Half of Prague residents want late-night metro service. Why doesn't it exist?

Prague’s public transport system remains a cornerstone of daily life for the city's inhabitants, with 82 percent of residents using it at least once a week, according to a new survey.

While daytime service receives high marks for frequency and cleanliness, a recent public opinion poll has revealed a growing demand for the metro to operate after midnight to better accommodate those returning from work or social events.

A STEM/MARK survey of over 800 residents found that more than half of Prague’s residents, 57 percent, would welcome an extension of metro operations into the early morning hours.

Support is particularly strong among younger generations and those who frequently attend cultural events.

Currently, passengers traveling after midnight must rely on night trams and buses, which many respondents described as overcrowded and infrequent, especially on weekends.

"The intervals of night services are the most common point of dissatisfaction," the survey noted, with 27 percent of participants expressing clear frustration with current nighttime wait times.

However, city transport officials warn that extending the metro’s hours is not a simple administrative change. The nightly shutdown is currently the only window available for essential infrastructure maintenance and safety checks across the network’s three lines.

Jan Barchánek, Transport Director of the Prague Public Transport Company (DPP), emphasized that the midnight-to-dawn break is vital for the system’s longevity.

"The night interruption of metro operations is essential for the maintenance and repair of all technologies," Barchánek said. He noted that the majority of heavy maintenance, such as replacing track sleepers, occurs during these quiet hours. On Line A, for example, over 90 percent of such work is conducted overnight.

Shortening this maintenance window would likely result in more significant disruptions during the day.

"We would be forced to solve a number of works in the form of many more evening or weekend closures," Barchánek added.

The city is now faced with balancing the high satisfaction levels of daytime commuters with the increasing demands of a "24-hour" urban population.

Chairman of the Prague ANO party, Ondřej Prokop, has called for examining the costs of extended service.

"This is not a call for the complete abolition of night shutdowns, but for extending operation, for example, until one hour after midnight, only on days when people are more likely to party into the night, such as Friday or Saturday," Prokop said in a press release. 

Prague’s metro hours are typical of many European cities. While most metros close overnight, New York City’s subway operates 24/7, and some systems, like Berlin’s U-Bahn, run extended service on weekend nights. The International Association of Public Transport confirms that true 24/7 metro services are very rare globally.