Nearly 50 years after trams last passed the upper section of Wenceslas Square, Prague is preparing to bring them back.

The city’s transport planning authority, Ropid, has outlined how the tram network will operate once the new line connecting the square with Vinohrady opens in the summer of 2027.

The new tracks will restore a long-absent link between the city centre and neighbourhoods such as Vršovice, Francouzská Street, and lower Vinohradská Street.

One of the biggest changes concerns access to Bělehradská Street, which will become easier from Náměstí Republiky thanks to direct connections via the Muzeum stop. Travel from the National Theatre to Vinohrady will also be faster than today.

Ropid says four lines — 6, 14, 29, and later 13 once the new line to Malešice is completed — will use the route through the top of the square.

The new arrangement is expected to ease pressure on nearby corridors, especially Ječná Street, which has long required a full reconstruction. The return of tram service will allow that overhaul to move ahead and give the entire area between Karlovo náměstí and I. P. Pavlova a chance to be redesigned for people rather than heavy traffic.

The last trams disappeared from upper Wenceslas Square in December 1980, when lines such as 3, 11, 19, 20, 22 and 29 crossed the boulevard before the space was reshaped during late-communist urban planning.

While the Wenceslas Square tracks will not open for another year and a half, the city will see a major shift in public transport much sooner.

In March 2026, Prague plans to launch service over the new Dvorecký Bridge, now nearing completion. It will carry tram lines 20 and 21, as well as four bus routes that currently rely on the congested Barrandovský Bridge, where rush-hour delays are common.

The opening of the bridge will bring a wider reorganisation across the southern part of the city. Bus frequency between Budějovická and Smíchov will double throughout the week, while new tram links will offer direct travel from Modřany to Malá Strana or Dejvice, and from Barrandov to Podolí.

Podolí will also gain a straightforward tram connection to I. P. Pavlova.

Another important project is scheduled to finish earlier — the new line between Olšanská and Habrová should be ready in spring next year.

It will lead to Jarov and anchor the development of a new residential district on the site of the former Žižkov freight station. For residents in Vackov and Třebešín, the route will shorten trips to the centre via tram line 5.

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