Prague braces for 3-day metro lockout ahead of long holiday weekend

Prague’s red Metro Line C will shut down between Hlavní nádraží and Pražského povstání from early Saturday morning through to Monday night due to planned rail-track maintenance work, the Prague Public Transport Company (DPP) has announced. 

With the Nov. 17 public holiday taking place Monday, the closure will affect residents and tourists alike getting around the capital this long weekend. Works start 4 a.m. Saturday and end 11:59 p.m. Monday.

A replacement XC bus service will run throughout each day and follow the same route as the closed metro section. DPP advised passengers to check its website for the exact locations of temporary stops and any connecting bus changes.

The work is part of an ongoing overhaul of the oldest section of Line C, between Kačerov and Florenc. “After the completion of this repair, more than three quarters of the original wooden tracks on the oldest section of the Prague metro, Kačerov–Florenc C, will have been replaced,” DPP spokesperson Aneta Řehková said.

DPP said the suspension is needed to remove 178 original track parts dating to the late 1960s and early 1970s and install modern concrete ones. 

Line C has seen repeated shutdowns in recent years as the transit company combines several long-term upgrades. In addition to the track work, DPP is continuing a major reconstruction of Florenc station, a project that began in 2022 and still requires periodic weekend closures.

The long-weekend shutdown follows multiple interruptions this autumn. Last weekend, trains did not run between Hlavní nádraží and Vltavská, and a similar closure occurred at the end of October due to construction at Florenc.

DPP said it aims to limit disruption where possible but must continue the phased work to maintain the long-term reliability of Prague’s busiest metro corridor.