Work starting on Nádraží Veleslavín escalator

Finally, the escalator at the Nádraží Veleslavín metro stop is going to be built, and construction is starting Nov. 1. The escalator should be operational in April 2018.

Nádraží Veleslavín opened in April 2015 with stairs from the street to the mezzanine. After the station was planned, the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) decided to move the end stop of the 119 bus line to Václav Havel Airport Prague to meet the metro at Nádraží Veleslavín instead of Dejvická.

But it wasn't possible to redesign the station after all of the zoning and building permits had been granted without causing significant delays. As a temporary measure, porters were hired to carry luggage up the steps as a free service.

The poor planning was widely ridiculed in not only Czech news media, but also internationally at the time.

“The Nádraží Veleslavín metro stop is absolutely essential for airport travelers, and there are hundreds of people with heavy luggage every day. I am glad we can finally fix this error,” Prague Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO) said, according to media reports.

The escalator will be built where the current steps lead to the bus stop. The cost is estimated at Kč 33 million. During the construction, that exit will be closed but other exits will remain in service.

The stop for the bus to airport, 119, as well as for bus 225, will be moved to nearby Vokovická Street. Porters will continue to help with luggage until the escalator is operational.

Buses to Kladno, Slaný and Louny will be moved to the back of the Nádraží Veleslavín train station.

Other options to solve the problem were considered, such as another elevator or a moving belt for luggage, but an escalator seemed to be the best option in the end.

Nádraží Veleslavín opened along with Nemocnice Motol, Petřiny and Bořislavka as a new extension to the A line, which used to end at Dejvická.

When the extension of the metro A line was planned, the idea was that the metro eventually would extend to the airport, and a bus would no longer be needed, That is no longer the case, and the Nemocnice Motol stop will likely remain the last stop for some time.

Other options to reach the airport such as a fast commuter train that extends from the city center to the airport and then on to Kladno are being considered but are a long way from being put into service.

Work continues at the Anděl metro stop on line B, and the main exit at Plzeňská Street will be closed until June 2018. The Na Knížecí exit remains open.

One platform is also closed at the Muzeum metro on line A.

For maps and more information visit www.dpp.cz (Nádraží Veleslavín)