The circular metro line is estimated to cost 220 billion CZK, Prague will commission a study

Prague – The circular metro line E, which Prague plans to connect parts of the city outside the center, is estimated to cost 220 billion crowns if standard tunnels are used. It should run from Smíchov through Pankrác, Bohdalec, Žižkov, Vysočany, and Letňany to the planned northern terminal of the high-speed railway. City representatives told journalists today. City councilors plan to approve the preparation of a feasibility study next week, which will check the precise parameters of the line.

The idea of a metro line connecting parts of the city outside the center, according to Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (STAN), originated in the 1980s, and the new Prague zoning plan, which came into effect on Tuesday, now reserves a corridor for its route. The purpose of the connection is primarily to get people out of cars and into public transport, relieve traffic in the center, supplement currently missing or insufficient direct and fast connections between the more peripheral parts of the city, and serve areas where greater residential development is expected in the future.

The new line is proposed to have a length of about 22 kilometers along the proposed route, which would mean an expansion of the Prague network by 29 percent. According to Deputy Mayor for Transport Jaromír Beránek (Pirates), city councilors will approve the commission for the feasibility study of the new line next week, which will follow the first analysis prepared by the city's Institute of Planning and Development (IPR).

The IPR will also be responsible for the study, which will examine, for example, the location of stations, their connection to existing and future developments, transfer links, economic demands, or the possibilities of using different types of rail transport in individual sections. The council will also commission the preparation of a manual for utilizing the development potential of existing metro stations and their surroundings.

The line may not have to be entirely underground, which is related to the overall cost of the project that the study will also address. "Costs must be such that the city can afford to pay them," said the chairman of the Together club of councilors, Tomáš Portlík (ODS). Beránek added that after being commissioned by the councilors, the study should take about a year to a year and a half to complete. The actual construction should then, according to the deputy, connect as quickly as possible to the completion of line D between Náměstí Míru and Písnice, which is expected to be completed by early 2026 according to the current schedule.

The intention to build the circular line began to be discussed in the previous electoral term by the then Deputy Mayor for Transport and now opposition councilor Adam Scheinherr (Praha Sobě). He also identified the section in the eastern part of the metropolis as a priority, but his proposal included future completion of the entire loop through Bohnice, Podbaba, and Strahov to Smíchov.

Today, Beránek stated that for this part, tram transportation should suffice, which will be ensured by a new line between Bohnice and Podbaba. He added that there would be an opportunity to increase the capacity of the route, for example, by extending the platforms so that longer trains could stop there, or by increasing the permissible speed.