On Tuesday, November 1, a trial run of trams on the newly completed Nové Sady – Povel tram line began in Olomouc. It extends the existing tram lines 3 and 5 which had their termini at the Trnkova stop at the edge of Olomouc’s largest housing estate Nové Sady. The construction of the new 1.2 km long line took 20 months and was carried out by the colleagues from the Division Moravia of the company OHLA ŽS.
The new part of the tram line has three stops and will lead the trams through Zikova street to Schweitzerova street. The construction of this section cost 469 million crowns including VAT. This is the second stage of the tram project: in the first one, a line was built leading from Tržnice past the Šantovka shopping center up to the edge of the Nové Sady housing estate, opening in 2013.
As part of the construction carried out by the joint venture of the companies OHLA ŽS and IDS – Inženýrské a dopravní stavby Olomouc, engineering networks along the track were modernized, new sidewalks, cycle paths and pedestrian crossings were created, and new parking spaces were built. Last but not least, two completely new crossroads with traffic lights were constructed. In November, the landscaping of the surroundings will be completed and new greenery will be planted.
There was a great interest in the tram transport to the Nové Sady housing estate right from the first test runs, however, full operation will not start until the end of November. The Olomouc Transport Company is planning a third stage, in which the tracks are supposed to be brought as far as the edge of the city district Slavonín.
