankrác – Olbrachtova section continues according to plan, and there are no delays,”
“In addition to the builders, I would also like to thank the residents of the adjacent buildings for their patience because it is not easy to endure the restrictions related to the construction of a new station for many months. The reward will be access to the new traffic artery and the appreciation of the value of their real estate.”
Míth also asserted: “Today, you can say that Metro D exists because you can get from station to station. A nice early gift under the Christmas tree.”
He continued: “I look forward to the fact that in the not-too-distant future, the construction will progress, and we will also look at Thomayer University Hospital and beyond, and on the other side at Náměstí Bratří Synků. Excavators and tunnel boring machines are already on standby!”
The Metro D construction will result in considerable public transport disruptions for Prague residents. The city announced last month that the Pankrác station on Line C would close for a year from January 2025 for construction in the area.
The first tunnel completion between Pankrác and Olbrachtova on Friday means that the building is without delay after over a year and a half of work. Nonetheless, Prague’s Metro D line is still on plan to be operational by 2029.
