Metro stop names may change

Some metro station names may change in the coming years, in addition to more practical planned changes such as new tram tracks, larger buses and long-awaited Metro D line. A concept for the future of Prague’s public transit has been approved by the City Council.

The metro name changes are most often meant to make them more specific, as some names refer to entire neighborhoods or to very long streets.

Suggested name changes, which so far a not finalized, could include Malostranská becoming Klárov or Malá Strana, while Národní třída could become Perštýn and Pražského povstání could become Náměstí hrdinů.

Other name changes in the concept include changing Dejvická to Vítězné náměstí or Dejvice, and Muzeum to Národní muzeum.

Several changes would reflect connections to further transit options. Hradčanská could be Nádraží Dejvice or Bruska, Náměstí Republiky could be Masarykovo nádraží, and Vltavská could be Nádraží Bubny.

Another practical change would be to rename Českomoravská to Aréna Libeň. The stop is near O2 Arena, though the arena’s name has changed once already. This generic name saves the city from having to update it every time the arena’s name is altered.

Staroměstská has four proposed option: Josefov, Staré Město, Náměstí Jana Palacha, and Rudolfinum.

This would be the largest changing of names since after the Velvet Revolution when stations with communist-inspired names were changes. Moskevská in 1990 became Anděl, Kosmonautů became Háje and Gottwaldova became Vyšehrad, among others.

The concept sees new tram lines being built including tracks across the planned Dvorecký Bridge between Smíchov and Podolí, which will improve connections between the two sides of the river and move a significant amount of tram traffic out of the congested city center.

The frequency of the Metro B line should be increased to a train every two minutes in peak hours, up to 6 pm, and service on Metro C might also be increased.

The Metro D line, which could be completed in 2024 if there are no further delays, is also included in the transit concept. It will link the city center to the southern part of Prague, which now is served mostly by buses.

Some bus lines will have routes changes and others will have routes shortened. Allowing buses to use tunnels will contribute to faster times between the route’s terminal stops.

The concept also calls for high-capacity buses to go to Václav Havel Airport Prague. Most buses in the city fleet are 12 and 18 meters long. The new ones under consideration are 25 meters long.

Night tram changes are also in the concept. The 99 tram would follow the route of the daytime 9 tram and run every 15 minutes instead of every 30 minutes. The current 99 tram would become the 98 and go to Nádraží Hostivař.

In the long term, the city wants to reduce car traffic by encouraging people to use public transit or other alternatives such as bikes. Electric buses and trolley buses are also being used by the city to reduce pollution.

The city is also encouraging electric vehicles by supporting the building of infrastructure and encouraging car-sharing programs to reduce the overall number of cars in the city.