Excursion to the pierced tunnel at the elevator exhibition in metro station A náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrady. February 23, 2023, Prague.
Prague – Workers are completing the excavation of tunnels and shafts for new barrier-free access at the Jiřího z Poděbrady A metro station in Prague. They have now broken through the access to the station, the excavation work will be completely finished in about a month and a half. In the station, the cladding was dismantled and the escalators were dismantled. This was said to ČTK and Czech Radio today by project manager Jan Panuška and construction manager Petr Velička. The transport company (DPP) is completely repairing the station. The reconstruction will cost CZK 1.29 billion and will end in February 2024. Barrier-free access will be operational in May. The station was opened at the end of 1980. Trains are now only passing through the station due to repairs.
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From the surface, the workers had to reach a depth of about 45 meters, which is at the level of the platform. “After 16 months of work, we have broken through to the station. We will work on the excavations for another month and a half, then we will start building the final lining,” said Panuška.
In addition to the lining, the workers will then start building insulation and definitive walls reinforced concrete. Staircases and elevators will follow, and at the same time they will work on the location of technology, ventilation, lighting, finish work and connect the sewer via Vinohradská Street. Finally, there will be an output on the surface.
During excavation, they had to deal with the complexity of the corridors, as it is not a straight corridor, but is bent at a right angle above a pair of shafts, which then continue to the station. “So the shapes are very complex and from the point of view of tunneling work, it's not easy, it's not like digging a straight tunnel in the same profile,” Panuska said.
Together with the city, DPP is not only building barrier-free access at the station, but is also completely renovating it. “The station has never undergone any significant reconstruction, so old Soviet escalators are being replaced with modern ones, suspended ceilings are being removed, leaks are being repaired, lights are being replaced with new energy-efficient ones. In addition, air conditioning will be improved so that it is more economical and efficient,” said Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates).
In the station, workers have already dismantled the cladding, which will be completely replaced, in the meantime they will repair structural elements such as columns. “We are now renovating the lining of the track tunnels and the middle station nave,” said Velička. All three steps in the escalator tunnel have been removed and workers are now demolishing the sections below. They will then repair the escalator tunnel and bring in new stairs. Work is also underway in the vestibule, where air conditioning, doors, suspended ceilings and all technology will be replaced. “The dismantling of the shelters on the surface will begin in March,” Velička said.
Reconstruction of the station began already in September 2021, when DPP began work that could be carried out during operation. Since mid-January this year, the station was closed to passengers for ten months due to reconstruction, and trains only pass through it. Jiřího z Poděbrady station will be the 47th barrier-free station out of a total of 61.
