Prague announces new tram line to Strahov Stadium and surrounding areas

A new tram line will make the lives of many students easier. Prague’s City Council approved the construction of new tram tracks to Strahov Stadium and the surrounding dormitories.

The tram tracks will run approximately 1.3 kilometers from the Malovanka stop in Bělohorská Street along Vaníčkova Street. There will be a stop at the dormitories called Koleje Strahov and a second stop called Stadion Strahov by the edge of the stadium, where trams will turn around.

The tram will replace the crowded bus line 143, mainly used by students. The bus service at peak times could not handle the demand. The switch to trams will also be beneficial for the environment, as trams pollute less than buses.

“I have been trying to accelerate the construction of new tram lines. … In addition to reliable ecological transport of the population, trams are also a city-building element that will attract more people to the area and revive services,” Prague Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr (Praha sobě), responsible for transport, said on the City Hall website.

He highlighted the environmental benefits. “From Dejvice, buses have to overcome quite a large elevation, and the electric drive [of trams] is much more suitable than diesel [buses],” Scheinherr said.

The line will mainly help students heading from the university campuses in Dejvice to the Strahov dormitories. There is also a preliminary agreement that the stadium will be rebuilt by the city and become a place to live, with new shops and services. The tram line will also serve the future new residents of Strahov.

Strahov Stadium is one of the world’s largest, but it has fallen into disrepair. Currently it is used for football training by Sparta Praha. The stadium has been a protected landmark since 2003 and has been owned by the city since 2014.

The Strahov tram line is part of the city’s Sustainable Mobility Plan, and the contracting authority for the preparation of the project documentation for the new line will be Prague Public Transit Company (DPP). The new track will not require a change to the land use plan, which will speed up the track construction process.

The city has plans to create even more tram tracks to reduce the use of fossil fuels by both buses and passenger cars. Plans include a tram connection between the Pražského povstání, Pankrác and Budějovická metro stations, and a new tracks connecting Vinohrady to Wenceslas Square.

In the long term, new tracks are planned for outlying areas such as Dědína, Slivenec, Písnice, Zdiby, Jižní Město, Zahradní Město and Sídliště Malešice, which currently lack good connections to the city center.