The geological survey, which is the first step towards creating the fourth line of the Prague metro, has been completed. Experts examined the subsoil and possible problems in the construction of the D line in the section between the future Olbrachtova and Pankrác stations, in total, digging almost half a kilometer of exploratory tunnels.
Workers work here around the clock, rotating in twelve-hour shifts. A statue of St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners, protects them as they work. They used special drilling vehicles to dig the underground tunnels, which had to be transported underground and dismantled; otherwise, they would not fit into the 7-meter-diameter shaft.
The temperature in the tunnels is around 5 degrees. It is damp, with water dripping from the ceilings. The floors are still muddy despite the concrete flooring.
During the tunneling, workers from all four exploration sites transported 3,383 lorries of excavated dirt and created about half a kilometer of tunnels. However, this is not even a tenth of the total volume of tunnels in the section between Pankrác D and Olbrachtova stations.
After the geological survey, the actual construction of the first section of the D line is due to start soon. “For the future contractor, we have all the necessary data on the geology and hydrogeology of the entire environment where the construction is to take place. We can proceed as soon as we obtain a final building permit, which the Ministry of Transport decides,” said Adam Scheinherr, Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Transport.
The construction will be divided into several stages. The first of them, five stations between Pankrác and Nový Dvory, will cost nearly CZK 60 billion.