Repairs take months. Broken elevators in the subway complicate the lives of the people of Prague

According to an investigation by the TimeOut portal, which deals with world tourism, based on the evaluation of local residents, Prague’s public transport is the second best in the world. But there are still problems that bother the locals.

Among other things, we are talking about elevators that do not work in some metro stations or their lobbies, and whose repairs can easily take several months. For many, they make their daily journeys more difficult.

There are two elevators at Bořislavka station, which is on metro line A and near which there is also a frequent tram and bus stop. One functional one, which leads directly from the metro and opens in the middle of the development, from where it is difficult for the disabled, the elderly or mothers with prams to quickly get to the tram stop. The second, but currently non-functioning elevator is located in the passage above the escalators to the subway and leads directly to the tram and bus stops.

It has not been working since March 9, and should be operational again only on July 2. The reason for the repairs is the need to completely replace the doors, which were damaged during the rescue of transported persons with whom the elevator got stuck on March 9. It is a relatively new facility, the Bořislavka station is one of the newest functional stations of the Prague metro. It was put into operation in the spring of 2015.

“This is an atypical door from an Italian manufacturer, from which the production of new doors was immediately ordered. Unfortunately, the delivery time is almost 4 months. With regard to the wide range of types of elevator doors operated on the elevators of the Prague metro, we do not have these parts in stock,” the press spokesperson of the transport company Aneta Řehková told Seznam Zprávám.

According to the transport company, Bořislavka is still wheelchair accessible without restrictions. “The disabled elevator was only used to transport people between the street level and the lobby level. The alternative route is provided by the entrance ramp of this vestibule of the station, or by a pair of elevators on the opposite side of the station,” said Řehková.

However, some people who travel through the station daily would disagree with her claim. “Some sycophant here who doesn’t have old infirm parents came up with it, to fix it until July, that’s terrible,” said a deeply resting elderly lady shortly after climbing the approximately 40 stairs with her bag, which are located next to the non-functioning elevator. “If only they’d put escalators here,” she added.

“I’m here every day, the repair takes a long time. It’s manageable, but it’s always better when someone nice walks by and helps me with the stroller,” said the young mother after overcoming the stone obstacle in the opposite direction.

Within minutes, there were approximately 15 disappointed people interested in riding the elevator. It should be noted, however, that around eleven o’clock, during which we visited the station, the traffic is usually less compared to the morning and evening peaks.

An older station, whose elevator was reconstructed for a long time in 2018 and is now not in full operation, is Anděl on metro line B. One of the busiest stations on the yellow line is now struggling with extensive repairs.

Of the pair of lifts that saw their grand opening in 2015, only one is now operational. The second one has been out of service since February of this year and will be operational only in December. It is currently boarded up with a wooden board at the platform, and in the transfer hall it is surrounded by red and white tape and a liquid with a very unpleasant smell.

“The reason for decommissioning is the leakage of water into the elevator shaft and the elevator technology. In order to prevent the accumulation of passengers in the transfer corridor, the elevator, which forms a cascade with the damaged elevator, had to be shut down. With regard to the need to carry out more demanding construction modifications, we plan to put both elevators into operation by the end of this year,” said the transport company about the situation.

All passengers for whom the journey to the earth’s surface using escalators is impossible or inconvenient must wait twice as long for the elevator.