The main feature of the Hloubětín tram depot project is the construction of a new hall with 22 tracks. This facility is divided into two sections: a parking hall (tracks 1 – 17) with a capacity of up to 61 articulated trams up to 32 metres long (i.e. equivalent to the Škoda 15T type or to the Škoda 52T type currently in production) and a maintenance hall (tracks 18 – 22) which has six stations and can accommodate up to 12 articulated vehicles. The two halls are structurally separated, reducing the area requiring permanent heating and lighting, thus ensuring energy savings. The hall designated for tram parking will be tempered to approximately 5°C. The maintenance hall is equipped with the latest technology for the maintenance of low-floor trams, including footbridges, jacks and a box for painting tram shell components. In parallel with the construction of the new hall, essential maintenance and improvements were made to the track harp, and a new catenary was installed throughout the depot. The project involved the laying of 4,038 metres of track and 6,077 metres of catenary system.

The hall’s roof features photovoltaic panels, which can be expanded as required. The electricity generated will cover the consumption needs of the depot’s operation. Solar panels were installed on the south and east facades to provide hot air heating for the maintenance hall. A cascading array of heat pumps will be employed for the primary heating of the hall and ancillary buildings. The air-conditioning systems are equipped with heat recovery mechanisms to enhance efficiency. The process of tram washing at the Hloubětín depot will utilise rainwater collected in a newly installed retention tank with a capacity of 310 m3. The so-called grey water, collected from washbasins and shower cubicles, will then be used as flushing water for toilets. Wastewater from the wash line will be recycled in an on-site wastewater treatment plant.

Besides the new hall, DPP also had other buildings constructed in the Hloubětín depot facility – for the DPP departments of Tram Track Maintenance and In-house Transport Services. Both DPP departments will have service facilities for trucks and special vehicles available in the Hloubětín depot in new multi-storey buildings which provide garages, workshops, warehouses and office space as well as other facilities. The existing hall for daily tram maintenance and washing (tracks 23 and 24 in the new depot) also underwent modernisation, with only the original building frame remaining. The building was refurbished, with a new facade and interior equipment installed. This includes tracks, footbridges and a modern tram wash unit that will utilise rainwater. The scope of the project also included the relocation of utility networks, the construction of a new sewage system, the construction of a utility tunnel connecting the on-site energy infrastructure facility and the hall, and extensive landscaping works, covering a total area of 8,275 m2. Also, a 150-metre-long and 4.5-metre-high retaining wall was constructed to the north of the hall itself. Another retaining wall was built by the contractors on the northern edge of the Hloubětín depot area to support the depot side along Kolbenova Street. Furthermore, DPP had all roads, parking areas and parking lots in the depot area rebuilt, covering a total area of 27,500 m2. The soft landscaping works covered a total area of 6,365 m2; the contractors planted 17 trees and 3,214 shrubs and flowers.

“The City of Prague’s primary objectives are to be environmentally and energy-efficient for the benefit of the city as a whole. For this reason, I fully support such projects, which I believe will grow in numbers rapidly. Moreover, tram transport is a welcome relief for the transport system in Prague, where there is still room for improvement,” says Bohuslav Svoboda, Mayor of Prague.

“The completion of the Hloubětín tram depot modernisation project comes just in time. We are currently constructing tram lines in Prague at full speed. We have obtained building permits for the following tram line projects: Počernická, Malovanka – Strahov, Olšanská – Habrová, Libuš – Nové Dvory and Muzeum. Refurbishment and construction of a new tram line is underway in the upper area of Wenceslas Square, along with preparation of a ring tram line that will include the Dvorecký Bridge, which is now under construction. We are also investing in new, state-of-the-art Škoda 52T trams, and naturally, we must ensure that appropriate facilities are available to house them. The new Hloubětín tram depot will therefore help strengthen Prague’s position as a city with one of the world’s best public transport systems,” adds Zdeněk Hřib, First Deputy Mayor of Prague, in charge of city transport, and Chairman of the DPP Supervisory Board.

“The opening of the new Hloubětín tram depot will have two important positive effects on DPP. The almost six-year period during which our colleagues were obliged to maintain trams in the open at the large-capacity rail yard in the Central Maintenance Workshops in Hostivař, regardless of the weather, has come to an end. Relocating to the new cutting-edge DPP facility will significantly enhance their working conditions. A further benefit is the substantial reduction in idle time when deploying and recalling trams on individual tram lines,” says Ladislav Urbánek, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of DPP.

“This project has been meticulously prepared over a significant period of time. The journey began in 2013 with the occurrence of a defect on the parking hall’s roof. This was followed in 2014 by a feasibility study, the discontinuation of tram dispatch from the hall in January 2018, the relocation of trams from Hloubětín in June 2019, and the demolition of the hall’s roof in August of that same year. While the exact date differs, it was within the same month, i.e. 11 March 1951, that the original Hloubětín tram depot commenced operations. Today can be regarded as a fresh start. I am confident that the 2025 version of the Hloubětín tram depot will have a longer life span than its predecessor. I am pleased that our modern depot is now fully equipped to accommodate the new Škoda 52T trams. The first vehicles are scheduled to arrive in Prague within the next few weeks. It is logical that new vehicles should be based in a new depot,” adds Jan Šurovský, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Technical Director of DPP – Surface transport.

“We are pleased to hand over the new tram depot in Hloubětín to the Prague Public Transport Company today. This new facility will be an important part of the city’s transport system. I would like to say thank you to the project team for their successful delivery of the project. This success also reflects the efforts of the more than 50 subcontractors who participated in the construction process. The construction works were carried out while maintaining partial tram service; with trams arriving at the depot facility in Hloubětín at night for wheel set maintenance. The most challenging phase of the project was the laying of tracks inside the halls, which required precise coordination with the pouring of concrete floors,” concludes Zdeněk Pokorný, Chairman of the Board and CEO of VCES from the French Bouygues Construction Group, on behalf of the contractors’ consortium.

Costs of the construction of the new Hloubětín tram depot

The total construction costs of the new Hloubětín tram depot amount to almost CZK 1.9 billion, excluding VAT. This sum also includes the costs of the previous project phases, i.e. project design preparation, demolition of the old depot, removal of debris and construction of the new energy infrastructure facility.