Prague metro line A may get smaller ‘park and ride’

The deputy Prague mayor in charge of transportation issues has said the cash-strapped Czech capital may construct a more modest “park and ride” lot at the midpoint on metro line A between the current and future terminuses, the news server Novinky.cz reports.

“We are revising the project so that we can build new parking at a minimal cost. If we can resolve the movement of buses at the station, some 200 spaces could arise in Veleslavín,” said deputy mayor Josef Nosek.

The A line now ends at the Dejvická stop in Prague 6. Plans are to add four more stops curving southeast — Červený Vrch, Veleslavín, Petřiny and Motol, the new terminus, near one of the city’s biggest hospitals — at a cost of Kč 19 billion.

December 2009 saw the project owner, the Prague public transit company (DPP), award the contract to the Sdružení Metro VA (Dejvice Station-Motol) consortium, consisting of Metrostav a. s. and Hochtief CZ, a. s., for implementing the metro line extension.

It was originally envisioned that the Veleslavín station would have 600 parking spaces and a new bus terminal, but the Prague municipality now sees the Kč 1.3 billion price tag as too costly. Nosek added that also under consideration is having the Veleslavín station serve as a parking lot for city buses.

Local residents have expressed concern that they will still have to compete with commuters from central Bohemia for street parking. 

Currently, Prague has 17 “park and ride” spots with a capacity of about 2,900 cars, according to Novinky.cz.