Tram Line Around Prague Castle to Be Modernised

Extensive construction work on the tram line around Prague Castle will begin this weekend. Prague Public Transit Company will renew the tracks in the streets Mariánské hradby and Jelení. The work is expected to last until mid-July and will bring changes to tram and car traffic.

Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) will begin reconstruction of the section in the streets Mariánské hradby and Jelení this Saturday. The construction works are scheduled to last until 17 July 2026 and will lead to changes in tram and car traffic during this period.

Specifically, the modernisation concerns the section between the intersections Chotkova/Badeniho and U Brusnice/Jelení. During the construction works, tram services between the stops Chotkovy sady and Brusnice will be suspended in both directions. Several lines will therefore have to adjust their routes. Line 12 will be diverted via Čech Bridge, while lines 22, 23, 41 and 42 will operate via Hradčanská. No replacement service will be provided.

Foto: Nikolai Kolosov | Pexels

The affected tram line was last renewed in 1995 and is now considered technically outdated. As part of the construction works, not only will the tracks be replaced, but parts of the track structure at the adjacent intersections will also be modernised. At the same time, the project follows on from the reconstruction of the line in Badeniho Street carried out in 2023.

Alongside the renewal of the infrastructure, several improvements are also planned. For example, at the point where the line transitions from Mariánské hradby Street into Chotkova Street, the geometry of the tracks will be adjusted. This should in future create enough space for trams and cars to travel parallel without conflict towards the city centre.

The Pražský hrad tram stop in the direction from the centre will also be redesigned. It will be extended by around 15 metres so that in the future three T3-type carriages or corresponding modern vehicles will be able to stop at the platform simultaneously.

Foto: Wikimedia Commons

In addition to public transport, car traffic will also be affected. In the first construction phase from 21 March to 16 May, the streets Jelení, Mariánské hradby, as well as part of Chotkova Street, will be completely closed to private vehicles. During this period, access to this section will only be granted to vehicles with special permission from Prague Castle.

In the second construction phase until the beginning of June, the section will be partially reopened; however, tour buses will continue to be excluded. During the construction period, these are to be parked in designated areas, for example in Letná, in the streets Na Valech, Myslbekova, Hládkov, Keplerova or at Pohořelec.

From 6 June, the transport company expects only local restrictions for car traffic. In total, the works are expected to last around four months and should make the tram connection around Prague Castle more reliable and safer in the long term.