The country’s highest court has given the Czech Republic’s newest metro line, Metro D, the green light. The line, which will connect Prague’s Pankrác area with the city’s southern suburbs, has been the subject of legal challenges by a group of residents. Still, the country’s Supreme Administrative Court has now ruled in favor of the project.
The court’s decision means that construction of the line’s first section, between Pankrác and Olbrachtova stations, can continue. The section includes the construction of a transfer hub with the existing Metro C line, making it the most complex part of the project. The entire line, when complete, will stretch from Písnice in the south to Náměstí Míru in central Prague.
The project has not been without its challenges, with legal disputes delaying its progress. However, the court’s decision is a significant step forward for the project, which has been in the works for many years.
The court’s ruling also rejected claims by opponents of the project that the city’s officials had been biased in favor of the project and that the project had started before it had received all the necessary permits.
Despite the legal challenges, the project has received support from many quarters, including the city’s transport authority, which has long argued that the new line is necessary to ease congestion on the city’s busy roads and existing transport network.
The decision to proceed with construction is also expected to have economic benefits for the city, creating jobs and boosting local businesses.
While the project has cleared one significant hurdle, challenges are still ahead. The country’s antitrust authority has recently canceled the project’s second phase tender, and the transport authority will need to re-tender the work.
Despite this setback, the transport authority remains committed to the project, and work is set to continue on the line’s first phase. When complete, the new line will provide a vital new transport link for the city and help to ease congestion on its roads and existing public transport network.