Photo: tobias-reich-unsplash
Prague invests €3 billion in driverless metro trains
19 February 2024
by Christopher Carey
Prague City Council has given the go-ahead for the purchase of 69 driverless trains as part of plans to automate its underground network.
The new trains are expected to come into operation in 2029.
Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Transport Zdenek Hřib told Cities Today that the move will increase peak time punctuality and passenger safety.
“[This is] especially [the] case for metro line C – the aim is to reduce the current peak waiting time from 115 seconds to 90 seconds.
“[We also want] to increase the transport capacity and passengers travel speed, [and] increase the safety and reliability of train operation by installing the platforms screen doors at stations, etc.”
The trains, and their servicing costs until the 2060’s, will total approximately €3.37 billion euros (US$3.63 billion).
The city says that along with shortening train intervals and increasing capacity on its busiest route, line C, by up to 20 percent, there will be a “significant reduction in operating costs” with annual savings of up to €30 million.
When asked if there were any concerns over the impact on jobs, Hřib said that the reduction in the number of drivers will be offset by “new operation positions” on the soon to be constructed metro line D as well as planned retirements.
“We are preparing a dedicated social programme many years before the automation of line C will be in realisation,” added Hřib.
Tram boom
Last month the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) announced the purchase of 40 new trams as part of an eight-year contract with Skoda.
The deal, which includes an option for the purchase of an additional 160 trams, is valued at almost €673 million, with the first 20 trams expected in December 2025.
“We have started a tram boom in Prague,” said Hřib. “We are building new lines. Last year we opened three lines with a total length of five kilometres, and we are preparing more.
“This year, for example, we will start building on Wenceslas Square. The new lines alone, which we plan to build in the period 2024-2027, will need 45 new trams.”
Image: tobias-reich-unsplash
