Prague City Hall picks tram route from Vinohrady to Hlavní nádraží, but zoning changes are needed

The route should run from Vinohradská Street down between the new and historical buildings of the National Museum, then along Wilsonova Street to the State Opera, where it turns into Politických vězňů Street, then to Washingtonova Street and then through Vrchlického sady in front of the main railway station. The route should connect to the existing tracks in Žižkov between Bolzanova and Opletalova streets.

The construction
will require a change to the city’s zoning plan to allow
construction to go through Vrchlického sady, which is a park. The
change has to be discussed and approved by City Hall.

“There is now a
consensus on the route between all the authorities involved,”
Ondřej Boháč, the director of Prague Institute of Planning and
Development (IPR), said according to press reports.

Two other options to bring trams to the main station were rejected. Both of these avoided Vrchlického sady by going down Opletalova Street. One followed the selected route until Politických vězňů and went further up that street until it passed the park, then turned. The other went into Wenceslas Square past the statue of St Wenceslas until it reached Opletalova and then went toward the station.

“The new line on
Wenceslas Square would strengthen the connection from Vinohrady to
the center, ease traffic on Ječná Street and would be very welcome
for planned and unplanned restrictions on tram traffic in the city
center,” PID said over Twitter late last year.

Trams were last seen on Wenceslas Square in 1980.