Prague Pneumatic Post: A Look at the City's Innovative System

Prague's pneumatic post system is a marvel of engineering that has been in operation since the late 19th century.

The system consists of a network of underground tubes that crisscross the city, with stations located throughout Prague.

Each tube is airtight, with a pneumatic tube system that propels mailbags through the tubes at speeds of up to 60 km/h.

The Prague pneumatic post system entered public service on 4 March 1889, making Prague the fifth city in the world to receive such a system.

Initially, the system was used mainly for internal postal business, with the first lane running from the main post office on Jindřišská street to the post bureau at Malé náměstí in Old Town.

The first lane was later extended as far as Prague Castle, making it over 5 km long.

The system was established for express delivery of documents, with a given document being rolled up into a metal capsule and dropped down a hatch leading to a selected location.

After the clerk pressed a button, the capsule would be moved by compressed air along a network of tubes beneath the pavement.

In 1901, there were only three stations between the main Prague post office and the telegraph office, indicating a relatively limited use of the system at that time.

The system experienced its greatest growth in the years of economic prosperity between 1927 and 1932, with new lanes being constructed and tens of thousands of capsules being transported every month.

During the Prague Uprising, the pneumatic post played a role in supplying the besieged building of the Czech radio.

The system was seriously damaged by floods in 2002, submerging 5 of 11 underground engine rooms and marking a significant decline in its use.

The Prague pneumatic post system was one of the world's most long-lived parcel delivery systems, running from 1889 until 2002 when floodwaters damaged the equipment.

It had five main paths and 20 other direct lines, with a total length of 55km. The system crossed the river Vltava three times.

The system was built using steel weld-less pipes with an internal diameter of 65mm, connected by cap rings to ensure coaxial and air-tight connections.

The Prague Pneumatic Post system was first introduced in 1889, making it one of the oldest systems of its kind.

At its peak, similar pneumatic post systems existed under major cities like Paris, Milan, Berlin, New York, and London.

The Prague system suffered a significant blow in 2002 when floodwaters damaged equipment, but it still has a 5-kilometer pipeline network throughout the Old Town.

The longest pipe stretches from the Main Post Office on Wenceslas Square to the Prague Castle, a distance of unknown length.

The pipes were made of steel and welded together to create an underground web connecting central institutions to the post office.

The system's tight couplers, measuring 14 cm long, were designed to ensure perfect coaxial alignment for uninterrupted capsule travel.

Today, the Prague PTT is owned by businessman Zdeněk Dražil, who plans to restore the system and turn it into a tourist attraction.

The Prague pneumatic tube system is an impressive piece of engineering that spans a total length of 55km, crossing the river Vltava three times.

The system has five main paths equipped with switches and concentrators, and 20 other direct lines. These paths are built using steel weld-less pipes with an internal diameter of 65mm, connected by cap rings for air-tight connections.

The system is designed to deliver packages with a weight of up to 3kg, a diameter up to 5cm, and a length up to 30cm, from any station to any other station.

The central control room is located in the main Prague Post Office, about 300m from Wenceslas Square, and is equipped to control the entire system.

Here are some of the main lanes and stations connected by the system:

The system originally had 16 subscriber's lines, but only 7 have been preserved to this day, with a total of 24 pneumatic post stations remaining today.

The system's current lane state was indicated by indicator lights on the lane's controller, and up to 10 packages at 30-second intervals could be sent on the same lane at once.

The Prague pneumatic post system is one of the world's most long-lived parcel delivery systems, running since 1889 until floodwaters damaged equipment in 2002.

It was used to deliver packages with a weight of up to 3kg, with a diameter up to 5cm and length up to 30cm, from any station to any other station.

The system has five main paths equipped with switches and concentrators, and 20 other direct lines, with a total length of 55km.

It crosses the river Vltava three times, with river crossings realized in the construction of bridges.

Paths are built using steel weld-less pipes with an internal diameter of 65mm, connected by cap rings for air-tight connections.

Tubes are embedded at a depth of 90 to 150cm, preferably under the pavements of the Prague streets.

There are many service shafts on the tube lines, allowing tubes to be disconnected in the event of deadlock of a capsule.

The system was fully functional until the floods in Prague during Summer 2002.

Now it is under repair, but it seems that some lines were damaged so heavily by the floods that they cannot be repaired again.

The longest pipe in the system connects the Main Post Office on the Wenceslas Square in the city center, next to the Prague Castle, the traditional seat of the highest government officials.

The pipes were made of steel and welded together, creating an underground web that connects the city's central institutions directly to the post office on Wenceslas Square.

Today it is owned by a businessman Zdeněk Dražil, who promised to bring the system back to use and turn it into a tourist attraction.