Two years after tapping the foundation stone, the longest tram tunnel in the Czech Republic has been fully excavated, with an entire length of 619 meters. The first trams on the 912-metre extension, which costs CZK 1.4 billion, will run at the end of 2022. Title image: A visualisation of the “Nová Jihlavská” tram stop / DPMB.
Brno, Oct 16 (BD) – “The construction project of the longest tunnel for tram transport in the Czech Republic is moving forward in accordance with the schedule, which is good news not only for future passengers, but also for the inhabitants of Starý Lískovec,” said the Mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková. “I really appreciate their patience, because I am aware that living near such a large and long-term construction project is unpleasant. However, we can promise that most of the noisiest field work on the surface will be completed this year, and the work will be more concentrated inside the tunnel next year.”
At the moment, both portals of the tunnel are almost finished, both from Netroufalky and from Osová. The whole tunnel has now been excavated, which involved the extraction of 170,000 tons of soil.
The original tram line was reconstructed at the Osová stop during the summer months, including the installation of switches for the connection of the new line.
According to Miloš Havránek, General Director of the Brno Transport Company (DPMB), the work on the construction will now focus on building a new tram stop, “Nová Jihlavská”. Its roofing should be completed by the end of the year. Inside the tunnel, the concreting of the floors is in the process of being completed, and next year, most of the work will take place underground.
The tram line will come into operation at the end of 2022. DPMB will launch its operation with new Škoda ForCity Smart 34 two-way trams. DPMB has concluded a contract for 40 of these modern, low-floor, air-conditioned tram cars; the first five will be delivered to Brno by the end of 2022.
