From the first service on 18 July until 10 August, Prague will suspend tram traffic on the 1.4-kilometre stretch between Újezd and Lazarská—one of the network’s busiest inner-city corridors. The closure allows Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) to replace worn rails, upgrade overhead wiring and install quieter track beds. Seven daytime tram lines and two night services are affected, including Lines 9 and 22, popular with visitors shuttling between the Castle district, Old Town and the city’s main business hotels. Unlike previous projects, DPP will not operate substitute buses because parallel Metro Line B and several trolleybus routes offer alternative capacity. Way-finding signage in Czech and English has been posted, but business-travel coordinators should pre-warn clients unfamiliar with Prague’s multimodal ticketing. The works coincide with peak tourism season and the Colours of Ostrava festival rebound traffic, raising crowd-management concerns at transfer hubs Národní třída and Anděl. City tourism officials say taxi demand could spike by up to 15 % during evening rush hour; expats and corporate travellers are advised to budget for longer ride-hailing wait times. Hoteliers along the Vltava riverfront have arranged luggage shuttles to metro stations for conference groups. Employers with offices in Malá Strana are encouraging staff to work remotely or shift hours to off-peak periods while trams are out of service. When completed, the upgrade should allow higher tram frequencies ahead of ETIAS-related tourism growth expected late this year. The project is also the first in Prague to use recycled polymer sleepers, cutting maintenance carbon emissions by an estimated 18 %.
Source: Expats.cz
