The Petržalka tram is moving forward, the city has signed a contract for smooth financing of the continuing construction

An important milestone in the construction of the Petržalka tram is slowly approaching. The aim is that the first tram will run along this line before Christmas. The pace of work also corresponds to the importance of the construction. Currently, the connection of the rails of the original tram line in Petržalka with the newly built one is being finalised. A few days ago, two important contracts on a non-repayable financial contribution, which will allow not only the smooth financing of the Petržalka tram but also another important investment by the Bratislava Transport Company, namely the modernisation of the depot in Krasňany, were signed at the Ministry of Transport.

At the Petržalka tram construction site, all its contours can today already be seen, not only the track and rails itself, but also which way the sidewalks and cycle paths will go and what the intersections will look like.

“We are aware that this construction is still complicating life for many people in Petržalka, but we are now at a stage where the conditions on and around the construction site will only improve. Please hold on for a few weeks; everyone at the municipality and the construction site considers this to be our most important transport project, and we are doing everything we can to bring greater comfort and quality of life to the people of Petržalka as soon as possible,” said the mayor of the capital, Matúš Vallo.

At the newly opened Námestie Hraničiarov – Jantárová cesta – Rusovská cesta intersection, sidewalks are currently being built; the CBGM structural layers have been laid and their asphalting will follow. The concreting of the lower and upper slabs of the fixed track and laying of the rails themselves is also underway along this segment. On Romanová, we are finishing the last layers of the road, and the tram stops have been paved. On the bridge near the Parish Church of the Holy Family, the ledge on the eastern side has been concreted, and the other side will soon be concreted, followed by the laying of the rails on the bridge. The rails have also laid on Pajštúnská ulica, where work on the new road is also ongoing. After the relocating of the anti-tank wall, concreting of the lower slabs of the fixed track is currently underway on this section, and soon the rails will be laid here, too. On the section from Lietavská ulica, asphalting of the sidewalks is continuing, and formwork and concreting of pedestrian ramps are underway at the Panónska ulica bridge.

The goal is that the first test tram will run over this line by Christmas. From this moment, the demanding process of testing and permissions for the use of the tram will begin, which will take weeks or months. During this time, the builder’s construction capacities will be shifted to other construction sites. Shelters will be installed, and passenger platforms will be completed; all sidewalks and cycle paths along the construction site will be completed, and railings will be installed while other work will be done so that full tram operation can be launched in the spring. After this important moment is completed, the final landscaping around the line will follow, as well as the completion of various details or the removal of any defects.

The last object on the construction site will be the completion of two bridges on Kutlíková and the transfer of the remaining part of the road to its new profile. In terms of design, construction and logistics, this section is probably the most demanding part of the construction at present, but the joint effort is to have it completed by the end of the summer holidays, without affecting the operation of the tram for passengers. “I’m glad that the invitation to building site of the Petržalka tram was also accepted today by the Minister of Transport, Mr. Jozef Ráž. While we did not back away with regard to the cycle path on Vajanského nábrežie, in the case of this tram line, we would like to thank him. A few days ago, two important contracts on a non-repayable financial contribution were signed at the Ministry of Transport. These will allow not only the smooth financing of this construction, but also another important investment of our Transport Company – the modernisation of the depot in Krasňany. Before the municipal elections many told us that by dividing the Petržalka tram project into two programming periods, we would lose EU funds; this is exactly the moment that closes this chapter definitively. The signing of the contract confirms that we will not lose any EU funds, and the entire tram line will be financed, as we promised, from EU funds,” said city mayor Matúš Vallo.

“As the mayor said, the EU funds are saved, and the staging helped to completely finance this entire line from EU funds. We likewise also successfully resolved the so-called valorisation clauses to the contracts, so that the line could be built further. I often repeat that if we want to get people out of cars and into urban public transport, public transport must be attractive, more comfortable, convenient, faster and more reliable. This is one of the important steps towards making that happen. I think that not only investments in the tram lines, but also in the technical infrastructure, such as the aforementioned depot in Krasňany, are very important. Today, we are bringing almost €100 million to Bratislava for urban public transport infrastructure projects and we will bring an additional €150 million, which we have earmarked in this programming period, and we will be pleased when this money is effectively used for other projects of this type,” added the Minister of Transport, Jozef Ráž.

After completing the work on the Petržalka tram, the capital plans to transfer all the municipality’s planning and procurement capacities to another important transport construction in Bratislava – the reconstruction of the Ružinovská radial, the start of which is tentatively planned for 2026.

“But that is another chapter, after which we will be able to say that we have managed to completely reconstruct three of the four tram radials in our city and, further, more than 4 km of new radials have been added, which will significantly contribute to better connecting the largest Bratislava district with other parts of our city,” concluded city mayor, Matúš Vallo.