Praha hlavní nádraží

Praha hlavní nádraží (IATA: XYG)^[2] is the largest railway station in Prague, Czech Republic.

Prague main railway station Praha hlavní nádraží (Czech)
View of the station from Vinohradská street
General information
Location	Vinohrady, Prague Czech Republic
Coordinates	50°04′59″N 14°26′09″E
Owned by	Správa železnic
Platforms	9
Construction
Architect	Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann Antonín Viktor Barvitius Josef Fanta
Other information
Station code	54570762
IATA code	XYG
Fare zone	PID: P[1]
History
Opened	14 December 1871; 152 years ago (1871-12-14)
Rebuilt	1901–1909 1972–1979
Electrified	1926–1928
Services Preceding station   České dráhy   Following station Tábor toward Zurich   EuroNight   Terminus Terminus   EuroNight EN Canopus   Praha-Holešovice toward Zurich Terminus   EuroNight EN Slovakia   Kolín toward Humenné and Warsaw Praha-Smíchov toward Františkovy Lázně   Supercity Pendolino   Pardubice hl.n. toward Ostrava Terminus     Terminus Railjet Pardubice hl.n. toward Graz Terminus   EuroCity   Praha-Holešovice toward Hamburg-Altona     Kolín toward Brno or Olomouc Praha-Smíchov toward Munich   Die Länderbahn   Terminus Praha-Smíchov toward Plzeň or Písek   Regional fast trains   Terminus Praha-Smíchov Terminus   Regional fast trains   Praha-Libeň toward Pardubice Terminus     Terminus   Regional fast trains   Praha-Libeň toward Havlíčkův Brod Terminus   Regional fast trains   Praha-Holešovice toward Chomutov Praha-Vršovice toward České Budějovice   Regional fast trains   Terminus Terminus   Regional fast trains   Praha-Vysočany toward Hradec Králové Preceding station European Sleeper Following station Praha-Holešovice towards Brussels-South Brussels - Prague Terminus Preceding station Esko Prague Following station Praha-Vršovice Terminus S3 Praha-Vysočany towards Byšice, Mělník or Mladá Boleslav hl. n. R3 Praha-Vysočany towards Tanvald Terminus R4 Praha-Holešovice towards Děčín hl.n. Praha-Smíchov sev. nást. towards Hostivice S65 Terminus Praha-Smíchov towards Beroun S7 Praha-Libeň towards Uvaly Praha-Vršovice towards Čerčany S8 Terminus Praha-Vršovice towards Dobříš S80 Praha-Vršovice towards Strančice or Benešov u Prahy S9 Praha-Vysočany Terminus Terminus Preceding station   Leo Express   Following station Terminus   Leo Express   Pardubice hl.n. toward Bohumín Terminus   Leo Express   Lichkov toward Wroclaw Glowny Preceding station   RegioJet   Following station Terminus   IC RegioJet   Pardubice hl.n. toward Havířov Preceding station Arriva vlaky Following station Praha-Smíchov towards České Budějovice R26 Terminus
Location Prague main railway station Location within Location within Czech Republic Show map of Czech Republic Prague main railway station Location within Europe Show map of Europe

It opened in 1871 as Franz Josef Station, after Franz Joseph I of Austria. During the First Republic and from 1945 to 1948 the station was called Wilson Station (Czech: Wilsonovo nádraží), after the former President of the United States Woodrow Wilson.

In 2014, the station served 224,505 trains (610 daily) and more than 53,000,000 passengers.^[3][4]

Overview

1909 Art Nouveau station building in 2017

The Art Nouveau station building and station hall were built between 1901 and 1909, designed by Czech architect Josef Fanta on the site of the old dismantled Neo-Renaissance station designed by Czech architects Antonín Viktor Barvitius and Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann.^[5]

The main hall of the Art-Nouveau station building (Fantova budova)

The station was extended by a new terminal building, built between 1972 and 1979, including an underground metro station and a main road on the roof of the terminal. The new terminal building claimed a large part of the park, and the construction of the road cut off the neo-renaissance station hall from the town.

In 2011 a partial refurbishment of the station was completed by Italian company Grandi Stazioni,^[6] which had leased retail space for 30 years from 2002.^[7] In 2016 Grandi Stazioni lost the concession after failing to complete the renovation of the historic building by the extended contractual deadline.^[8]

In September 2021, a second exit was opened connecting the station to Winston Churchill Square in Žižkov via an underpass.^[9]

The station was the embarkation point for the children evacuated to London Liverpool Street station via the Port of Harwich by Nicholas Winton. In 2009 a statue was unveiled on platform 1 commemorating this.

Train services

Platforms at the main train station

Interior of the new Terminal building completed in 1977, refurbished in 2011

Long-distance services

The station is an international transport hub, handling services to Germany (Munich, Bavaria-Bohemia RE (Regio-Express) services, and EuroCity/EuroNight services to Berlin, Dresden and Hamburg), Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Croatia in summer. Services are operated by express trains, and also by ČD Class 680 Pendolino. Services are operated by Czech Railways and by open-access train operators LEO Express, RegioJet, and Arriva.

Regional services

In addition to international services, trains serve most of the larger Czech cities, such as Brno, Plzeň, České Budějovice, and Olomouc.

Suburban services

The station is served by most of the Esko Prague lines which are not dispatched from the nearby Masaryk Railway station.

Intercity Bus services

Buses towards Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, Tábor and other Czech cities, as well as the Airport Express bus service to Václav Havel Airport Prague maintained by České dráhy, depart from Wilsonova street in front of the historical building.

City transport at the station

The station is served by the Prague Metro's Line C directly in the area, and by the Prague tram system outside the station about 500 meters past the park in front of the new terminal.

See also

• Hlavní nádraží (Prague Metro)
• Praha Masarykovo nádraží
• Nové spojení

References

Short describtion of Prague Main railway station

1. "Železnice v PID" (PDF). Prague Integrated Transport. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
2. "Praha hlavni nadrazi Airport code (XYG)". www.air-port-codes.com. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
3. "Česká republika - vlaková nádraží". www.goeuro.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 30 November 2018.
4. "Přehledně: Nejvytíženější pražská nádraží a tratě. Počty cestujících vzrostly o 14%". Zdopravy.cz (in Czech). 23 January 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
5. Pavel Schreier. "Čekárny na nádražích i pro honoraci". cd.cz (in Czech).
6. "Czech station lease signed". Railway Gazette International. 1 February 2004.
7. "Presidential opening for Praha Hlavní". Railway Gazette International. 29 May 2011.
8. UK, DVV Media. "Grandi Stazioni loses Praha concession". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
9. Šindelář, Jan (13 September 2021). "Termín je na světě. Podchod z Hlavního nádraží na Žižkov se otevře koncem září". zDopravy (in Czech). Retrieved 24 September 2021.