Igor Kulman

A few interesting facts about the Prague Metro

· Igor Kulman Čítať po slovensky

Last week I toured the Siemens Mobility facility at Kačerov depot. Siemens bought the operation from the Prague Public Transit Company and now repairs and maintains every train on Line C. The tour was genuinely interesting, so I would like to share some of the facts that caught my attention.

  • The Prague Metro opened in the 1970s after the metro proposal was chosen over an above-ground railway.
  • Its greatest ever demand came during the 1975 Spartakiad. The transit company even employed so-called pushers, people who pushed passengers into trains at stations.
  • The metro initially used Russian trains. At the time of writing, some rebuilt examples could still be seen on Line B.
  • A driver and an assistant travelled together in the old Russian trains.
  • The metro essentially drives itself. To leave a station, the driver has to hold a button for 100 metres. The train then proceeds by itself, reaches the next station and stops within two metres of its target.
  • The contemporary French trains can stop within two metres; after modification, the old Russian trains could stop within 20 centimetres.
  • Trains obtain station information and instructions such as passing through without stopping from rubber strips at the beginning of the station.
  • At peak time, 39 trains run on Line C simultaneously. Each can carry as many as 1,200 people.
  • Two people can push an entire train by hand.
  • Each train travels approximately 100,000 kilometres per year.
  • Trains operate at up to 80 km/h and are limited to a maximum of 90 km/h.
  • The speed record is 118 km/h in an old Russian train. Its driver was trying to make up a delay and was caught by the black box.
  • If you fall onto the track, the recommendation is to run away from an approaching train as far as possible. There are steps out of the track area at the end of the platform.
  • If a train is already approaching while you are on the track, lie down between the rails—never touch them. The train should pass without touching you, although closing your eyes is recommended.