Prague metro
EN: Prague metro / CZ: Pražské metro
We invite you on a short excursion of Prague metro – discover with us the backbone of the transportation system of the city of Prague.
Efficient public transportation system is a contributor to quality of life. Means of public transportation shall be fast, efficient, safe and eco-friendly. Of course, it shall have an adequate capacity. In medium- and large-size cities an underground system is the best choice to complement trams, buses and trolleybuses. Prague has its metro. The inhabitants of Prague probably cannot imagine their everyday life in the city without metro. In the next few paragraphs we will describe the metro system in Prague, look back into the history and provide some technical data.
Although Prague metro does not reach the whole city it brings the passengers to the busiest and most famous places from where they can continue their journey by using tram or bus routes.
Requirements on metro system:
♦ Fast
♦ Efficient
♦ Safe
♦ Clean
♦ Easy to use
♦ Eco friendly
Prague metro consists of three lines A, B and C. All of them cross in the city center for easy transfer in between them.
Line A (green)
Nemocnice Motol – Depo Hostivař
Line A runs in east-west direction from Depo Hostivar (Hostivar depot) to Nemocnice Motol (Motor hospital). It currently has 17 stations and extends over 17 km. The extension of line A with the new metro stops Bořislavka, Nádraží Veleslavín, Petřiny and Nemocnice Motol was opened on April 6, 2015. In the outlook Line A should eventually run all the way to the Prague Airport.
Operation on line A started on August 12, 1978.
Most famous stations on Line A:
– Malostranská
– Staroměstská
– Můstek
– Muzeum
Line B (yellow)
Zličín – Černý Most
Line B also runs in east-west direction from Černý most to Zličín and has 24 stations. The length of line B is approx. 26 km making it the longest line of Prague metro.
On line B the operation started on November 2, 1985 and was expanded in 1990s.
Most famous stations on Line B:
– Florenc
– Náměstí Republiky
– Můstek
– Můstek
Line C (red)
Letňany – Háje
Line C runs north to south from Letňany to Háje and has 20 stations distributed over 22 km of length. 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, transporting roughly 26,900 persons per hour in the peak.
Line C is the first one to start a commercial operation back on May 9, 1974. The journey from one terminal to the opposite terminal stop takes about 35 minutes.
Important stations on Line C:
– Florenc
– Muzeum
– Vyšehrad
Line D (blue)
Prague metro plans a new line D (blue) that is supposed to have 10 stops and offload southern part of the city. It is now in the approval process and the line shall be opened between 2028-29. Metro on line D will be fully automated with driverless trains.
Metro operator
Operator of Prague metro is Prague Public Transit Company (Dopravní podnik hlavního města Prahy a.s.).
Metro coaches
81-71M
Most of the metro coaches used in Prague are 81-71M. Each train consists of control cars and trailer cars. These metro train cars were developed and manufactured in Soviet union (original manufacturers Metrovagonmash Mytishchi and Vagonmash Sankt Petersburg) and renovated by Skoda Transportation in late 1990s – early 2000s. Targets of the renovation were enhanced safety, extended lifetime and greatly improved operational efficiency as well as more comfort for passengers. Worth to mention is also reduced maintenance effort. Focus was put on stringent requirements on fire resistance and non-toxicity of floor, inner cover and cable system. Renovated metro cars have modern fire detection system. Driver’s cabin underwent a significant facelift and re-design. The information panel is located above the panoramic front window.
Fundamental changes happened in the electric power circuits. Inefficient contact resistor-based regulation was replaced by pulse control with IGBT modules in main and auxiliary converters. Renovation contributes to significant energy savings as well as reduction of weight.
Microprocessor-based control system ensures control of the whole train set, regulation of traction drive, control of auxiliary inverters as well as communication and diagnostics.
Interior of refurbished wagons contains longitudinal and transverse arranged seats that provides high level of comfort for sitting and standing passengers. Finally, all cars are equipped with a user-friendly information system.
Metro M1
Second type of metro trains is M1. These are new wagons specifically developed for Prague city by consortium of CKD, Siemens and ADTranz (nowadays Bombardier). Each train consists of 5 units. These coaches are operated exclusively on Line C. Currently, there are 53 M1 trains in Prague.
Prague metro in a nutshell
Year of opening: 1974 (line C)
Number of lines: 3
Number of stations: 61 (total), 45 of them are barrier-free
Network length: approx. 65 km
Intervals within rush hours: 2-3 minutes
Intervals outside rush hours: 4-10 minutes
Capacity: around 600 million passengers yearly
Traction system: 750 Vdc (third rail)
Average speed: 36 km/h
Top speed: 80 km/h (81-71M), 90 km/h (M1)
Track gauge: 1435 mm (same as railway)
In Europe, Prague was the fifth busiest metro system after Paris, London, Madrid and Berlin.
Architecture in Prague metro
Although the metro was built in 1970s the architecture still looks modern due to its timeless design. When visiting Prague do not miss to check some of the most famous metro stations such as Hradčanská, Malostranská or Staroměstská.
Ticket prices
Fare prices are affordable. Status December 2020:
30 minutes ticket (adults): 24 Kč (€ 0.90 / $ 1.12)
90 minutes ticket (adults): 32 Kč (€ 1.20 / $ 1.50)
24 hours tickets (adults): 110 Kč (€ 4.20 / $ 5.12)
Above prices represent the full fare for adults as per end of 2020. Children and elderly people benefit from reduced fare that is 50% of standard prices for adults.
Summary
Metro is an essential part of Prague city (life). It is the fastest means of transportation in Prague with key qualities such as high capacity, safety and reliability.
Nowadays the citizens of Prague can hardly imagine their everyday life without metro.
References
[1] E-mobility series, https://mb-drive-services.com/category/e-mobility/
[2] Prague metro (subway), http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/prague_metro.html
[3] Introducing Prague: Metro, https://www.introducingprague.com/metro
[4] SKODA Transportation: Modernized metro 81-71M, https://www.skoda.cz/en/references/modernized-metro-81-71m/
