Prague is continuing the construction of the fourth line of its metro, Metro D. With 1.6km of tunnels excavated, the first 520 meters of tunnels were created during geological exploration, with the remaining 1,082 meters excavated from the start of construction. The Prague Public Transit Company invested nearly CZK 1.8bn ($83.8m) into constructing the line last year and this year. Tunneling on the first section of Metro D will continue for almost three more years until around 2025 and 2026.

The excavation of the Olbrachtova station began only after many engineering networks, including optical cables, sewage, and water pipelines, had been relocated. In total, 5,000 meters of engineering networks were relocated, and an additional 5,000 meters still need to be relocated in the future southern vestibule area, where work currently requires a road closure on Na Strži Street.

At the northern vestibule, a noise barrier has been constructed, behind which a crane stands that is currently hauling excavated material to the surface, which is then transported to the bottom of the shaft. The contractor plans to begin mining the southern vestibule in the middle of this year.

According to the Prague Public Transit Company, only 27 meters of excavation remain before the connected Pankrác and Olbrachtova stations. The contractor dug a base tunnel from the initially conducted geological survey, which continued from the Pankrác station, but also carried out complete rock injections. In the inter-station section, where a double-track tunnel is being excavated, the excavation has advanced from the mine shaft almost to the future Olbrachtova station, about 420 meters away from the main mine shaft. Nearly 700 meters of the tunnel have been excavated in the inter-station section.

Petr Witowski, the director of the Prague Public Transit Company, stated that the excavation of both stations and the digging of their vestibules will take just under three more years to complete. The construction of the Metro D line will help ease traffic congestion and provide faster, more efficient public transportation options for commuters and residents in Prague.

Article by Prague Forum