The project for the new track layout and its roofing comes from the workshops of SUDOP PRAHA and Jakub Cigler Architekti.
The reconstruction consists of a comprehensive modernization of the station. It includes, among other things, the expansion of the current number of tracks from seven to nine, the construction of a new vestibule in the form of a roof connecting the area of Na Florenci, Hybernská and Opletalova streets with accesses to individual platforms.
In 2018 and 2019, we prepared an update of the documentation for the zoning decision and the project plan for the extensive reconstruction of the Masarykova nádraží track layout for the then SŽDC (now the Railway Administration). The main features of the construction are the expansion of the track layout in the station hall from seven to nine tracks with longer and wider platforms and the provision of a new pedestrian connection between Na Florenci street, the eastern ends of the platforms and the Hybernská × Opletalova intersection.
PLATFORM INSTEAD OF UNDERGROUND
The main idea of the entire update was to replace the previously considered underpass under the railway with an overpass, or more precisely, a platform roof. Its concept is based on an architectural study (SUDOP PRAHA and Jakub Cigler Architekti, 2017) and follows on from private projects of the surrounding development prepared by the Penta group. The platform will better distribute strong pedestrian connections in multiple directions than an underpass, will enable an attractive connection from the train and metro to the U Bulhara intersection and further to lower Žižkov, and will offer a green area for waiting for the train or for resting. The above-grade solution will limit the reloading of backbone engineering networks and interventions in valuable archaeological terrain.
On the other hand, the undisputed advantages of the underpass were its inconspicuousness in the area of the listed station and, from a traffic point of view, the possibility of transferring pedestrians over Hybernská Street. However, the discussion of the underpass brought disagreement from a number of affected institutions, including a negative attitude towards the construction of new underpasses that interfere with the urban structure. Later confirmed archaeological findings in the underpass route further contributed to the departure from the sub-level solution.
The platform accesses are designed with wide staircases in combination with escalators and elevators allowing the transportation of bicycles in connection with the planned connecting cycle paths. The same solution is also designed for the accesses to the individual platforms, which will be covered by a light glass roof. Outside the roofed space, a network of paths in all logical directions and a combination of intensive and extensive greenery, including a system for capturing rainwater, are designed on the platform. The entire platform will be open, without commercial buildings and maximally transparent in relation to neighboring historical buildings. The choice of glass railings, discreet colors and high-quality materials, corresponding to the importance of the location, is also adapted to this.
By shortening pedestrian routes, the platform contributes significantly to the overall societal benefits of the project, but the city will also benefit from it thanks to the removal of a long-standing barrier to the permeability of the area monitored by the zoning plan, as well as the private investor of the surrounding development. Roofing the track will reduce the exposure of new buildings to noise and create another level of attractive ground for commerce. Therefore, the Railway Administration is looking for a suitable form of participation of interested parties in the investment costs of the platform, which is also a condition of the Ministry of Transport. Partial contracts have currently been concluded and negotiations are underway on the subsequent management of greenery on the platform.
PEDESTRIAN OR CAR?
Before the closure of the Negrelli Viaduct, Masaryk Station handled around 40,000 passengers daily, and further growth is expected in the future, linked not only to the increasing occupancy of the “eSka” lines, but also to the modernization of the Prague–Kladno line and the introduction of trains to the airport. In a thirty-year outlook, traffic models show up to 100,000 passengers per day. In addition, thanks to new pedestrian connections and the development of the wider area around the station, a significant number of “urban pedestrians” will increase.
Such significant increases in the middle of the city led to the processing of a three-dimensional microsimulation of the movement of people using the PTV VISSIM program, which modeled the layout of the station and its surroundings, train and public transport graphics, the expected occupancy of individual connections, pedestrian destinations according to the traffic model, and normal traffic in the surrounding streets. The completion of parallel access to all platforms and a short connection from the train to the “C” metro line at Florenc and the tram in Bolzanova Street proved to be absolutely necessary for all scenarios considering an increase in the number of passengers. About a third of passengers should use the access to the platform via the roof platform instead of the existing station hall.
The simulation indicated that there would be heavy traffic jams in Hybernská Street around the newly established pedestrian crossing connecting to the roof platform, especially during the morning rush hour. The arrival of two full trains in quick succession was enough, and the shorter approach from the train to the intersection took care of the crowd of pedestrians, which de facto stopped traffic on the street. Several solutions were examined, and the unreality of the level crossing solution (this time an overpass) was once again confirmed.
The least bad option turned out to be the installation of traffic lights at the Hybernská × Opletalova intersection, coordinated with the neighboring mammoth intersection U Bulhara. Although traffic lights will slow down pedestrian movement and will lead to sudden filling of the waiting areas in front of the crossing during rush hour, on the other hand they will allow coexistence with intensive road traffic.
The necessity of traffic lights will ultimately be influenced by factors that are still unclear, such as the completion date of the line to the airport and Kladno (generating a large number of passengers), or the city's planned calming of the North-South Highway and road traffic in the center in general in connection with low-emission zones, charging for entry, etc.