Milestone Reached: Metro D Connects to Line C After Tunnel Breakthrough

The construction of Prague’s new Metro D line has achieved a significant milestone with workers completing a 468-meter-long tunnel connecting the new line with Metro Line C.

The tunnel opens 30 meters behind Pankrác station towards Budějovická. It will remain sealed until Metro D is fully operational. With this breakthrough, all tunnel excavations for the first segment of Metro D have been successfully completed.

“This connector is crucial for operational reasons,” explained Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates). “Trains will run back and forth between Pankrác and the Kačerov depot every morning and evening, until the new depot at Písnice on Line D is ready.”

The Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) began construction of Metro Line D in 2022, with the section between Pankrác and Písnice.

The current phase focuses on the Pankrác to Olbrachtova segment, which will cost an estimated 14.5 billion crowns. This part of the project is expected to take around seven and a half years, to complete.

Although this newly constructed tunnel won’t be available for passengers, as it is designed for train transfers, it is a vital component in the DPP’s long-term plan to expand Metro D beyond Olbrachtova, eventually reaching Nové Dvory in the future.

During this phase, trains from the Kačerov depot will be dispatched to the new line via the connector, until Line D has its own dedicated depot. Both Lines C and D will be modernized in the future and will feature driverless trains.

The Next Steps: Focus on Secondary Lining and Insulation

In addition to the newly completed connector, tunnels between Pankrác and Olbrachtova have also been dug, as well as a third, separate tunnel designed for backup trains.

“The excavation and primary lining works are done. The next phase involves installing insulation and the secondary lining,” said Jiří Hrnčíř, Metro D’s project manager at DPP. “The track should be operational by 2027, and the installation of technology will take an additional two years.”

The construction between the stations involves two tunnel types: a double-track tunnel transitioning into two single-track tunnels to create room for platforms at Olbrachtova station.

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