Transit work disrupts commutes

It is summer in Prague: time for picnics, outdoor concerts and construction on public transport. This year, there are even more disruptions than usual as the city takes on the most extensive tram reconstruction work in 20 years, according to city officials.

At present, major construction is under way at sections of the Újezd, Plzeňská, Hradčanská and Myslíkova tracks. 

The cost of the reconstruction work will be in the hundreds of millions of crowns, but is being 92 percent funded by the European Union. It is part of an effort to update the tram system by renovating older tracks, increasing the number of modern trams and reducing outdated lines, said Ivona Vysoudilová, spokeswoman for the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP). 

Currently, some older trams go as slow as 10 kilometers per hour because of the condition of the cars and tracks, Vysoudilová said.

The upheaval has created cancellations, delays and rerouted certain tram lines, causing confusion among regular commuters and summer tourists alike.

Vysoudilová said DPP is posting information about altered routes on its website and has an information campaign including brochures and station attendants for passengers to consult.

Summer is often the season for major track reconstruction; every year, approximately 5 kilometers of track are renovated.

"The aim is to finalize necessary works in one area during one construction season so repeated disruptions in one area are prevented, minimizing the impact on passengers," Vysoudilová said.

On Plzeňská street, construction will stop tram service in both directions from Plzeňská-Radlická to Sídliště Řepy through Sept. 1.

At Hradčanská, a particularly disruptive area of reconstruction due to ongoing work on the Blanka Tunnel project, work is nearing completion and should be mostly reopen Sept. 1, save for the section between Milady Horákové street and U Brusnice, which will reopen in October.

In the city center, new tracks are being constructed on the Újezd-Lazarská tram line to allow the use of the faster 14T Porsche trams. Work on the line began in 2008, and the updated track between Lazarská-Spálená and Újezd-Vítězná will reopen Sept. 1 in both directions. In the meantime, the city has introduced tram No. 33 as an alternate until construction is complete.

The Myslbekova street track, also being replaced to make way for the 14T trams, will not reopen until September 2012.

- Klára Jiřičná contributed to this report.

Cat Contiguglia can be reached at
ccontiguglia@praguepost.com