Metroprojekt history starts with a decision to build a metro backbone network in Prague. It was preceded by the project of the underground tram, part of which was implemented, e.g. - station Hlavní nádraží under the new railway station hall.
After 1971, the preparation of the metro ran at full speed.The concept and form of the entire system of public transport inPrague were settled and are still valid. The planned metro network consisted of 4 lines with a total length of 92.7 km with 104 stations.
At the same time, the first section of the line C was designed and built. A handbook was produced and it involved stations solutions in terms of operation, layout and architecture, ventilation, lighting, information system, energy, etc. It was not easy to meet the requirements for processing a huge number of projects in a very short time, in a different concept and only with the newly forming team of designers. Therefore, wide cooperation with several Prague project institutes was necessary. Cooperation was applied to this first operational section of the line C and it definitely brought its positives - learning the technical and time coordination of volume and time-demanding investments. This period can be considered as "apprenticeship of Metroprojekt" which laid the foundation of today's sovereignty of its engineers.
Year 1974 is an important milestone in the Metroprojekt history. The first section of the metro line C of Prague metro Florenc - Kačerov was put into operation. Today, after 37 years, we could have a number of critical objections to this section, but it is necessary to remind in which environment the designer worked. Metro was proposed at the assistance of consultants from the East and the technical contact with the rest of the world was almost impossible, the invention of designers was limited by the availability of building materials, construction technology and engineering products on our side "behind the Iron Curtain"
In spite of these circumstances, the advanced technologies were designed for the first metro section - “ring method” of the tunnelling technology, full profile tunnelling under the protection of the non-mechanized shield, lagging of open foundation pits by pile walls or by “Milan” underground walls. The technology "cut and cover" was designed for the construction of the metro station IP Pavlova, where after the construction of side pile walls and roofing by prefabricated beams, was the station built gradually from top to bottom.
The first section of the metro line A was designed and built. While the Dejvicka terminus was trenched and similar to stations on the line C, the other five stations were driven and with large pillars in the three-aisled construction. The only exception is the layout of the most successful station - Mustek with a column structure and with the identical length of all three tunnel aisles.
Our designers mastered successfully the technical problematic of underground works in the project of the tunnel under the bottom of the Vltava River which was driven by shielding technology using pressed concrete lining.
In 1978 the first section of the metro line A Dejvická - Náměstí Míru was put into operation.
In 1980, the second sections of metro line A (Želivského) and C (Jižní město) and in 1984 third section of metro line C (Nádraží Holešovice) were put into operation. The milestone of this period was the year 1985, when the first section of the metro line B Smíchovské nádraží - Florenc was put into operation. With increasing experience of the designers the driven stations achieved new expression, they became airy, the underground spaces lost theirgloom.
In 1985 the first stage of the metro construction was finished and the triangle of lines tras A, B and C was closed in the centre of the city. Extensive adaptations in the inner city with pedestrian zones and park adjustments were also carried out together with the underground constructions, which meant a substantial improvement of living conditions in the city. It revealed that metro could bring significant improvements in many urban areas. This applies not only to line B, which new stations opened the possibility of rebuilding neglected parts of the city (Anděl, Náměstí Republiky, Florenc, Národní třída), but also to the stations in other sections of lines A and C in Vinohrady, Jižní Město, and Bubny - Holešovice. An example is the design of pedestrian zone Zlatý Kříž in Prague.
After 1989, the only way how to hold the company with a large staff was extending the activity scope and the market scale. It was inevitable to leave the current exclusive focus on metro and other public transport systems. In these times, Metroprojekt acquired the clients in the field of projecting the railway reconstructions, private developers and other public investors. One of the effective ways how to address the client was at the time Turn Key delivery including engineering and construction services. The first successful Turn Key delivery was the reconstruction of Krone department store on Wenceslas Square. Another Turn Key delivery was the reconstruction of the historic centre of the city of Kladno. It was the reconstruction of all utility lines, roads, pavements and green.
In this period, Metroprojekt starts with projects of municipal solid waste landfills, insulatedagainst leakage into the ground, regulated discharge of biogas, separation of layers and finalland reclamation to ensure the elimination of negative impacts on the environment. The firstprojects of managed in landfills in Dablice and in Kolin - Na Vinici were elaborated.
The project of the reconstruction of Vindobona building in Karlovy Vary was prepared for the former majority shareholderof Metroprojekt - Cimex.
An important activity of the company, which capitalizes on theexperience of designing undergroundrailway constructions, has become adesign of optimization andmodernization of railway corridors.The first such occassion was the railroad optimization of the firstcorridor Skalice nad Svitavou - Česká Třebová.
In nineties we could see an intensive growth of large shopping centres network.Infrastructure and transport connections were processed for most of them and some centres were engineered as a whole - Hornbach, Makro or Shopping Centre Černý most.
Metro design and construction in this period slowed but did not stop. In 1998 the fitfth section of the line B - to Zličín was opened and probably the most important event was the putting into operation the fourth section of the line B to Černý Most (with a later completion of Hloubětín and Kolbenova stations). So the longest Metro diameter was completed.New Austrian Tunelling Method was applied for the first time in this section, this method was very convenient especially for double-tracktunnels. Metro was extended to 45,468 km of lines and 51 stations
The projects of tunnels and underground constructions are Metroprojektkey know-how, so it was not difficult to start with the design of road and rail tunnels. The designs of Libouchec, Radejčín, Hřebeč, Panenská highway tunnels were elaborated in this period.
After 1989, the borders were open and new opportunities revealed. The first international contract was a project of the underground railway tracks in Taipei, Taiwan.
Metroprojekt is entering the new millennium with a firm position on the market of transportand underground constructions projects, as illustrates the overview below and continues in covering a broad range of project and consulting activities. Boom of large shopping centres continues . In years 1998 - 2001, the project of large complex shopping centre Štěrboholy came.
In 2002, the lives of many people were affected by floods on the Vltava river, with a flood level of about 2 m higher than ahundred year water for which was the vast majority ofengineering works designed. Metro was affected heavily and it was necessary to respond very flexibly and prepare project documentation of reconstruction of 18 metro stations in process,so it was possible to secure its operation in a few months.
Designs of flood control measures in combination with earth mounds and mobile barriers for the riverside from the bridge Barikádníků to the Troja Castle were elaborated for the future flood protection of Prague.
The picture shows the construction Track Optimisation Česká Třebová -Krasíkov with demanding engineering objects. The projects of fivedouble-track tunnels were developed, including the section Krasíkov - Zábřeh. Further sections were completed: Beroun - Zbiroh at Corridor IIIand Horní Dvořiště - České Budějovice at Corridor IV.
An important project of spent fuel storage in Dukovany nuclear power plant with special constructions with heat resistant andshade effects was made in the field of special buildings for energy. This experience in the energy sector was followed up in 2010 by an implementation project for a new steam-gas powersource with XXX MW energy output in power station Počerady.
Significant projects in this period were master plans and studies of completion of air bases according to the standards of NATO and other military facilities. An overall master plan and subsequent project documentation of selected special objects was prepared for anair base Čáslav. Master plan was also prepared for an air base Náměšť nad Oslavou. Projects of infrastructure reconstructionwere prepared for a military base Jince.
The portfolio of transport projects was successfully extended bynew construction projects and reconstructions of tram tracks. The extraordinary and progressive project was the construction of tram line Hlubočepy - Barrandov in a total length of 7.3 kilometers, with a technically interesting elevated bridge road in maximal ascent and an unusual architecture of 6 tram stops. Reconstructions of tram lines became a complexcreation of street environment and it was the case of grass surface of tram bodies in the streets Sokolovská, Českomoravská, or adjustment of the Karmelitská street profile.
More than 10 years, the designers have been occupied by the City Circle in the sectionPrašný most - Špejchar (part of Blanka tunnel complex). The project relates to theHradčanská underground station, Dejvice railway station and Milada Horakovastreet including the tramline.
A number of projects relating to the smooth passage preference of public transport have been carried out - implementation of new systems of public transport (minibuses), traffic light controlled intersections, traffic solutions for selected localities,cycling paths, etc.. Traffic engineers fromMetroprojekt elaborated a significant and complex documentation for the Ministry of Transport - studyof operation of Prague and its surroundings by means of public transport.
Our company prepares also the projects of technologicalequipment for the transportation and can be named as a generaldesigner of the electronic toll network of highways andexpressways.
One of the transportation constructions which captures attention of the public is the transport terminal in Hradec Králové. It is asuccessful harmony of utilitarian transport functions, courageousarchitecture (Atelier Patrik Kotas), and constructions.
Interesting and instructive was the cooperation with Italian partner - company GrandiStazioni on the projects of reconstruction of the departure hall in Prague main railway stationand railway station building in Mariánské Lázně.
Very unusual contract was the project of Aquapalace leisure centre - the largest water park in Central Europe, whoseunfinished fragment, abandoned in 2003, was the basis of the project and implementation works.
Part of the complex of commercial buildings BB Centre in Prague 4 is thenew multifunctional leisure centre Brumlovka, for which our company prepared the detailed design of the building.
The complete reconstruction of a listed building of the Czech Radio Broadcast Company in Vinohradská street has become a witness of a successful but extremely demanding work of our architects and designers. Requirements for the layout and functional solution of broadcast facilities, studios and office space were in many aspects unique.
Requirements for the operation of highly specialized medical facilities determined the conditions of the project of the reconstruction of the Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion. Also, this case is a witness of a successfully designed reconstruction which was carried out in a listed building.
One of the most important projects has been undoubtedly the revitalization of Klementinum area. The intention, which was implemented in difficult conditions of reconstruction in stages, was to find consistency (or compromise) between the conservation of valuable historic monument and operational needs of a modern library, open to top scholars and students and to the general public.
In this period, design and construction of the underground moved forward faster again, this time it was the fourth section of the metro line C Holešovice station - Letňany, built in two stages, put into operation in 2004 and 2008. Even this line can boast of technical innovations in the underground construction. A technically unique solution was designed with dredged tunnels located in the bottom of the Vltava river between Trója and Holešovice. Kobylisy station was created as a mined single-aisle station with excavation profile of 220 m2. Currently, 57 metro stations 59,295 km double-track trails are in operation.
Besides the above mentioned underground tunnels, railroad tracks, and tunnel "Blanka", the company prepared also a number of projects of road andhighway tunnels, such as the Slovak project Branisko tunnel or Lahovice tunnel on the ring road around Prague. These projects involve in addition to construction design also securitysolution design and technological equipment - for example, for 2 - km long tunnelPanenská on the highway D8 , or the number of highway tunnels in the Slovak Republic(Ovčiarisko, Čebrať and others).
International opportunities came also very early - one of them was a feasibility study of integrated transport systems based onthe tram network and bus routes with the project of thereconstruction of the main street in Maliboro, the centre of Indonesian city Yogyakarta.
Rather exotic project near the equator in Africa is a solution of monorail railway from the port Cotonou in Benin via Parakouto Dosso city in Niger with a total length of 1063 km.
And what can be expected in near and remote future in Metroprojekt?
The project Extension of metro line A from Dejvická station to Motol, in which the Austrian method (referred to as "conventionaltunneling") ceases to be the new method and according to theMetroprojekt project, a new shield TBM was used for boring thetunnels for traffic constructions for the first time in the CzechRepublic.
A new metro line D from Náměstí Míru - Depot Písnice, the proposals focused on the technical innovations in the technology equipment - e.g. the driverless train operation and the latest security and control system.
So far, the largest foreign contract in the history has been the design of the underground in Sofia, Bulgaria, an alternative urban transport solution and subsequent documentation for zoning permit for the construction of III. Diameter.
Three major railway projects have been also developed:
