The Prague metro has been operating since 1974, now it is 65.4 kilometers long and has 61 stations

Prague – A selection of basic information about the Prague metro (construction of the new line D will begin on April 21):

— The three lines of the Prague metro have a total length of 65.4 kilometers and 61 stations since the commissioning of the last new section on line A in Prague 6 in April 2015.

— Line A is the shortest, measuring 17.1 kilometers and has 17 stations, of which the new section has a construction length of 6.134 kilometers and features four new stations. The journey along the entire route from Hostivař Depot to Motol Hospital takes just under 30 minutes. Construction of the route began in early 1973 and operation on its oldest section (Dejvická-Náměstí Míru) was launched on August 12, 1978.

— Line B measures 25.7 kilometers, with 24 stations. The journey from Černý Most to Zličín takes 41 minutes. Construction of the route began in 1979, and operation on its oldest section (Florenc-Smíchovské nádraží) was launched on November 2, 1985. The most recent extension from Českomoravská to Černý Most was opened on November 8, 1998.

— Line C measures 22.4 kilometers and has 20 stations. The journey from Letňany to Háje takes 36 minutes. The section between the stations Florenc and Kačerov is the oldest part of the Prague metro; its construction began in early 1966 and was officially opened on May 9, 1974. Line C also has the second youngest operational section of the metro: the route from Ládví to Letňany has been in operation since May 8, 2008.

— Each of the three operational lines has one depot: Hostivař (A), Zličín (B), and Kačerov (C). In the tunnels of the Prague metro, two types of cars currently operate with passengers. On lines A and B, it is the 81-71M, which was created by modernizing older Soviet 81-71 cars, of which the Prague transport company has 465 units included in 93 trains (41 on line A, 52 on line B). The second type is the M1 cars, serving on line C, of which there are 265 in 53 train sets.

— The Prague metro transports over a quarter billion passengers annually. The average travel speed is 35.65 km/h.

— The construction of line D is now starting. The first plans for the establishment of line D were created back in the 1970s. According to the head of the transport company's archive, Pavel Fojtík, it was supposed to lead from Žižkov or Strašnice to Palackého náměstí, and from there towards Modřany. Currently, it is expected that line D will run from Pankrác to Nové Dvory and Písnice, with a connection from Pankrác to Náměstí Míru added later. The line will feature a new generation of automatic metro without a driver. It is planned to have ten stations, with commissioning expected in 2029.

— Further expansion of line D to the north is also anticipated. The eventual route from Náměstí Míru has not yet been decided. One of the options was Náměstí Republiky, while another would direct the route to Žižkov and further to Vysočany.

— The construction of the 62nd station, or the 25th on line B, is also being prepared. The start of construction of the Zličín Depot station, which will be located underground on the northern slope of the depot's tracks in Zličín, is planned for 2026.

— In February this year, the city hall announced plans to establish a working group that will address the possible preparation for the construction of the fifth metro line, the circular line O. Line O should run from Nádraží Podbaba through Dejvice, Smíchov, Dvorce, Budějovická, Vršovice, Žižkov, Vysočany, Čakovice, and then in the second phase to return north back to Podbaba. According to the initial proposal, it would measure about 36 kilometers and have 23 stations. The circular line appeared in the plans for metro construction already in the 1980s.

— Considerations for the construction of an underground railway in Prague appeared as early as the late 19th century, and more concrete plans emerged towards the end of the First Republic, but construction only began in the late 1960s. The official start of construction is considered to be January 7, 1966, when a pneumatic hammer was sunk into the ground on Opletalova Street by worker Josef Bartoš from the Water Construction Company in Sezimovo Ústí. At that time, however, the construction of a sub-surface tram line commenced; the project was transformed into a full-fledged metro only later, when the government decided on its construction in August 1967.

— The construction of the first section of the metro in Prague, which connected Kačerov with Sokolovská (now Florenc), took more than eight years. The last of the tunnels was completed in August 1972, but it took over a year before the first test train ran on the tracks under the streets of Prague – this occurred on December 22, 1973, between Kačerov and Pražského povstání. At the end of December 1973, the first two-car train set entered the tunnels. In early January, test operation began, and in May 1974, the metro was opened to passengers.