Closure of Prague's Pankrác metro means major transit detour ahead

Commuters will need alternative plans when Prague's Pankrác metro station on the C line closes for a year. The closure starts on Jan. 1, 2025, to allow for major modernization including a transfer connection to the under-construction D line station, Prague Public Transport Company (DPP) officials announced.

During the shutdown, trains will continue passing through but passengers must use substitute bus and tram service, according to documents approved by city councilors.

The primary objective of the project is to establish a transfer tunnel between the metro line C and future D platforms, enhance accessibility by modifying escalators and creating an exit to the Arkády Pankrác shopping center vestibule, while concurrently modernizing lighting, wiring, and ceilings in the existing station, and address the long-out-of-service public toilet with necessary repairs.

“By carefully coordinating multiple events into one unit, we shorten the total time of restrictions and closures,” Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib said in a statement.

How will commuters cope?

Trains will only pass through the station during the shutdown. Commuters must rely on buses and trams during the year-long closure. Simultaneously with the repairs, the tram line from Pankrác to the corner of Budějovická and Na Strži will be extended and an underpass will be built.

Work continues on the CZK 14.5 billion first section of the prospective D line between Pankrác and Olbrachtova stations. Transport authorities said that progress on that initial section of the future D line appears to be on schedule.

Another Prague metro station recently reopened after a lengthy closure. The Jiřího z Poděbrad (JzP) metro station – on Prague metro's green A-line – reopened to passengers on Nov. 2 after an extensive refurbishment project that had been underway since early 2021 and saw the station out of operation since Jan. 14.