The preparations for connecting the main train station to Žižkov will probably take longer

Prague - The Railway Administration has not yet selected a contractor to extend the underpasses beneath the main railway station in Prague. After only one interested party applied for the competition, and its offered price was 74 percent higher than the originally expected 700 million crowns, the organization canceled the tender. A new contract will likely be announced next year. This was stated today by the spokesperson for the Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC) Radka Pistoriusová. The underpasses will connect the main station with Vinohrady and Žižkov.

SŽDC expects that the direct connection of the pedestrian route from the passenger hall of the main station towards the municipal districts of Prague 2 and Prague 3 will significantly shorten walking times from the main station to these districts.

However, the selection of the contractor for the underpasses will take longer. A consortium of companies Metrostav, Hochtief, and AŽD Praha applied for the tender, but their offer was much higher than SŽDC had anticipated. The organization is now planning to complete the necessary steps and deadlines following the cancellation of the contract. "We subsequently expect to announce a new tender with regard to the aim of making the extended underpass operational next year," added Pistoriusová.

SŽDC originally anticipated that, if the competition proceeded smoothly, construction could start at the turn of this year and next, with the underpasses being completed by the end of 2020. Consequently, the delay in the competition is likely to slightly postpone the construction.

The extension of the underpass should be addressed in such a way that in the future it will be possible to expand the station with additional island platforms. The ending of the pedestrian route will lead to Seifertova Street, with a possible connection through the CR-City administrative complex. SŽDC plans to propose the exit connection towards Prague 2 to Vinohradská Street, in the form of a sidewalk along Legerova Street.

The next phase of the reconstruction will consider the renovation of platforms five to seven, as well as the information and orientation system throughout the station. SŽDC plans this part of the modernization for the period from 2024 to 2027.