DPP is preparing repairs for the Hloubětín depot and the tracks of two other depots

Prague - The Prague Public Transport Company (DPP) is preparing a complete reconstruction of the depot in Hloubětín due to roof defects. It is also planning repairs for the so-called track supports in the depots of Žižkov and Strašnice. All repairs are to take place between 2018 and 2021. DPP spokeswoman Aneta Řehková informed ČTK today.

The repair of the supports in Žižkov will be the first to start, costing 100 million crowns. The cost of repairs in Strašnice is set at 150 million and the price of the reconstruction of the Hloubětín depot is not yet known.

DPP has planned the repair of the depot in Hloubětín for the years 2019 to 2021. The roof of the building consists of reinforced concrete monolithic shells, which cannot be replaced. A new roof structure cannot be placed on the current building, hence it will be demolished and the company will build a new one.

During the reconstruction, DPP must relocate the trams to new stands. "A temporary replacement depot will be established on an uncovered track in the premises of the Central Workshops of the Transport Company in Hostivař," the spokeswoman said.

The repairs of the track supports were necessitated by the operation of the Škoda 14T and Škoda 15T ForCity trams. "The new low-floor trams have their bogies distributed differently, and when parked closely behind each other in the depot, the forces acting on the track differ from those of older models," Řehková explained. DPP has already made modifications in part of the Motol depot and completely in the depots of Pankrác, Vokovice, and Kobylisy.

The reconstruction of the supports will be associated with track repairs; 17 tracks will be repaired in Žižkov and 20 tracks in Strašnice. Repairs in Žižkov will take place next year, and in Strašnice in 2019.

DPP operates seven depots: Hloubětín, Kobylisy, Motol, Pankrác, Strašnice, Vokovice, and Žižkov. According to the annual report for 2016, DPP owns 826 vehicles.