First Trial Run of Petrzalka Tram to Take Place on Thursday, Vallo Confirms

Bratislava, December 19 (TASR) - The first trial run of a tram along the whole new tramline in Bratislava's borough of Petrzalka, up to Janikov dvor stop, will take place on Thursday afternoon, Bratislava mayor Matus Vallo has confirmed for TASR. "We carried out the final tests on the track on Wednesday, and the first trial run of the Petrzalka tram will actually take place today. So I'm keeping my promise that the first journey would take place by Christmas," said Vallo. According to Vallo, the first trial run is a clear signal that a major part of the project is ready. He declared that he also wants to keep the second part of the promise - that trams will carry passengers on the line as of the spring of 2025. The mayor said some time ago that from the moment the contractor handed over the track to the City, a demanding period of testing and obtaining permits for using the tramline would start and would take several weeks or months. During that time complete shelters, platforms for passengers, footpaths, cycle paths and railings should be built. The deadline for the contractor to hand over the track was December 15. The tramline should be put in full operation in the spring of 2025, with all construction details being completed by the end of the summer holiday. The construction of the tramline along the Jungmannova-Janikov dvor section was launched in November 2021. The tender was won by the NS MHD Petrzalka consortium. According to the Bratislava City, the construction work faced several problems from the beginning, with the work being significantly slowed down in the past. The city held several talks on intensifying the work with the contractor. ko/df