IN Brief:
- Prague Public Transit Company has selected a consortium to build the Olšanská–Habrová tram line.
- The nearly 2km scheme will serve regeneration around the former Žižkov freight station.
- The project combines new tram infrastructure with the conversion of former railway alignment.
Prague Public Transit Company has selected a Czech construction consortium to deliver the Olšanská–Habrová tram line, a nearly 2km infrastructure project serving the redevelopment area around the former Žižkov freight station.
The winning team comprises Firesta, Pedasta, and N+N, with construction expected to begin in the third quarter of 2026 and take around 12 months. The contract value is reported at approximately CZK 599.2m, below the original estimated value, with the scheme expected to receive support through the European Union’s Transport Programme for 2021–2027.
The new line will run from the Jana Želivského and Olšanská intersection toward Osiková Street, supporting a growing urban district east of Prague’s centre. The route will use sections of former railway infrastructure connected to the historic Žižkov freight station, with the final portion of the alignment converted for tram use.
The project includes around 1.34km of double track and a single-track section, with six planned stops including Nákladové nádraží Žižkov, Malešická, Vackov, Třebešín, Habrová, and Jarov. The scheme will also connect with the Jarov loop and provide new public transport capacity for a district undergoing substantial residential and mixed-use change.
Urban tram extensions are becoming an increasingly important part of European city-building. They provide transport capacity without the space demands of major road expansion, support higher-density development, and allow former industrial or logistics land to be connected more effectively to existing urban networks.
In Prague, the reuse of railway alignment gives the project a clear regeneration role as well as a transport function. Former freight railway land can release valuable space for housing and mixed-use neighbourhoods, but those schemes depend on early investment in transport, utilities, and public realm if they are to avoid becoming disconnected extensions of the city.
The construction challenge will be to deliver new tram infrastructure through an area where redevelopment, existing transport corridors, utilities, and public realm works all need to be coordinated. Tram projects often appear modest by route length, but they carry intensive interface requirements across track slab, power systems, drainage, signalling, stops, road layouts, pedestrian routes, and adjacent development access.
Contractors delivering tram extensions face a different risk profile from highway or heavy rail work. Dense urban settings create high levels of public visibility and disruption management, while programme sequencing has to account for traffic changes, utility diversions, pedestrian access, noise restrictions, and coordination with local businesses and residents.
The Olšanská–Habrová scheme will support Prague’s effort to connect new development with durable infrastructure before growth overwhelms existing streets. If delivered to programme, the line will help unlock regeneration around one of the city’s major former freight sites and add another example of European cities using tram construction as a tool for compact urban development.
