Prague Metro

Prague Metro
Info
Locale	Prague
Transit type	Rapid transit (subway)
Number of lines	3 (plus 1 in planning)
Number of stations	57
Daily ridership	1,472,000 (2007)
Operation
Began operation	9 May 1974
Operator(s)	Dopravní podnik hl. m. Prahy (Prague Public Transit company)
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge)
System map Legend C Letňany Prosek Střížkov Černý Most B Ládví Rajská zahrada Kobylisy Hloubětín Nádraží Holešovice Kolbenova Vltavská Vysočanská Českomoravská A Dejvická Palmovka Hradčanská Invalidovna Malostranská Křižíkova Staroměstská Florenc Náměstí Republiky Hlavní nádraží Můstek Muzeum Národní třída Náměstí Míru Karlovo náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad Anděl Flora Smíchovské nádraží Želivského Radlická Strašnická Jinonice Skalka Nové Butovice Depo Hostivař A Hůrka Lužiny I. P. Pavlova Luka Vyšehrad Stodůlky Pražského povstání B Zličín Pankrác Budějovická Kačerov Roztyly Chodov Opatov Háje C This route map: view · Prague Metro lines and stations The Prague Metro is a subway, underground public transportation network in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the fastest means of transportation around the city and serves about one and a half million passengers a day, which makes it the seventh busiest metro system in Europe and the most-used in the world on a per capita basis. Basic information The Prague Metro comprises three lines, each of which is represented by its own colour on the maps and signs: Line A (green), Line B (yellow) and Line C (red). There are 57 stations in total (three of which are transfer stations) connected by nearly 60 kilometres of mostly underground railways. The metro service operates between 4-5 am till midnight from Sunday till Thursday (on Friday and Saturday the last trains journey start at 1am), with about two- to three-minute intervals between trains during rush hours. Over 500 million passengers use the Prague Metro every year. The metro is run by the Prague Public Transit Company Co. Inc. (in Czech officially Dopravní podnik hlavního města Prahy a.s.) which manages all means of public transport around the city (the metro, tramways, buses, the funicular to Petřín Hill and the chairlift inside Prague Zoo). Since 1993, this system has been connected to commuter trains and buses and also to "park-and-ride" parking lots. Together they form a public transportation network reaching further from the city called Prague Integrated Transport (Pražská integrovaná doprava—PID). Whilst the large system is zonally priced, the metro is fully inside the central zone. Many Prague Metro stations are quite large, with several entrances spaced relatively far apart. This can often lead to confusion for tourists, especially at the central hubs such as Můstek or Muzeum: it is not enough to merely get off at the right station; one must also choose the right way out to the surface, otherwise one can easily find oneself five or ten minutes' walking distance from the required destination. However, in general the stations are well signposted even for those unfamiliar with local language. Layout and stations Náměstí Republiky station. Metro bridge between Lužiny and Hůrka stations. Main article: List of Prague Metro stations The Prague Metro system is laid out as a triangle, with all three lines meeting in the center of the city at three interchange stations. Each interchange station has two halls, one hall for each line. The depth of the stations (and the connecting lines) varies considerably. The deepest station is Náměstí Míru, located 52 meters under the ground. Parts of the tracks in the city center were mostly bored using the tunneling shield. Outer parts were dug by the cut-and-cover method and the stations are only a few meters under the surface. The B line partly runs in a glassed-in tunnel above the ground. Most stations have a single platform in the center of the station hall (tunnel) serving both directions. The sub-surface stations have a straight ceiling sometimes supported by columns. The deep-level stations are larger tunnels with the track tunnels on each side. The walls of many stations are decorated using colored aluminium panels, each station having its own color. # Name Opened Length Stations A Line A (Linka A) 1978 11.0 km 13 B Line B (Linka B) 1985 25.6 km 24 C Line C (Linka C) 1974 22.7 km 20 Total: 59.3 km 57 (transfer stations counted as two; see above) Tickets The Prague Metro is an open ticket system. Passengers must buy and validate a ticket before entering the metro platform. There are uniformed ticket inspectors who have the right to check the validity of the ticket at any time within the compulsory ticket area. The tickets are the same for all means of transport in Prague (excluding commuter trains for single tickets). The basic single ticket (the transfer variant) costs 26 CZK (as of 1 January 2008) and allows a 75-minute ride (90 minutes during evenings, weekends and state holidays). The non-transferable ticket (costing 18 CZK) is valid for a distance of five metro stations (not including the station of validation) allowing changes between lines A, B and C, but no longer than 30 minutes in total. Since December 2007 SMS purchase for the basic single transfer ticket is possible. Short-term tourist passes are available for periods of 24 hours (110 CZK), 3 days (310 CZK) and 5 days (500 CZK). In addition, longer-term season tickets can be bought (photo ID required) for periods of one month (550 CZK), three months (1480 CZK) or the annual pass (4750 CZK). History Ladislav Rott's proposal to the Prague City Council. Although the Prague Metro system is relatively new, ideas to build some kind of underground transport in the city reach far into its history. The first proposal to build a sub-surface railway was made by Ladislav Rott in 1898. He encouraged the city council to take the advantage of the fact that parts of the central city were already being dug up for sewer work. Rott wanted them to start digging tunnels for the railway at the same time. However, the plan was denied by the city authorities. Another proposal in 1926, by Bohumil Belada and Vladimír List, was the first to use the term "Metro", and though it was not accepted either, it served as an impulse for moving towards a real solution of the rapidly developing transport in Prague. In the 1930s and 1940s, intensive projection and planning works were being held, taking into account two possible solutions: an underground tramway (regular rolling stock going under ground in the city center, nowadays described as a "pre-metro") and a "true" metro having its own independent system of railways. After World War II, all work was stopped due to the poor economic situation of the country, although the three lines, A, B and C, had been almost fully designed. In the early 1960s the concept of the sub-surface tramway was finally accepted and on 9 August 1967 the actual building of the first station (Hlavní nádraží) started. However, at the same year, a substantial change in the concept came, as the government, under the influence of Soviet advisers, decided to build a "true" metro system instead of an underground tramway. Thus, during the first years, the construction continued while the whole project was conceptually transformed. The regular service of the first section of line C began operating on 9 May 1974 between Sokolovská (now Florenc) and Kačerov stations. Building continued quite rapidly after that. In 1978 the first section of line A was opened and, finally, line B opened in 1985, thus forming the triangle with three crossing points. Since then, the tracks have been extended further from the center. Line B was extended from Nové Butovice to Zličín in 1994 and from Českomoravská to Černý Most in 1998. The Kolbenova and Hloubětín stations were opened in 2001. On 22 February 1990, 11 stations with names reflecting communist ideology were changed to be politically neutral. Leninova station, which contained a giant bust of Lenin before the Velvet Revolution, was renamed Dejvická after a nearby street and surrounding neighbourhood. In the meantime, the old Russian trains are slowly wearing out and are being refurbished or replaced. The refurbished trains are projected to serve for another 15 years. The renewal of the rolling stock should be completed by 2007. August 2002, flooded stations and lines In August 2002, the metro suffered disastrous flooding that struck parts of Bohemia and other areas in Central Europe (see 2002 European flood). 19 stations were flooded, causing a partial collapse of the transport system in Prague; the damage to the metro has been estimated at approximately 7 billion CZK (over US$200 million). The affected sections of the metro stayed out of service for several months; the last station (Křižíkova, located in the most-damaged area - Karlín) reopened in March 2003. Small gold plates have been placed at some stations to show the highest water level of the flood. Kobylisy station, line C (2004). A northern extension of line C was opened on 26 June 2004, with two more stations, Kobylisy and Ládví. Notable is the way that new tunnels were built under the Vltava river. A unique "ejecting-tunnels" technology was chosen for this. First, a trench was excavated in the riverbed and the concrete tunnels constructed in dry docks on the riverbank. Then the docks were flooded, and the floating tunnels were moved as a rigid complex to their final position, sunk, anchored and covered.[1] Line A was recently extended farther to the east. On 26 May 2006, a new terminus, Depo Hostivař, opened. The station was constructed within the buildings of an existing railway depot. The extension is the first segment of the system that has been built above ground and not through a tunnel. Line C has been recently extended further to the northeast to connect the city center to the large housing blocks in Prosek. Three stations (Střížkov, Prosek and Letňany) opened on 8 May 2008. Rolling stock 81-71M train in depot Service is currently provided entirely with five-car units. There are two kinds of units currently in operation on the Prague Metro: M1, serving on line C since 1998, completely replaced older cars on line C in 2003. The metro owns 48 units. These units were manufactured in Prague by consortium consisting of ČKD Praha, ADtranz and Siemens (during the contract Siemens acquired ČKD Praha). This unit was also adapted for use in Venezuela on the Maracaibo Metro. 81-71M, modernized variant of the old Soviet 81-71 trains serving on the line A and on line B. First modernization was completed in 1996 and they are still continuing since in Škoda Transportation. Similar reconstructions were also made in the Tbilisi metro. Previously in service: 81-71, old Soviet trains manufactured by Metrovagonmash serving only on line B, being gradually phased out and replaced by the modernized versions. Their service ended on 2 July 2009. Ečs, Soviet trains manufactured by Metrovagonmash, that ran on line C, in service from 1974-1997. Features "Můstek" means "little bridge" and refers to the area around the Můstek station. The origin of the area's name was not known until remains of a medieval bridge were discovered during construction of the station. The remains were incorporated into the station and can be seen near the northwestern exit of the station. The escalator at Náměstí Míru station in Vinohrady is about 100 metres long and, according to its builder, is the longest escalator in Europe.[2] It takes about two and a half minutes to ascend or descend the escalator if you stand still. Escalator in Náměstí Míru. Between I. P. Pavlova and Vyšehrad stations, Line C runs inside the box structure of the Nusle Bridge over a steep valley. Anděl station was known as Moskevská (Moscow Station) until 1990. It opened on the same day in 1985 as the Prazhskaya (Prague) station on the Moscow Metro. It contains several pieces of propaganda art promoting Soviet-Czechoslovak friendship. Anděl station, like the Smíchov train station, contains some of the best-preserved examples of Communist-era propaganda art remaining in Prague. During the communist period rumors circulated that large "survival chambers" were being built for high officials of the government in the case of a nuclear attack. After the fall of communism such areas were shown indeed to exist, but not on the scale envisioned nor fitted out in luxury. The future There are further plans to build a completely new line, the D line (or blue line). Line D would connect the city centre to the southern parts of the city and according to the newest plans, the line would go from Náměstí Republiky (interchange with the B line) through Hlavní nádraží (the main train station, interchange with the C line) and the Nusle quarter down to the suburban neighbourhoods of Krč, Libuš and Písnice in the south. If the project goes well, the first sections of the line will commence operation around 2015. The first phase of a CZK18.7 billion extension on the west end of the A line is currently under construction, from Dejvická station to Motol, which is forecast to open to the public in 2014. The second phase of this extension will see the line reach Ruzyně International Airport and is set to open by 2021.[3][4] Before this, a railway connection to the airport will be opened. An E line has also been proposed, but not much is known about it yet and no official plans were released. Culture The Prague Metro is used very much by locals, and the quote given by the PA system when the doors are closing, "Ukončete, prosím, výstup a nástup, dveře se zavírají" (Please finish boarding and exiting, the doors are closing) has become a symbol of Prague for some tourists, and is possibly the first clear Czech phrase many travelers hear. See also List of rapid transit systems References ^ Metrostav | Projects ^ ThyssenKrupp Elevator: Prague ^ http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/10/work-starts-on-praha-metro-extension.html ^ http://www.praha.eu/jnp/en/transport/public_transportation/the_extension_of_the_line_a_has_been.html External links Official pages of Prague Public Transit Co. Inc. including maps, fare information, etc. DP-Praha Fares (Czech) DP-Praha Fares (English) Prague Metro – an interesting English website about the Prague Metro system with many photos of stations, map, history, rolling stock description, discussion etc. www.metroweb.cz – pages of Czech metrophiles with plenty of information and pictures (in Czech, with some information available in English) [1] - Prague metro photo (after 2002 flood) [2] - Prague metro photo ← direction Dejvická Prague Metro – line A direction Depo Hostivař →   Metro stops on this line   Dejvická  – Hradčanská – Malostranská – Staroměstská – Můstek B – Muzeum C  – Náměstí Míru – Jiřího z Poděbrad – Flora – Želivského – Strašnická  – Skalka  - Depo Hostivař  ← direction Zličín Prague Metro – line B direction Černý Most →   Metro stops on this line   Zličín  – Stodůlky  – Luka  – Lužiny  – Hůrka  – Nové Butovice  – Jinonice – Radlická – Smíchovské nádraží  – Anděl – Karlovo náměstí – Národní třída – Můstek A – Náměstí Republiky – Florenc C – Křižíkova – invalidovna – Palmovka – Českomoravská – Vysočanská  – Kolbenova  – Hloubětín  – Rajská zahrada  – Černý Most  ← direction Letňany Prague Metro – line C direction Háje →   Metro stops on this line   Letňany  - Prosek  - Střížkov  - Ládví  – Kobylisy  – Nádraží Holešovice  – Vltavská  – Florenc B  – Hlavní nádraží  – Muzeum A  – I. P. Pavlova – Vyšehrad  – Pražského povstání – Pankrác  – Budějovická  – Kačerov – Roztyly  – Chodov  – Opatov  – Háje  Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая? Vladimir Akopian Matt Frei Look at other dictionaries: Můstek (Prague Metro) — Coordinates: 50°5′1.621″N 14°25′24.02″E / 50.08378361°N 14.4233389°E / 50.08378361; 14.4233389 …   Wikipedia Nádraží Holešovice (Prague Metro) — Nádraží Holešovice metro station …   Wikipedia Národní třída (Prague Metro) — Národní třída metro station Národní třída is a Prague Metro station on Line B. The station has only one exit, to Spálená street where it connects to the tram network. Station Characteristcs Národní třída is a pylon type metro station with 3… …   Wikipedia Náměstí Republiky (Prague Metro) — Coordinates: 50°5′20.075″N 14°25′49.697″E / 50.08890972°N 14.43047139°E / 50.08890972; 14.43047139 …   Wikipedia Nové Butovice (Prague Metro) — Nové Butovice metro station Nové Butovice is a Prague Metro station on Line B. External links Gallery and information (English) …   Wikipedia Chodov (Prague Metro) — Platform of Chodov station Surface entrance with pa …   Wikipedia Line C (Prague Metro) — Line C ( cz. Linka C) is a line on the Prague Metro. It crosses the right bank half of the city center in the north south directions and turns to the east at both ends of the line. It is the system s oldest and most used line, being opened in… …   Wikipedia A&O Prague Metro Strizkov — (Прага,Чехия) Категория отеля: 3 звездочный отель Адрес: Děčínská 1, Прага …   Каталог отелей Hlavní nádraží (Prague Metro) — Hlavní nádraží is a Prague Metro station on Line C. The metro station serves Praha hlavní nádraží, Prague s principal mainline railway station. The metro station is situated underground, below the railway station.HistoryHlavní nádraží is one of… …   Wikipedia Zličín (Prague Metro) — Zličín is a Prague Metro station and terminus of Line B. Zličín metro station gives direct pedestrian access to the 2004 constructed Metropolis shopping mall, and has free bus links to the nearby vast Globus, Tesco and Ikea shops.The station s… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”