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Summary for: Watch Prague's metro network transform over time in new animated videoNext year, Prague's metro network will celebrate half a century of existence, but did you ever wonder how the underground transport network came into being, and how it evolved over time?
If so, YouTube creator Metro Liner has made an interactive video that sums up its history. In a nutshell, metro operator Dopravní podnik hlavního města Prahy (Prague Public Transport Company, better known by its acronym DPP) inaugurated the city's first line, the C "red" line on May 9, 1974. Line A, the "green" line followed on Aug. 12, 1978, and lastly, the "yellow" line B debuted on Nov. 2, 1985.
The red line initially had 9 stations, while the green and yellow lines had 7 stations each.
An ever-growing backbone of Prague
Construction on blue line D started last year and is planned to start operating in 2029. Once completed, it will be the fourth subway line in Prague and extend from Náměstí Míru to Depo Písnice in the south of the city. It will intersect with the existing metro A and metro C lines, as well as with commuter trains at Nádraží Krč. The metro line D will use automated driverless trains.
Fun facts about the metro system
- The current system consists of 61 metro stations.
- The total length of the metro system is 65.4 kilometers.
- All the newly built stations are equipped with lifts and barrier-free.
- At 53 meters, Náměstí Míru is the deepest station in the EU.
- The Náměstí Míru metro station also had the longest escalators in the EU, with a length of 87 meters.
- The Anděl station was initially known as Moskevská (Moscow station) until 1990. It opened on the same day in 1985 as the Prazhskaya (Prague) station on the Moscow Metro.
- Senior citizens aged 65 or older and children up to 14 years old can ride the metro for free.
Bonus trivia
There are two types of Prague metro cars: The first ones, the newer M1 type, ride on line C, while those that operate on lines A and B are the older 81-71M type. The latter are modified or reconstructed versions of the older Soviet-era type 81-71 cars, according to DPP.
The metro has also become an unexpected cultural hub. Earlier this month, the middle carriage of the one of trains going on metro line A became an art scene, with concerts, theater, dance, fine arts, and stand-up comedy acts planned as part of DPP's project "You can't stop culture - Not in a subway, not in a crisis."
During the festive season, the "Tune in to the Prague metro" event brought Christmas-themed performances from a lineup of performers at the Muzeum and Náměstí Republiky stations.
