# PRAGUE | Public Transport



## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

*Floods devastating Prague subway - photos*

pics from Prague metro in late summer 2002 showing devastating power of quincentennial floods (in Czech rep) that hits many countries in Europe that year

subway map - ticked stations were out of order









Line A (four station damaged including two transfer stations)
you can see where was the upper reach of the water, mud was everywhere


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## DonQui (Jan 10, 2005)

That hurts to even look at.


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## *UofT* (Jul 25, 2004)

Can't they do something to avoid this?


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## wazabi (Jul 20, 2004)

A very current topic, the central european rivers burst its banks again...


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## DonQui (Jan 10, 2005)

Is it because the snow from winter is melting too rapidly?

:?


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## micro (Mar 13, 2005)

OMG! But they did a great job, everything looked fine when I visited in 2005.


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

Line B (12 stations damaged including 2 transfer stations)


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## bayviews (Mar 3, 2006)

Sad to see the damage to Prague Metro. But good to hear that it's apparently been fixed up. Beautiful subway. The traincars, stations & ecalators look like Moscow Metro!


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

line C (three stations demaged including one transfer)


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

micro said:


> OMG! But they did a great job, everything looked fine when I visited in 2005.


yes, it was roughly fixed within half a year but it was quite expensive...


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

*UofT* said:


> Can't they do something to avoid this?


yes, today most stations should resist same floods plus increased 60cm. The main problem during floods in 2002 were cable bushing - they don't seal enough. Somewhere weren't instaled closing valves - nobody knew it and nobody took care about it. This subway was designed to resist nuclear explosion but after these floods we could see there were weak links... somewhere closing valves were missing and were only thin walls instead, that couldn't resist such a enormous hydrostatic pressure (several ten meters).
These floods have enlightened us enough not to repeat same mistakes. But there are about four shallow stations that can't be protected from water otherwise they could swim up as a bubble during floods, we take this into account.


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## Imperfect Ending (Apr 7, 2003)

freaky how high the waterline was


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

^ in some stations water reached 3 meters above ground so it was impossible to protect them. But in some stations water got only through deep underground tunnels because some closing valve gates weren't activated, some were even missing (despite project documentation include them) and somewhere cable bushing didn't seal enough, that was the main problem.


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## south (Nov 26, 2005)

I think I've just developed a new phobia -- fear of flash-flooding in subways. Hope I don't freak out next time it rains!


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## jamesinclair (Mar 21, 2006)

Never seen this before. The scenes would make for a good horror movie.


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## alesmarv (Mar 31, 2006)

http://www.radio.cz/en/html/povodne2002.html heres a link if anyones interested in more pics of the floods.

I thought that some of the flood gates did not close in time because of maulfunctions and because of the weather service downplaying the warnings and underestimating the size of the flood. Isnt that why the Prague Zooz lost a bunch of animals including some elephants, hypos, etc. not to mention that seal that swam from Prague to i think Hamburg, until the polution in the water finaly got to it. By the way I love those new floods walls that they have ready to set up on the banks of vltava now(I think they actual put them up this week because of the floods).

Hey do you have any info when their finaly going to extend line B(or the green line) to the airport and build line D? And what is the actual time line to build the circle route?

Iv been trying to get some info on this, but find it hard since i dont live there anymore.


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

If you want more info about Prague metro, here is special thread about it http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=307889


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

here are animations in flash that shows how the water was rising during time

profile of the lines
http://www.metroweb.cz/povoden/podelny_rez.exe 
aerial view
http://www.metroweb.cz/povoden/letecky_pohled.exe


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## Andrew (Sep 11, 2002)

My goodness! It looks like the aftermath of a terrorist attack or a mega tsunami! It must have cost hundreds of millions to fix!


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

^ reconstruction have cost about 300 millions $ which is quite a lot money here in Czech rep.


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## Bahnsteig4 (Sep 9, 2005)

Amazing architecture!


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## Gag Halfrunt (Jun 25, 2006)

As I remember reading in a thread in the Central Europe forum, Střížkov station was designed by Czech architect Patrik Kotas. He also does industrial design for buses, trams and trains, and designed the M1 trains which can be seen in these photos.


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## Bori427 (Jan 6, 2007)

Very modern architechture,love 'em!


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## ov_79 (Mar 21, 2008)

Woonsocket54 said:


> Weird station in the middle of a field. In Kiev they built a subway station in the middle of a forest (Chervony Khutir)...


Really? Heh . Then it is a semi-curiousity... at least.


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

Wow, that station looks like the budget was too large. I would be already glad if large railway stations in Vienna would features such a cool architecture. 

Not that I don't like our new subway stations, but it seems they play in a different league.


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## Macius (Sep 8, 2005)

WOW amazing! Congratulations Prague


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## Shezan (Jun 21, 2007)

awesome!


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## DJZG (Aug 2, 2007)

very nice style...

anyone have new map of extended net in praha?


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## ov_79 (Mar 21, 2008)

DJZG:


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## FabriFlorence (Sep 29, 2004)

Wonderful!!!


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## bgplayer19 (Nov 25, 2007)

Surely great!i would definitely like to go there


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## ov_79 (Mar 21, 2008)

The next relong is on line A northwest towards the airport
Next one, new D line from the south via Pankrac to Hlavni nadrazi


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)




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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

We will get these soon - Škoda 15T







.







.


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## RawLee (Jul 9, 2007)

Kokpit,what does 15T,or T5C5 mean?


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

T5C5 is certain Tatra tram model (T for tram, 5 for 5th generation, C is subcategory for pins distance - 6.7m & two way vehicle, 5 width of vehicle - 2.5m).
15T is Škoda tram, they have 01T-16T models


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## RawLee (Jul 9, 2007)

kokpit said:


> T5C5 is certain Tatra tram model (T for tram, 5 for 5th generation, C is subcategory for pins distance - 6.7m & two way vehicle, 5 width of vehicle - 2.5m).
> 15T is Škoda tram, they have 01T-16T models


Thank you! Its interesting to know this...especially after I tell you there's a T5C5K type too! "K" comes from "korszerűsített"-modernized,with:
-energy-feedback
-ABS
-smooth braking
-and a lot of interior extension


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

T5C5 were Tatra trams delivered solely to Budapest between 1978-84, official name was T5C5H, H stands for Hungary  http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_T5C5


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## RawLee (Jul 9, 2007)

kokpit said:


> T5C5 were Tatra trams delivered solely to Budapest between 1978-84, official name was T5C5H, H stands for Hungary  http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_T5C5


I thought they were universal...because now,its off-topic...


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## MonsieurAquilone (May 12, 2007)

They look great, the new models. Good job, Prague!


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## Assemblage23 (Jan 6, 2008)

I love places with such old-new contrasts.


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

New Škoda 15T ForCity tram, Prague will get 250 of these, will be presented at Innotrans in Berlin next week
100% low floor, total capacity 300 passengers (61 seats), 31.4m long, 2.46m wide, six doors - each 1.3m wide, 16 engines (45kW)
front view








rear view







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interior







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## Hybrid 87 (Aug 3, 2004)

kokpit said:


> We will get these soon - Škoda 15T
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Riga will get them someday too  (only in blue/white)


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## wonwiin (Jan 12, 2008)

The last time I used the Prague tram it went over some rough patches of track. Luckily it had good springs. Are the new sets as good in handling bad tracks as the old ones?


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

^ not all tracks are bad, but yes, there are still some sections with bad quality. Prague has 140 km of tram tracks so the network is quite large. I use tram in Prague quite often and it doesn't seem so bad to me. There was one inferior section at Letná in Prague 7, which is now under complete reconstruction. There are many brand new tracks too, e.g. in Barrandov. About the new trams: they are only going to be tested in 2009 in Prague, we will see how they do on Prague tram tracks...


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## kokpit (Jan 15, 2006)

Hybrid 87 said:


> Riga will get them someday too  (only in blue/white)


Trams for Riga will be quite same as those for Prague, only with wider gauge 1524 mm and they will have air-conditioning system too...


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## HiRazor (Aug 4, 2007)

Škoda 15T (ForCity) video


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## urgel23 (Aug 24, 2004)

http://www.cityrailtransit.com


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

What an absolutely luscious tribute to the T3s in Prague hkskyline. My mouth is watering like somebody put a plate of svickova in front of me! :lol:

They certainly have an iconic design association with the city, like the red buses in London. The Porsche tram doesn't cut it for me, but hopefully the 15T will become the new icon. Nevertheless no doubt Prague citizens will appreciate the comfort of a new tram rather than using an historic icon!


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## earthbound (Feb 25, 2008)




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## zivan56 (Apr 29, 2005)

New ones are nice and modern, but I love the design of the old ones...especially since I grew up in Sarajevo, where we only had Tatra K2s


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## deasine (Sep 13, 2007)

zivan56 said:


> New ones are nice and modern, but I love the design of the old ones...especially since I grew up in Sarajevo, where we only had Tatra K2s


According to Skoda, these trams were designed by a collaboration between Skoda-Transport and Porshe...


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## jlshyang (May 22, 2005)

Assemblage23 said:


> I love places with such old-new contrasts.


Same here. I hope they will retain the old trams.

I remember tram number 18. Nostalgic.


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## Tramwayman (Jan 22, 2009)

the old trams will retain too not all but most of them.

250 Skoda 15T which are super modern and beautifull. will come I hope when I get to Prague Forcity Soda's will already be there to ride them.


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## X38 (Jan 23, 2008)

That nearly looks like an airplane cockpit :lol:. 
Nice tram by the way.


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## Zaro (Jun 4, 2006)

I was in Prague a couple of months ago. I used almost all types of trams and the old ones are very well-maintained. We have the same in Sofia, but they're total shit! I just couldn't believe that these were the same trams.


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## earthbound (Feb 25, 2008)

*Skoda 15T "ForCity"* on testing in Pilsen ...testing should move to Prague in month and half


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## Tramwayman (Jan 22, 2009)

coolest tram for now.


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## matujtutujka (Nov 19, 2009)

*ROPID*=*R*egionální *O*rganizátor *P*ražské *I*ntegrované *D*opravy - Regional Organizer *Prague* Integrated Transport

Transport is provided by Subways, Trams, Buses and S-lines.

*Subways*

lines: A,B,C
type: 
*81-71M*








*M1*









*Trams*

lines: 1-26, 51-59 (night lines), 91 (historical)
type: 
*T3* 
*T3SUCS* (Soviet version for Czechoslovakia, almost identical as T3)
*T3M* (almost identical as T3, reconstructed)








*T3R.P* (reco T3)
*T3R.PV* (almost identical as T3R.P, reco T3)








*T3R.PLF* (reco T3)








*T6A5*








*KT8D5*








*KT8D5R.N2P* (reco KT8D5)








*14T*








*15T*








*Ringhoffer* (historical line 91)








*TO BE CONTINUED...*


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## Falubaz (Nov 20, 2004)

Praga has pretty nice transportation system, i rode it everywhere in the city and i loved it really. Later tonight i will post here some of my pisc from last summer trip.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Filip7370 said:


> You also misunderstood me. I wanted to compare the market situation, not the design of both constructions. Both as a novum on the market must build their opinion. And that's the point where I completely agree with You


Of course, I understand, I'm sorry! And with its "looks" Tramlino probably has a better chance in "western" market than Skoda!


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## פובליק פיינט (Dec 28, 2009)

historyworks said:


> I'm not sure 15T could even be an icon for Prague like T3 is, I really think they should consider a different colour scheme. *Even 14T looks better.*


Speaking of design I like 15T lot more than 14T and I believe 15T will be very pleased by Prague citizens unlike 14T. 14T was overall mistake for Prague since it's fixed bogies destroys track on several lines. Prague got 60 of it till 2009 and fortunately will not buy more. And I think people in Wroclaw were not were pleased by 16T either, as far as I understand.
15T








14T - it's not 100% low floor so windows in different levels, nose is strange and fat, painting is weird...










T3 is "classic" late 50's design (first were tested in Prague in 1961 (!)), some of them may remain in refurbished versions to the future, like this T3R.PLF (Prague has 24 of them now)









Now it's high time to purchase new 100% low-floor staff here.


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## פובליק פיינט (Dec 28, 2009)

historyworks said:


> Of course, I understand, I'm sorry! And with its "looks" Tramlino probably has a better chance in "western" market than Skoda!


I don't know, Tramino face looks like highspeed train, it may look good in modern cities sure, but in Prague where all lines runs though the city centre it would stand out like a sore thumb.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

I am saying I think many "western" cities (not Prague, even though it's western LOL!) would like the design of Tramlino.

As for 14T I am talking about style/colour, not technology. I think the problem with 15T is all that black. It makes it look a bit gothic. It needs to look "lighter". Bad enough having goth girls walking around the streets, we don't need goth trams too! :lol:


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## פובליק פיינט (Dec 28, 2009)

historyworks said:


> As for 14T I am talking about style/colour, not technology. I think the problem with 15T is all that black. It makes it look a bit gothic. It needs to look "lighter". Bad enough having goth girls walking around the streets, we don't need goth trams too! :lol:


I was also refering to 14T style/colour, for me it's terrible, especially on photos.
About 15T visual aspect, for me it looks quite decent and looks for sure better than 14T. After all, you can always change the painting.
Well I don't think we will ever agree on that .


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## Tramwayman (Jan 22, 2009)

15T and Tramino are very ebautiful.
14T is the ugliest from low floor trams.

and well T3 is a classic but I hate this trams for me they are superbly ugly.


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## Get Smart (Oct 6, 2008)

prague trams are lovely, both the new modern ones and the claissical one's


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## Filip7370 (Jan 24, 2008)

For me visually 15T is one of the most interesting trams in Europe. It is much more original.


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## earthbound (Feb 25, 2008)

*Skoda 15t*



source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4189433287/


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

OK looks like 15T is the clear winner here LOL! I just think it looks too "vertical" - I think that's the effect of the black at the top. But yes it is a matter of interpretation. And a man with a tin of paint. 

Funny that I always hated 14T until I got to Prague and saw it. Now I like it more but I agree with Tramwayman that it looks like a potato, but I like potatoes. A passenger-carrying potato (brambory tramvaj) :lol:


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

When computer simulations of 15T were released a year ago this colour scheme was included:










IMO I prefer it. What do you guys think?


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## פובליק פיינט (Dec 28, 2009)

historyworks said:


> IMO I prefer it. What do you guys think?


Let the main designer speak:



> The man responsible for this state-of-the-art vehicle, Ing. Arch. Patrik Kotas, commented: ‘The design of new Prague tram represent an altogether new concept of the external as well as internal form and spatial solution, which is based especially on the principle of visual lightness. The dominant theme sees the form of the front spherical windscreen merge into the window and roofs of the three-part body. *On purpose, the dark surfaces contrast with silver metallic finish of the sills. The lower section red stripe unifies the perimeter of the tram, encompassing as it does the entire circumference, as well as the four key support frames. The position of these under the articulated links and the extended position under the front and rear of the vehicle is the most distinctive innovation as well as the most characteristic attribute of this construction and design concept.* Trams help to create the architecture of a town and in the case of Prague they are also one of the symbols which characterize the Prague streets. The trams Škoda ForCity are ambitious to inject into those same streets a new, visually unique memorable element.’


http://www.skoda.cz/en/skoda-holdin...-low-floor-vehicle-skoda-forcity-aid2454.html
:lol:

OK, we can always repaint it, never mind.
I think it looks better without that yellow face. And red stripe on the top? I don't know, I think I like it better how is it now.


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## פובליק פיינט (Dec 28, 2009)

15T on the streets of Prague again


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

....complete with wheel flat LOL!

I presume that is 9201 - no number on front?


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## פובליק פיינט (Dec 28, 2009)

Yes, it's without number, strange. One piece is back to Pilsen and this one is still being tested. I've heard serial production had started though.


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## פובליק פיינט (Dec 28, 2009)

New Tram in Prague, 1955 - T2, predecessor of legendary T3


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## Frank H (Mar 22, 2010)

I have been asking about the Skoda 15T on the Riga trams thread, but this would seem a more appropriate thread.

A look at the Skoda website reveals two features of the "ForCity" 15T which I haven't seen mentioned as yet.

1. The 15T has "Gearless individually controlled synchronous traction motors with permanent magnets". This is interesting because most modern trams and electric railcars use _asynchronous_ motors. In fact all the other Skoda trams, 14T, 16T etc.etc., have asynchronous motors. Why is the 15T an exception? The website says that the 15T motors "distinctively reduce both energy requirements and maintenance costs", although it is not clear whether this is a direct result of their being synchronous motors, or due to some other design feature. Perhaps someone with a detailed knowledge of electric motor technology can enlighten us on this.

2. "The tram ŠKODA ForCity can only be driven from one end". However it is not clear whether this is a fundamental feature of the design (perhaps due to the bogies?) - or not.

If it is not a fundamental feature of the design, it could easily be made double-ended by providing a cab at each end.

However, if it is an inevitable part of the design, the 15T could not be used on systems and routes without turning loops at the termini. 

I hope someone can provide further information on these points. This is especially interesting because the design is one which would seem be superior in some important respects to its competitors.


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## Tramfreak (Oct 14, 2007)

Frank H said:


> I have been asking about the Skoda 15T on the Riga trams thread, but this would seem a more appropriate thread.
> 
> A look at the Skoda website reveals two features of the "ForCity" 15T which I haven't seen mentioned as yet.
> 
> ...


15T is more or less symmetrical, so it shouldn't be a problem to make a double-ended version of the tram. 

The reason why it's single-ended is that the tram is designed especially for the Prague system. And Prague does not need more double-ended trams because all termini have turning loops. 
Sometimes, double-ended trams areduring construction works when a line is terminated using this. But there are 48 double-ended trams of the type KT8D5(RN2.P) for this purpose. 

I think that if someone offers double-ended 15T's, they will not have to make some large scale changes to the tram. It is the same with 14T, which will be supplied to Wroclaw in a double-ended version.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Hi again Frank H!

Sometimes things get lost in the translation to English on the Skoda website. 15T is designed equally to be bidirectional, just a matter of putting controls and another comfortable driver's "lounge room" at no 2 end and moving the panto to the centre.

There are some technical articles appearing on 15T if you google about. I found this that might help you:

http://www.electricalmonitor.com/GENERATION/intelligent-transport


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## Sch1 (May 20, 2008)

Hi Frank H,
I will try to explain the reasons which may have led Škoda to use synchronous motors in 15T.

Since it is has rotating bogies, they need to be as small as possible to save space, and the synchronous motor is much smaller than asynchronous (induction) motor. That's why it is used in many electric road vehicles.

It is lighter than the asynchronous (induction) motor and thus decreases the force on the track. This is important since the motor on the bogie is a unsprung weight.

The size enables to connect the motor directly to the wheel and save additional weight and space by avoiding a gear box. Prague requested the least track wear possible.

The disadvantage is that is more difficult to use in in traction vehicles since the voltage in the overhead line fluctuates. Thus the drive train is more expensive.

There might be different reasons which I haven't thought about.

Synchronous motors are used on TGV, but for example ULF tram uses asynchronous motors, although in vertical configuration and not on the bogies.

I see now, your question was a little different. Lower maintenance costs are for sure due to the absence of the gearbox. Higher efficiency is achieved because the synchronous motor has better electrical efficiency and there are no losses in the absent gearbox, so this is a combination of the parameters of synchronous motor and the gearlessness of the drive train.


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## Frank H (Mar 22, 2010)

Many thanks to Tramfreak, historyworks, and Sch1 for their enlightening replies to my last post.

Thanks to Sch1, I now know more about the competing advantages and disadvantages of synchronous and asynchronous AC electric motors. I can see why Skoda chose synchronous motors for the 15T. The fact that Skoda uses asynchronous motors in its other designs, as do, if my impression is correct, most if not all other modern tram manufacturers in their designs, prompts the question "why?"

I presume that Sch1 has pointed out the answer in the statement "the drive train is more expensive." I presume that this also means that it is more complex.

This might mean that the drive train is the potential "weak link" in this design. It will be interesting to see how it holds up in regular service.


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## Frank H (Mar 22, 2010)

Sch1 said:


> Hi Frank H,
> I will try to explain the reasons which may have led Škoda to use synchronous motors in 15T.
> 
> The size enables to connect the motor directly to the wheel and save additional weight and space by avoiding a gear box. Prague requested the least track wear possible.
> ...


Reading through this again, I realise I may have misunderstood the situation.

I presume now that ..."the drive train is more expensive" does not refer to the same part of the mechanism as is referred to in "...the gearlessness of the drive train". i.e. there are two different drive trains.

I would have taken "drive train" to mean the link between the motor and the wheels. It appears that this is a very simple arrangement in the 15T - with the motors, because of their small size, being able to drive the wheels directly. Thus I presume that this is not the "more expensive" drive train apparently required by a synchronous motor. Would that refer to the connection between the pantograph and the motors?


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Frank H said:


> Reading through this again, I realise I may have misunderstood the situation.
> 
> I presume now that ..."the drive train is more expensive" does not refer to the same part of the mechanism as is referred to in "...the gearlessness of the drive train". i.e. there are two different drive trains.
> 
> I would have taken "drive train" to mean the link between the motor and the wheels. It appears that this is a very simple arrangement in the 15T - with the motors, because of their small size, being able to drive the wheels directly. Thus I presume that this is not the "more expensive" drive train apparently required by a synchronous motor. Would that refer to the connection between the pantograph and the motors?


I am out of my depth on some of it too Frank H - all I know is that Skoda is obviously a very clever designer and manufacturer of transport electrics so they seem to know what they're doing. I think even Bombardier is using some of their electronics. Skoda seems to be focussing on transport now, having sold Skoda Power to Korea. Apart from their own decades of experience I believe Skoda inherited much of the technical staff and research facilities of CKD Tatra so there is a lot of tram knowledge and experience there. Perhaps some of our Czech friends can help fill in the details.


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## Sch1 (May 20, 2008)

What I meant with drive train was everything from the pantograph to the wheels, the mechanics are simpler, thus require less money to build and to maintain, but the electronics that feed the motors with energy are much more complex, thus more expensive to build.


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## Frank H (Mar 22, 2010)

Sch1 said:


> What I meant with drive train was everything from the pantograph to the wheels, the mechanics are simpler, thus require less money to build and to maintain, but the electronics that feed the motors with energy are much more complex, thus more expensive to build.


Thanks Sch1. Your two posts have given me more appreciation of the differences between - and the qualities of - asynchronous and synchronous AC motors than anything else I have found on the web. Items found there are either too basic - telling me nothing I didn't know already - or far too advanced - my knowledge of electric motors is limited.

Regarding the 15T, the arrangement of the motors directly driving on the wheel makes the bogie look quite strange.

http://webak.upce.cz/~lata/konference/sbornik-clanky/79_86_zelingr_heptner.pdf

This document has pictures of many modern tram bogies. Obr. 20 shows that of the 15T. I presume that the bulky round objects situated on the outer ends of the axles are the motors.

Another view of this comes from the Riga tram thread, page 2, in post 23 from Hybrid 87:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1061263&page=2

Of course, in service this will be hidden by the bogie cover. A close look at this from Wikipedia seems to show the way the motor fits into this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Škoda_15T,_kryt_podvozku.jpg

It must be a pretty tight fit. The fact that this rather awkward looking arrangement seems to be working OK is another triumph for Skoda - but perhaps such a peculiar arrangement has been used before - does anyone know whether this is so?

Anyway, tram enthusiasts will be waiting with interest to see how the remarkable 15T performs in everyday service.

I express again my regret that we will probably never see the 15T in action in the UK. Or the Solaris Tramino for that matter.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Frank H I think hub motors are quite common on low floor trams, I don't think that aspect is unusual. In fact I think you can see them on several examples in that pdf article you linked (great bit of googling to find that Frank!). 

I would love to see English translation of that article (without the oddities of Google Translate and its "80% low floor sex" as they found on the Riga forum LOL!). There is very advanced stuff on trams coming out of Czech Republic that we have no congniscance of in the old "west" - but after all they were the world's largest tram builders for the last half-century, they do know a lot more than us.

I don't know why in theory you shouldn't see 15T in UK (same in Australia). The "western" countries have no understanding of anything east of the Elbe let alone how sophisticated it might be. The big manufacturers have their market turfs and nobody goes outside the square. Also loss of knowledge of tram operation in the new-start light rail countries means they have no critical tradition or engineering experience on which to evaluate a tram. It is easier to give the start-up job to a package "turn-key" consortium with "any-tram-will-do" included (ineveitably a Bombardier or Alstom). I think this approach will bite them on the bum one day when the limitations of the fixed bogie trams become obvious (already on the 13 year-old Sydney light rail line, which has fixed-bogie Variotrams, there is discussion of premature track-wear). 

Personally I think Skoda should be linking up with some of these turn-key consortiums when tendering for contracts in the "west" (except the less-prejudiced USA where Skoda and Inekon are doing quite well in establishing a profile). It all comes down to marketing/sales skill in the end.

By the way, note in the Riga photo of the 15T on the transporter how the Riga version does not have motors on the first bogie (in Prague 15T has all bogies powered). I presume this is because Riga is reasonably flat, without the steep grades that are prevalent in Prague. Also interesting because unpowered bogies are usually further back on trams (with the sanders on the front wheels). Perhaps Skoda has worked out that traction in slippery conditions is better with the powered bogies further back - better weight distribution? Clever Czechs LOL?!


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Ah what the heck! Here's a Google translate version of that article (carefully screened for references to 80% low floor sex!). I think - as we say in English Frank - we have to "read between the lines" to understand, I hope some of our Czech friends can help to clear up some of the meanings.

Basically it seems to be a discussion of efforts to return to a more "classical" form of tram running gear, of which Skoda has made it all the way. You will note that Alstom has also brought out a pivoting bogie, but only for use under the ends of the tram and without revisiting the whole architecture of the tram as Skoda has (which is a pity I think - a half-hearted effort).



> Original Czech: http://webak.upce.cz/~lata/konferenc...gr_heptner.pdf
> 
> Rotary CHASSIS Articulated trams
> Milos Zelingr, Tomas Heptner
> ...


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## Frank H (Mar 22, 2010)

historyworks said:


> Frank H I think hub motors are quite common on low floor trams, I don't think that aspect is unusual. In fact I think you can see them on several examples in that pdf article you linked (great bit of googling to find that Frank!).


Thanks for your comments. I had heard of hub motors on trams before, but assumed that they were a special case only used on a few tram types.

If indeed hub motors are common on low floor trams, I am rather puzzled when looking at the pictures of bogies in Zelingr & Heptner's paper. My puzzlement comes because of what I learnt from Sc1 in this forum thread - that synchronous motors - as in the 15T - are smaller and lighter than asynchronous motors (I assume that this of course must be in comparing motors of similar power output).

Looking at the pictures in Z & H, it seems to me that, while all the bogies show equipment on the outer end of the axles, outside the wheels, that of the Skoda 15T (Obr.20) seems the largest and bulkiest. Only that of the "Variobahn - Bombardier" (Obr.11) comes close to this. I had wondered whether this tram might also have hub-motors. The outside-of-axle equipment on all the other bogies seems much less than that on the two above-mentioned designs - and much of the equipment doesn't look particularly motor-like to me, but then I have very limited knowledge in this field. That of the Siemens NF 8 (Obr.16) has what look to me possibly motors, not directly on the hub but above and to one side, presumably driving the axles through gears. (And see below on the Citadis X Obr.18)

Thus if motors are present in the pictures of these bogies, they all seem to be smaller and lighter than the synchronous motors of the 15T. But it was my understanding - possibly mistaken - that most modern trams had _asynchronous_ motors, which accordingly ought to be larger than the 15T's motors.



> I would love to see English translation of that article (without the oddities of Google Translate and its "80% low floor sex" as they found on the Riga forum LOL!).


Thanks for the Google translation of Z&H. Sadly this confirms that Google translation is, as might be expected, at its worst when attempting technology and science. I'm afraid I find it almost impossible to understand much of the resulting gibberish. However one important piece of info. does emerge - that the _Citadis X trams do have synchronous motors_. They can be seen in Obr. 18 on the outside of the bogies - but not hub-mounted - each motor driving both axles through shafts coupling to bevel gears. It is probably significant that, as you pointed out, this tram by Alstom also uses a pivoting bogie, but in a different way (aptly described by yourself as "half-hearted") to Skoda's 15T bogie.



> There is very advanced stuff on trams coming out of Czech Republic that we have no congniscance of in the old "west" - but after all they were the world's largest tram builders for the last half-century, they do know a lot more than us.
> 
> I don't know why in theory you shouldn't see 15T in UK (same in Australia). The "western" countries have no understanding of anything east of the Elbe let alone how sophisticated it might be. The big manufacturers have their market turfs and nobody goes outside the square. Also loss of knowledge of tram operation in the new-start light rail countries means they have no critical tradition or engineering experience on which to evaluate a tram. It is easier to give the start-up job to a package "turn-key" consortium with "any-tram-will-do" included (ineveitably a Bombardier or Alstom).


That's the root of the problem. Despite perfunctory nods in the direction of free and fair trade, protectionism and narrow economic nationalism seem to be far from dead in the western world.

Tha "Anglo-Saxon" countries - USA, UK, Australia etc. - are actually among the least protectionist. Hence, probably, the comparative success of Eastern European and Asian companies in these countries. However in the UK and Australia - after privatization - many of the leading providers of public transport are in foreign hands. If, as often happens, those hands happen to be French-dominated, this results in a subtle but real bias towards French or French-related manufacture and/or design. No surprise that Melbourne started to buy from Alstom.



> Personally I think Skoda should be linking up with some of these turn-key consortiums when tendering for contracts in the "west" (except the less-prejudiced USA where Skoda and Inekon are doing quite well in establishing a profile). It all comes down to marketing/sales skill in the end.


The problem facing Skoda, Solaris, Pesa, and any non-western, indeed any non-French related company, can be seen in this quote from a recent "Tramways and Urban Transport" supplement on Keolis, one of the leading public transport operators in Europe, and also operator of the Melbourne Trams. Though officially "multinational", Keolis is very clearly French-dominated. Keolis is part of the Tramlink Nottingham consortium, seeking to play a controlling role in Nottingham public transport as a partner to a local bus company. Their UK Light Rail Project Director, Roger Harrison, explained "We are confident we would bring our tramway expertise to the local bus company we would operate with in Nottingham...We know a great deal about integrating trams into a bus network _and are familiar with both Alstom and Bombardier trams._" (emphasis mine)

There doesn't even seem to be much going for Siemens or Stadler! How is anyone going to get a look in unless they have "The French Connection"?

I don't want this to seem an anti-French rant. They are not the only nationalistic protectionists in the world. As far as Western Europe is concerned, the record of the Italians doesn't seem that much better. And it must be said that most continental European countries have had a much healthier and constructive attitude about public transport - and a correspondingly less fervent worship of the great god automobile - than the Anglo-Saxons. If so many British public transport companies are now owned by continental Western Europeans, then the fault is largely ours in the UK.

Sadly, unless and until they can come to some arrangement which satisfies the French-dominated consortiums, the "Clever Czechs" will not have the success they deserve. However, since our modern "light rail" type tram systems here in the UK have, supposedly, better track conditions than those in the former Communist countries, I suppose it won't matter too much from an operational point of view.

From a tramlover's viewpoint however, it would be great to see the likes of Skoda and Solaris breaking the Alstom-Bombardier duopoly. At the very least it would give us some, in my opinion, aesthetically superior vehicles to look at.


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## Gag Halfrunt (Jun 25, 2006)

The US is actually very protectionist at the federal government level. Local transit agencies often buy buses, subways trains, light rail vehicles, etc. with partial funding from the federal government, which means that they are subject to "Buy America" regulations requiring products to be made in the USA with mostly domestic materials.

Skoda has a joint venture with Oregon Iron Works, United Streetcar, which makes trams "in full compliance with the Buy-America Act".


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Frank H the Variotram (Variobahn in German) has hub motors:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variotram#Specifications

It seems that manufacturers like Skoda/Solaris/Siemens and Stadler are going to have their greatest chances where the tram system is owned by the city authority (or state) and there is still the in-house expertise to impartially evaluate tram types. If you get the Thatcherite contracting out of a city's transit (the curse we have in UK and Australia, though thankfully so far confined to Melbourne) then it's going to be Alstom/Bombardier. Unfortunately the trend under the present 'economic rationalist' philosophy is to contract out so we are going to see city transit authorities disappearing one by one, with the French consortiums cleaning up the pickings. In my view the best PT is still to be found in cities with public transit authorities so it's a poor development.

A representative of a European manufacturer I spoke to once said they were appalled over there at the evident lack of expertise in Australia when ordering trams. Tenders have no real technical specifications, just basically "give us a tram". Although, as you say, new start systems have good trackwork, one day things will deteriorate (e.g. in the case of anti-PT governments that throttle back funding) and then they will find themselves in need of a good tram.

I hope we haven't captured the Prague trams thread too much but I hope we've given you guys in CZ some insight into issues we face in the "west" (yes I know, CZ is also in the "west" and Prague is west of Vienna which the Austrians excuse for themselves as being in "South-east western Europe" LOL, all good fun!).

PS Frank, if you make it back to "the continent" just visit Prague, don't bother about the rest, you won't regret it! :cheers:


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## Sch1 (May 20, 2008)

I hope my translation will be better to understand than the Google one


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## Sch1 (May 20, 2008)

> Rotating bogies in low floor trams
> 
> *1.	Intro​*This article describes the relation between the concept of the tram car and the bogie with focus on rotating bogies.
> *2.	What is a rotating bogie*​Definition of rotating bogie from script “Rail cars” author prof. Nejepsa (1953) “Bogie is a low cart with two or more wheelsets, with wheelbase 1,8 to 3m even more, caring the bodywork in such a matter the it can rotate in relation to the vertical axis”
> ...


I have given it a try.
What is funny is that this article was presented on the "19. conference with *international attendance* - recent problems in rail cars". I don't know what the foreign guest could have taken from this contribution in czech. hno:

And a link to the porduct sheet of the motor used on 15T: www.skoda.cz/?module=uploads&func=download&fileId=1652
each of them has 46,6kW that is close to the Variotram hub motors.
With 12 motors for Riga and 16 for Prague this makes quite a racing tram with up to 720kW for 42t. :cheers:


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## Sch1 (May 20, 2008)

If i would looked better I would have found this article referenced to on the Wikipedia 15T page:
http://www.railway2007.fd.cvut.cz/proceedings/Capek+Kolar.pdf
It is much better than the on I translated is in English, but has no examples of real trams.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

That's brilliant Sch1 - many thanks! :cheers:

The only thing that's been misinterpreted I think is that Bombardier Flexity Classic and Siemens NF8 with rotating bogies actually have high floor over rotating bogies (like Skoda 14T). Only Citadis class X and Skoda 15T have rotating bogies under complete 100% low floor - but the Citadis has fixed bogies in the middle section, whereas Skoda Jacobs bogies rotate. Please correct me if you think I'm wrong.

I agree, why such a rare paper is not in English I can't understand! The Capek and Kolar paper has, on the other hand, attracted much interest in the English world.

Thanks again, you have been a great help.


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## WotaN (Jun 15, 2004)

Sch1 said:


> I have given it a try.
> What is funny is that this article was presented on the "19. conference with *international attendance* - recent problems in rail cars". I don't know what the foreign guest could have taken from this contribution in czech. hno:


For most people from Eastern Europe it's quite easy to at least partially understand Czech. Especially when the subject is given and the speach is illustrated with slideshow.


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## Frank H (Mar 22, 2010)

Sch1 said:


> I hope my translation will be better to understand than the Google one


Sch1 - I add my thanks to historywork's to you for your very useful translation of the Zelingr & Heptner paper.

On the Riga trams thread, historyworks had earlier alerted me to the Capek & Kolar paper. Actually to understand better the significance of the Skoda achievement with the 15T, both papers need to be read in light of each other. Now, thanks to yourself, we non-Czechs can actually do that.

historyworks - thanks for the lead to the confirmation that the Variotram/Variobahn has hub motors. Wikipedia is of course not always 100% reliable, but a comment in a book "The Development of the Modern Tram" (good book with many pictures, but not quite as informative on technical engineering issues as I would like) indirectly backs this up.

I have now been trying to find out whether the hub motors of the Variotram are, as I suspect, synchronous motors. Unfortunately the Stadler site doesn't give such info., perhaps because all those interested in buying Variotrams would already know.

In light of Sch1's information that synchronous motors are smaller and lighter than equivalent powered asynchronous motors, I would expect most if not all hub motors to be synchronous. Does anyone know if that is so?

Would it be possible to incorporate an asynchronous motor into a wheel hub in the way I presume that the motor has been so incorporated in the Variotram? If it is not so, then the Variotram must also have synchronous motors, alongside the 15T and the Citadis X (but not earlier Citadis).

In all other cases so far where I have managed to find information on motor-type in modern trams, asynchronous motors have been specified. That is the case with all Skoda trams other than the 15T, with the PESA SWING tram, the Solaris Tramino, Siemens Combino, and Citadis prior to the X series. Thus it still seems to me that the 15T is one of a small minority of modern trams in using synchronous motors. Again this will add interest to seeing how the 15T performs in everyday service.

Incidentally, thanks to Sch1 for the link to the product sheet of the motors used on 15T. They are rather neat looking machines in my opinion.

I apologise if I am hijacking the Prague trams thread with my queries and comments about aspects of tram technology. There doesn't seem to be a thread on this subject - perhaps I should start one, but I've only been a member for a couple of months. In lieu of such a thread, I can't think of a better place to discuss this than a Czech trams thread. "historyworks" has opened my eyes to the fact that the Czech tram industry, especially Skoda, is probably a world leader in tram technology - and shortly one of its most remarkable recent achievements will be taking up everyday service in Prague and Riga.


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## Tramwayman (Jan 22, 2009)

The thing that interests me is that how can Stadler's Variostrams turn so sharp radii?

Stadler Tango tram fro Zurich is 75% low floor and can handle 12m curve in service (that's super achievment, only capable trams now lower than this are Toronto's ALRV and CLRV with 10,89 m of turn radius). 

Munich super beautiful variotrams 100% low floor can handle also 14,5m curves.


So how much can Skoda 15T with it's improved bogies? As i've heard only 18m/


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

^^
Specification of Australian-built Variotrams is minimum curve radius of 16.4 metres but even on minimum curve of 20 metres on the Sydney line the trams go around corners so slowly it is like watching the 'Queen Mary' berthing at a wharf! There is also now talk of premature rail wear on the line. The trams are also fitted with flange lubricators (as are all modern trams). So perhaps it is true in theory that such fixed bogie trams can go around small curves, but so slowly and with such wear issues it is an operational problem. In the Toronto tender the Bombardier tram failed the transit authority's derailment test originally! And in Helsinki the Variotrams had big problems, I don't know if entirely for this reason or other reasons too.

Skoda 15T bogie pivot spec is down to 15 metres (in depot) but don't forget its pivot is still limited to about 25 degrees compared to (I think) about 40 degrees on a conventional high floor tram (but still a hell of a lot better than 1-5 degrees which is the best achieved on any 100% low floor tram). If you want to know why fixed bogies aren't such a great thing on curves watch this video of Citadis on a very mild curve in Madrid - turn the sound up on your computer (and wear earplugs!). Not how to "sell" the concept of light rail to a sceptical public:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2p_HV2W-Os

A bit of information on the Australian Variotram (but doesn't answer Frank H's question on the hub motors - if I meet the operator some time I will ask the question):

http://www.sleeper.apana.org.au/railway/slr/
(scroll down page for information on the tram)

http://www.metrotransport.com.au/PDF/LightRailTechSheet.pdf

In countries like Australia and UK we are trying to "sell" the benefits of the tram compared to the bus that has dominated our public transport systems for so long. It doesn't help the image when the trams crawl around corners like caterpillars while buses can whizz around quickly! Travelling by tram in Prague by contrast is an eye-opener and a thrill for speed demons!

Frank H, not many in the "west" realise the scale of the Czech tram output. More than half the world's trams (some 23,000) are Czech, mostly Tatra with products on systems all the way from Europe to the Philippines. Successful is an understatement - the T3 (and T4 variant) number about 17,000 alone, the world's most numerous and successful tram.

However you will find Czechs on this forum more critical of their own trams (ungrateful! hno and I think some can't wait to see the last of the T3s. :lol: Personally I love the T3, like a classic thoroughbred racing car :lovethem:










http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_T3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_T4
:lovethem::lovethem:


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## Tramwayman (Jan 22, 2009)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2p_HV2W-Os
About this video you're mistaken I know spanish very well,., it's run videos prior to inauguration so trams are new and the rails are not fitted yet to wheels so that's why the squeal. it's not sharp curve.


About chzech trams, T3 is different model and T4 is different model, it's not a modification, it's different.

The msot numerous tram in the world till now is Russian four axle very well known model KTM-5, the number of this trams are 14369 .


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Tramwayman said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2p_HV2W-Os
> About this video you're mistaken I know spanish very well,., it's run videos prior to inauguration so trams are new and the rails are not fitted yet to wheels so that's why the squeal. it's not sharp curve.
> 
> 
> ...


Madrid - but the rails are set in concrete. Do you mean the grinding hasn't happened yet? It is hard to see what more they can do between trial and inauguration. The trams would have to be using their flange lubricators to eliminate noise surely, there is not much more to do to the track?

Thanks for alerting us to KTM5 Tramwayman - looks like it's across the line by a nose (a few hundred more than T3). How many still survive? I am surprised at the number. I thought Czechoslovakia was the designated tram manufacturing country in Comecon although I know Poland and Russia (and apparently Latvia) still manufactured some of their own, but T3/T4 was still the most successful (and technically superior) export.

I understand that in the current generation there are about 43,000 trams in the world. If combined Czech and Russian trams number about 37,000 that places the real "significance" of trams in "western" countries (the only trams we ever hear about in the "west"!) in true perspective! (I gather there were about 8,000 trams produced in postwar West Germany, the only significant postwar western manufacturing country, so the differences on both counts would be down to trams scrapped during this period I guess.)


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## FabriFlorence (Sep 29, 2004)

Sopomon said:


> I must say the colour choice on the station lighting was terrible. That light cyan colour is already dated and the stations are yet to be built.


Light cyan is the official colour of Line A.


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## Sopomon (Oct 2, 2010)

FabriFlorence said:


> Light cyan is the official colour of Line A.


It's just straight green, no?

There would have been much better ways to implement it.


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

I would wait till it's open (2014) to make an opinion on color.

Anyway some recent photos







.







.







.







.







.







.







.







.


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## brick84 (Aug 17, 2007)

Amazing pics!

And nice subway


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## joga (Oct 26, 2007)

matujtutujka said:


> *Ringhoffer* (historical line 91)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wonderful journey on that streetcar!


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## Busfotodotnl (Mar 18, 2009)

Can someone tell me more about service of the network in the night between 2012 and 2013?


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

^^ metro goes always longer (~ till 1-2 a.m.), there are night trams and buses as always


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## Busfotodotnl (Mar 18, 2009)

Thank you! We're visiting prague then and dont want to pay for the taxi. In the Netherlands, there is no public transport at dec 31st after 8 pm...


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## Busfotodotnl (Mar 18, 2009)

Two coupled Tatra-trams on the wonderful Chotkova-Hill and one in a street next to the hill.


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## Busfotodotnl (Mar 18, 2009)

And a compilation video of with all my shots:


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

*Construction of western extension of "A" train - 2013.01.31 - scheduled to open in 2014*









Location of future station Petřiny.




























More photos here: http://nicoletta.ru/stroitelstvo-metro-v-prage/


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## NordikNerd (Feb 5, 2011)

Does anyone know what bus to take from the south west metro stations Luka or Luziny to get to Reporyje area and Nad Namestim street ?

Does someone know where to find the scedule for the buses from those metro stations to Reporyje station ? Can you buy the bus tickets from the driver ? 

Thanks


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## easyna (Mar 25, 2013)

NordikNerd said:


> Does anyone know what bus to take from the south west metro stations Luka or Luziny to get to Reporyje area and Nad Namestim street ?
> 
> Does someone know where to find the scedule for the buses from those metro stations to Reporyje station ?
> 
> Thanks


Hi,
quite easy - try this
http://spojeni.dpp.cz/ConnForm.aspx?tt=PID&cl=E5
Journey planner

Can you buy the bus tickets from the driver ? 
Yes, but it is bit expensive, there are sales machines, or you can buy it in the newspaper shop. For intensive travel there are various daily tickets.


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## NordikNerd (Feb 5, 2011)

easyna said:


> Hi,
> quite easy - try this
> http://spojeni.dpp.cz/ConnForm.aspx?tt=PID&cl=E5
> Journey planner
> ...


Same thing as in Italy then, that you can buy tickets from the driver but they are more expensive and that bus tickets are sold in kiosks. In my city you can not buy tickets from the driver. Most people have a card or a ticket using a sms message.

Do you know if there are bus ticket sales at the main railway station ?
Do kiosks selling tickets have a sign outside showing that ?


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

NordikNerd said:


> Do you know if there are bus ticket sales at the main railway station ?


We don't have tickets separately for bus, we have only one type of tickets used for tram, bus, train, metro (and funicular). So sure you can buy tickets for city transport at the railway station.
http://www.dpp.cz/en/ticket-sales/



> Do kiosks selling tickets have a sign outside showing that ?


I'm not sure but most do sell these tickets.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Some stations are closed due to flooding










https://twitter.com/Deus_cz/status/341290515058262017/photo/1


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

There will be only reduced public transport service in the city centre from monday, metro will not go to the city centre at all, will be replaced for tram and bus lines, many tram lines will be stopped too, there will be one new train line.


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## ruslan33 (Oct 24, 2007)

jeez, these rainfalls are really a pain in the ass.


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## Falubaz (Nov 20, 2004)

This is not the first time that metro were flooded or is in the danger of. Maybe Prag should thing of some protection. Like flood doors or similar things to protect the system from the water.


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## Sch1 (May 20, 2008)

The metro is now protected well, as in the picture above.
In some stations the barrier is as much as 2m high, depending on the elevation. There is now no danger of flooding of the system. Theoretically the trains cold run through the city center without stopping in the closed stations. But for safety reasons it does not. Additional water tight doors are closed in the deep stations near the escalators. In the train tunnels there is a pair of doors on each side of the river on each line.
It should run non stop on Friday and the stations in city center could be opened later, when the water level is low enough.
Actually if they had had stopped the service soon enough in 2002, only smaller part of the system could have been flooded, bur maybe not, there were also some serious faults in the construction from the time the metro was build. They were later identified and repaired.


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## nbcee (Mar 2, 2013)

I wish this flood will be over soon without any serious damage to persons or property.


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

I think metro is now well protected against floods since reconstruction after 2002 floods, as Sch1 wrote. Deep stations in the city centre were originally projected as a antinuclear bunker and to be able to sustain any floods (caused by collapse of all reservoirs on the river Vltava at the same time) and in theory it still should be able to work as that. The problem in 2002 was the metro was still running while water was flooding the tunnels from construction site on C line (the shallowest). Bacause of that, many protection doors were never closed. It was complete underestimation of the floodings, till 2002 there were only smaller floodings in Prague since the year the metro was opened and there hadn't been any problem so far, so it was considered as 100% secure and even as shelter for Prague citizens in case of nuclear war.


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

Today photos: because of the floods, unexpected stations became terminus stations, like Radlická on line B - ususal daily ridership few thousands a day, this morning:









Pražského povstání on line C:


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

X-C buses trying hard to substitute metro line C today, in 2002 it worked well for few months, however this time the emergency mode won't last that long fortunately


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## Pierre50 (Jun 4, 2013)

Excellent explanations about protection against floodings after 2002 disasters.
Are there any kind of automatism to close all these doors in case of sudden flooding or is there necessity to have human intervention ?
I can imagine the replacement network see severe crowdings as hown in one of the pictures.


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

Those heavy doors are not automatic, there's even protection which have to be released in order to close it. Every station has a plan determining the order how all doors in the station have to be closed to make the station hermetically isolated.








.








http://technet.idnes.cz/foto.aspx?r..._IMG_9318.jpg&thumbs=1#RJA450c55_IMG_9321.jpg


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

1+1=3 said:


> X-C buses trying hard to substitute metro line C today, in 2002 it worked well for few months, however this time the emergency mode won't last that long fortunately


Any videos of line X-A and X-B trams available yet? Are they coupled KT8s again?


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

^ all types of trams, there were quite queues today... Prague 8:







.


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## Sch1 (May 20, 2008)

On line X-B was everything with wheels . Mostly KT8s (great capacity, I like the way these trams were renovated not only because of the new low floor middle section), 15Ts a some 2xT3. You can see it on the pictures above and there are already some videos on YouTube.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Sch1 said:


> You can see it on the pictures above and there are already some videos on YouTube.


Any links would be appreciated. I've done a search on Youtube and can't find anything other than the buses.


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## Falubaz (Nov 20, 2004)

> Dopravní podnik hlavního města Prahy obnovuje od pátečního zahájení v 5.00 hodin provoz metra v celém úseku na tratích A (projíždí se Malostranská a Staroměstská), B (projíždí se Florenc, Křižíkova, Invalidovna a Palmovka) a C (projíždí se Florenc, Vltavská a Nádraží Holešovice). Náhradní autobusová linka XC zůstává i nadále v provozu.


~ From today metro service restored on all lines. Just some station are closed: 
A (Malostranská, Staroměstská), 
B (Florenc, Křižíkova, Invalidovna, Palmovka) 
C (Florenc, Vltavská, Nádraží Holešovice). 
Still working bus line XC










Official info: http://www.dpp.cz/povodne-aktualni-doprava/


----------



## Sch1 (May 20, 2008)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf1bVWzp0kM trams on Barrandov loop, the middle track is X-B, to the right is 20 and left is 12.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNluXsCITc8 and here are buses and later trams on different places in Prague - 34, XA and XB


----------



## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

^^
Thank you!


----------



## kyah117 (Jan 24, 2010)

Thank you for those videos !


----------



## NordikNerd (Feb 5, 2011)

Now I have been in Prague. The metro is efficient, reliable and cheap.

The waggons reminds me a bit of the old green ones in Stockholm.


----------



## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

Two women being run over by metro, both survived
The first one was apparently hidden under the platform, two units pass by while she was on the track and nobody had noticed anything




.


----------



## doyle25 (Aug 3, 2013)

Great photos! Good work make´s Praga!!!


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

*Line A extension*









extension of metro Line A on the west side of town









*Bořislavka* station
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...300913.1073741862.146739700912&type=1&theater









*Bořislavka* station
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...300913.1073741862.146739700912&type=1&theater









*Nádraží Veleslavín* station
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...300913.1073741862.146739700912&type=1&theater









*Nádraží Veleslavín* station
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...300913.1073741862.146739700912&type=1&theater









*Petřiny* station
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...300913.1073741862.146739700912&type=1&theater









*Petřiny* station
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...300913.1073741862.146739700912&type=1&theater









*Nemocnice Motol* station
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...300913.1073741862.146739700912&type=1&theater


----------



## Hybrid 87 (Aug 3, 2004)

I see that the Škoda 15T trams in Prague are now getting air conditioning. Do you get only new ones with A/C or do the older ones (which are already in service) getting equipped with them?

Also why didn't Prague get A/C with every Škoda 15T from the beginning (like Riga did)?


----------



## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

I think Skoda 15T doesn't have air conditioning, only one unit for testing. From where did you get the info?


----------



## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

*Newcomer says hello and contributes.*

Hello, this is my first post at this board! Yes, I named myself after a subway station, but I'm not even from Czechia, but from Germany.
And even worse: I'm also walking my rounds at an alternate history discussion board and I also like to plaster that with more subway maps.

Anyway, I don't want to bother you with my spamming and get right into topic. Delving deep enough into Google image search in order to compensate for my non-existent knowledge of Czech, wish fulfillment came true when I found this: A proposal for a double Esko crossrail in Prague, Smichov-Karlin and Bubny-Vrsovice.

Now I know too little Czech to seriously know how serious this is taken, but first of all, it's good that you have an S-train system know, but it's sad that it yet lacks the metro feeling I find elsewhere and not only in Germany. What do you think?


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Skalka said:


> Anyway, I don't want to bother you with my spamming and get right into topic. Delving deep enough into Google image search in order to compensate for my non-existent knowledge of Czech, wish fulfillment came true when I found this: A proposal for a double Esko crossrail in Prague, Smichov-Karlin and Bubny-Vrsovice.


You mean this one, that's very interesting project. I'm wonder what's status now:



> More could be found here:
> http://www.sudop.cz/en/projects?project-id=75&do=project-detail
> 
> *New Link II - city railway tunnels*
> ...


----------



## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

In another world where the Iron Curtain never was, metro line B might never have existed if a Smichov-Karlin underground crossrail had been built instead as the two concepts clearly cannibalized each other.

What became metro line C may well have become the light rail it was intended to become when the digging started. What about a single station at Wenceslas Square instead of the two as in our lifetime? I thought of Teatralnaya Station in Moscow where an otherwise perfect triangle gets tainted by some kind of unibrow.

Imagine there were no more Tatras in Prague...


----------



## Tramwayman (Jan 22, 2009)

Does Prague has some plans to built any more Tram lines or are the about to begin already something?


----------



## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

These are ones that have been discussed:

http://www.praha.eu/jnp/en/transport/getting_around/tram_tracks_can_be_extended.html


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...view/kzc-awarded-praha-suburban-contract.html
> 
> *KŽC awarded Praha suburban contract*
> 22 Apr 2014
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Hi guys, does anybody know when new Trojský tram-auto bridge will open?


----------



## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

It's supposed this september together with whole Blanka tunnel.


----------



## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

Updates form A-line 4 stations extension

Nemocnice Motol








Petřiny








More here http://technet.idnes.cz/foto.aspx?r..._IMG_8209.jpg&thumbs=1#RJA549265_IMG_8209.jpg


----------



## tunnel owl (May 19, 2013)

earthbound said:


> Apparently the M2 has been planned for the line B:


One question, though this post is already 3 years old. What is the actual status of metro-trains in Prague? Are all Metrowagonmash trains refurbished?

Basically, if the first refurbished trains from 1996 are built around 1979 it´s probably time to substitute them with new trains around 2019 and not to wait until line D is in service. Do they have plans for this actually?


----------



## Trupman (May 17, 2010)

tunnel owl said:


> Are all Metrowagonmash trains refurbished?


yes



tunnel owl said:


> Basically, if the first refurbished trains from 1996 are built around 1979 it´s probably time to substitute them with new trains around 2019 and not to wait until line D is in service. Do they have plans for this actually?


True, but there are no plans for new trains afaik. If Prague actually starts the D line construction, I don't think it will have enough money left for replacing 81-71's.


----------



## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

Updates on A-line prolongation



headshottt said:


> Bořislavka station
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

Because of the hoarfrost on the trolley wires, the whole tram network in the city was out of service for almost two days. Not only in Prague, also in other cities like Brno, trains were running only in limited numbers powered by diesel locomotives.
That's why:


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Taken from Czech railways thread:



Surel said:


> There is a new train stop in Prague, Kačerov, near the metro station Kačerov (line C)


----------



## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

Metro A-line prolongation in north-west part of Prague is nearing completion, will be opened on 6th April

Bořislavka station:







.







.







.







.


----------



## Surel (May 5, 2010)

Nice video of the new sections in this article, in Czech: http://www.novinky.cz/domaci/362656...e-se-na-prujezd-novymi-stanicemi-metra-a.html


----------



## Gros Matou (Feb 9, 2014)

Cab ride of the new metro line A extension (Nemocnice Motol - Dejvická) that will open tomorrow.


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Updated maps on urbanrail.net:


----------



## Gros Matou (Feb 9, 2014)

Pictures and info from Pražská integrovaná doprava facebook page.

- New stations: Bořislavka, Nádraží Veleslavín, Petřiny, Nemocnice Motol
- Lengh of the extension: 6134 m
- Start of construction works: 12.4.2010
- Time to ride the extension: 7,5 min.
- Cost: around 20 billion CZK (730 million euros)
- Prague metro system now has 61 stations and is 65,6 km long

Bořislavka

















Nádraží Veleslavín

















Petřiny

































New metro map in cars


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## Gros Matou (Feb 9, 2014)

Next set of pictures is from Nemocnice Motol, the terminal station.











The vestibule is located under the tracks


























































All pictures were taken from PID facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.828578220548471.1073741925.217805858292380&type=1


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## horizon286 (Mar 2, 2015)

Klidně bych si dokázal představit prodloužení tramvají až na Strahovský stadion.


----------



## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

Are plans for the Prague metro trains to be open-gangway?


----------



## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

Not in near future (ten years). On line D, there will be probably new rolling stock.


----------



## Falubaz (Nov 20, 2004)

Will the D-line be built anyhow soon?


----------



## Amrafel (Nov 26, 2006)

It has got the approvals, depending on budget, the construction could start even by the end of the year.


----------



## Gros Matou (Feb 9, 2014)

Amrafel said:


> It has got the approvals, depending on budget, the construction could start even by the end of the year.


What are the latest plans for line D? Will it merge with line C at Pankrác, or will new tunnels be drilled all the way to Hlavní nádraží? I did a search about line D, but it seems officials regularly change their mind.


----------



## Sch1 (May 20, 2008)

Line D should end on Pankrác, for now. The proposal if for extension to Namesti Miru with separate tunnels. AFAIK the merge with line C was discussed but not approved. It would be cheaper now, but very expensive in the future, the rolling stock would have to be compatible etc. And C line beyond Pankrác is still very full, so the capacity of the line is needed.


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...w/view/praha-plans-driverless-metro-line.html
> 
> *Praha plans driverless metro line*
> 05 Aug 2015
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/europe/prague-airport-rail-link-plan-finalised.html?channel=537
> 
> *Prague airport rail link plan finalised*
> Thursday, August 06, 2015
> ...


----------



## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

Finally it's happening. I mean, though maintenance will surely have happened in the meantime, isn't it so that most of the infrastructure on the Kladno line still goes back to its inauguration 150 years ago?


----------



## earthbound (Feb 25, 2008)

Prague has got its first modified Škoda 15T tram. The vehicle is now fully air-conditioned, got wifi connection, new plastic seats, improved brakes (to reduce noise) and got a slight facelift at the front. Škoda will deliver 125 of these upgraded trams as a second part of the initial order for 250 15T trams.

At the picture, the front is still wrapped with plastic after the transport to the depot, but you can see that the tram has got also a new color scheme.


----------



## Tramwayman (Jan 22, 2009)

FUGLY, old face a lot better!!hno:



earthbound said:


> Prague has got its first modified Škoda 15T tram. The vehicle is now fully air-conditioned, got wifi connection, new plastic seats, improved brakes (to reduce noise) and got a slight facelift at the front. Škoda will deliver 125 of these upgraded trams as a second part of the initial order for 250 15T trams.
> 
> At the picture, the front is still wrapped with plastic after the transport to the depot, but you can see that the tram has got also a new color scheme.


----------



## Hybrid 87 (Aug 3, 2004)

^^ That face looks familiar. Oh yeah, it's from Škoda 15T in Riga:


----------



## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Hybrid 87 said:


> ^^ That face looks familiar. Oh yeah, it's from Škoda 15T in Riga:


With a small variation 

I always preferred the Riga nose so it's an improvement. Now all it needs is the nice Riga colour scheme! Or at least return to traditional Prague colours.


----------



## metr0p0litain (Aug 16, 2012)

Now here is the final result:


----------



## HiRazor (Aug 4, 2007)

Prague has celebrated 140th anniversary of its public transportation system by this impressive "tramwaycade" of both historical and contemporary vehicles:


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Videofacts about Prague metro. In Polish, but there are English subtitles:


----------



## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

You can watch "greasing" tram running though Prague online, now with Christmas tree . It's running all day long every day though the whole tram network and people are waving into camera, since the tram is quite striking and everyone recognize it.









online stream: http://slowtv.playtvak.cz/prave-ted...vaj.aspx?c=A150908_111659_mazaci-tramvaj_plap


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## Trupman (May 17, 2010)

1+1=3 said:


> through the whole tram network


Not at all, unfortunately. It totally skips Holešovice, Hostivař, Petřiny, Kobylisy, Křížovnická street with the tunnel through the house, etc, etc


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...floor-tram-on-test-in-prague.html?channel=526
> 
> *Pragoimex low-floor tram on test in Prague*
> Wednesday, February 10, 2016
> ...


----------



## Andrej_LJ (Feb 7, 2010)

What is the price of this tram and its larger brother?


----------



## Brenda goats (Aug 15, 2008)

Please can you let me know which routes in Praha have the oldest trams running.
I'm going over in May and want to go on the oldest trams...

Cheers!


----------



## Kolerus (Mar 11, 2014)

Brenda Goats: Old T3 going on the line 5 or 6 sometimes on line 9: But ROPID ( regional organizator of transport) plans reorganization of tram networks.


----------



## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

Prague, Wenceslas square, 1958


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...w/praha-driverless-metro-design-contract.html
> 
> *Praha driverless metro design contract*
> 10 Aug 2016
> ...


----------



## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

Since the end of August Prague has increased tram system capacity by 4.5 percent.


> From 28th of August 2016, after public discussions and comments, permanent changes to the tram network will be applied in order to strenghten the tram network.
> Three new lines will start operation, nine tram lines will be permanently re-routed and twelve lines will keep their current route.


https://ropid.cz/en/trams2016/


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

I'm right now in Prague and I've prepared to reveal my transport photos that I took today.

Želivského station:


DSCN6640 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6641 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6642 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6643 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Metro map:


DSCN6645 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Můstek station:


DSCN6646 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Trams outside of Můstek station:


DSCN6647 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6653 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6654 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6655 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6656 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6657 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Václavské náměstí tram stop:


DSCN6658 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6660 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6662 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Kavalírka tram stop:


DSCN6664 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6665 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6669 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6670 by dimlys46, on Flickr

And videos:











To be continued...


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## mdhookey (Apr 27, 2010)

I always enjoy your posts, dimlys, and great photos! I just moved away from Prague recently, and miss the trams dearly already.


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Part 2 of Prague visit, taken today

Kavalírka tram stop:


DSCN6674 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6676 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6678 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6679 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Klamovka tram stop:


DSCN6690 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6695 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6696 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6705 by dimlys46, on Flickr

U Zvonu tram stop:


DSCN6713 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6763 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6771 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Tram on Palacký Bridge:


DSCN6775 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6776 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Jiráskovo náměstí tram stop, view from Dancing House:


DSCN6796 by dimlys46, on Flickr

And from the same place - view on Palacký Bridge:


DSCN6801 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Karlovo náměstí tram stop:


DSCN6815 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Karlovo náměstí metro station:


DSCN6816 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6817 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6818 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Florenc station:


DSCN6819 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Florenc station, B line platforms:


DSCN6819 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6820 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6821 by dimlys46, on Flickr

C line platforms:


DSCN6822 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6823 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6824 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Nádraží Holešovice station:


DSCN6830 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6827 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6828 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6829 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Nádraží Holešovice tram stop, served by routes 6 & 12:


DSCN6831 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6834 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6840 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Nádraží Holešovice tram stop, served by route 17:


DSCN6843 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Troja bridge (Trojský most):


DSCN6845 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6846 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6849 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6861 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6868 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6869 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Hlavní nádraží metro station:


DSCN6872 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6874 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Station entrance is common with railway station:


DSCN6877 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Hlavní nádraží tram stop:


DSCN6879 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Olšanské náměstí tram stop:


DSCN6884 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Videos:





















At 5:43 point in video, I saw some tram tracks that are out of use. Does anybody knows what they are doing here?
https://www.google.cz/maps/place/Ol...26c2d6248!8m2!3d50.0824702!4d14.4576008?hl=ru






And for fun - fantasy metro map:


DSCN6826 by dimlys46, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Part 3 of my visit is here

Anděl station:


DSCN6889 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7155 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7156 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7157 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Anděl tram stop:


DSCN6890 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6893 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Letenské náměstí tram stop:


DSCN6897 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN6898 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Korunovační tram stop:


DSCN6900 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Štefánikův Bridge:


DSCN7024 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7026 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7031 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7040 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7043 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7044 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Dlouhá třída tram stop:


DSCN7048 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Náměstí Republiky tram stop:


DSCN7057 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Jindřišská tram stop:


DSCN7074 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Můstek metro station, line A platforms:


DSCN7079 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7080 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7081 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Staroměstská metro station:


DSCN7085 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7083 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7084 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7104 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Malostranské náměstí tram stop:


DSCN7146 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Nové Butovice metro station:


DSCN7159 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7161 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7162 by dimlys46, on Flickr

And videos:
















To be continued...


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Part 4 of my Prague visit and the last one

Újezd tram stop:


DSCN7298 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7299 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7300 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7301 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7304 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Petřín funicular - Újezd station:


DSCN7308 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7309 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Petřín station:


DSCN7315 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7313 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7362 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Národní divadlo tram stop:


DSCN7364 by dimlys46, on Flickr

Buses at Želivského bus station:


DSCN7368 by dimlys46, on Flickr


DSCN7369 by dimlys46, on Flickr

And videos:











My impressions are wonderful - I used public transport all the time and it was always reliable and nice. So I want to return to Prague once again


----------



## Surel (May 5, 2010)

dimlys1994 said:


> Part 4 of my Prague visit and the last one
> 
> Bus and trolleybus at Želivského bus station:
> 
> ...


There are no trolleybuses in Prague. This is a EV Bus charging its battery using special bi catenary during a break. It rides without the pantograph up. The special charging catenary uses the electricity from the tram network.


----------



## FabriFlorence (Sep 29, 2004)

Surel said:


> There are no trolleybuses in Prague. This is a EV Bus charging its battery using special bi catenary during a break. It rides without the pantograph up. The special charging catenary uses the electricity from the tram network.


I've never seen this kind of bus before. An electric bus that uses the electricity from the tram network to recharge its battery is very smart!


----------



## Sch1 (May 20, 2008)

That is a smart cheap solution if the terminus is next to tram tracks. You have 600 V DC there and you dont need any power electornics, controlers etc.
On a terminus next to a metro station something similar would be possible, but you have to connect to the underground DC supply which is 750V DC. The chrager in the bus must than handle the differnet voltage, but you still dont need to build any power electornics on site.


----------



## FabriFlorence (Sep 29, 2004)

Sch1 said:


> That is a smart cheap solution if the terminus is next to tram tracks. You have 600 V DC there and you dont need any power electornics, controlers etc...


I think that isn't a problem. In Prague the tram network is very extensive!


----------



## tunnel owl (May 19, 2013)

dimlys1994 said:


> I'm right now in Prague and I've prepared to reveal my transport photos that I took today.


We could have met there:lol: Since my last visit (1994) there was much to see in metro and tram-network. I was surprised, that the metro A terminus at Motol-hospital still attracts many passengers as it seems they concentrated many bus-services there. But really, if they would have decided to build urban-rail to the airport they should have done. But they decided for metro, build the first step and now they change back for urbanrail. I suppose that it would be more exensive to start urbanrail from airport to main-station than to finish metro to the airport. The last stretch from Motol to airport requires a total new alignment doesn´t matter if it is metro or urban-rail, strange as it is if it comes to politics.

Anyway one of the best public-transit systems in Europe


----------



## chuckw2010 (Jun 6, 2010)

Was in Prague several years ago and rode the tram to the Castle and the funicular down from Petrin hill. Kudos to the city of prague and the public transit system which has to be one of the best in the world. And a return visit is a must.


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

"*Prague Airport Rail Link project gets green light*"

https://www.globalairrail.com/news/entry/prague-airport-rail-link-project-gets-green-light


----------



## Brenda goats (Aug 15, 2008)

Praha Funicular


----------



## chuckw2010 (Jun 6, 2010)

Yes I agree with you that Prague is a super nice city to visit and the well developed transit system makes it easy to travel around the city. I was there several years ago and rode the tram and also caught the train out at the main train station. I want to go back also!


----------



## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Project of ropeway is moving forward:

Planned 3S gondola lift has to connect Podbaba (change to trams, buses and S trains, also P+R planned) with ZOO and Krakov in Bohnice. This would allow to shorten travel time between Dejvice and Bohnice from 45 to 21 minutes. Completed can be in 2023/24, estimated costs are CZK 1 - 1.5 billion. Cabins may run every 60 seconds (capacity 4000 pax. per hour), travel time would be 7 minutes.

Now, project need to be approved by city council and only then it can be added to general city plan (that is necessary for preparing of documentation for building permits). In the future, there is also a possibility of extending current tram line from Podbaba to Bohnice through new tunnel under Vltava.

Map (from website MHD86.cz):









And renders from ROPID:
















































Nexis said:


> Will the D metro line be driver less?


 Yes.


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

In the new rail 2018/19 timetable starting at 9th December, there will be significant increase of trains, within Prague borders 8 % and in surrounding Central Bohemian Region 4,8 %, which will mean reducing of intervals especially in peak hours. In some cases capacity of trains will be doubled (S7 line).
(More in czech) https://pid.cz/nove-spesne-vlaky-benesova-kutne-hory-i-prodlouzeni-mestske-linky-hostivare/

Earlier since September 2018, metro intervals on weekends were reduced from 7,5 minutes on line B and C to 6 minutes and 5 minutes respectively, in off-peak hours from 10 minutes to 7,5 inutes. Also every train is going up to terminus station on all lines now.

Prague is also planning major expansion "offensive" of its tram network in coming years. After 15+ years of stagnation, new tracks will be built mainly in outskirts, currently dependend only on bus service. Also important tangential connections will be built including two new bridges crossing the Vltava river. In the city centre some earlier abandoned tram tracks (after completion of metro in 70's and 80's) will be reestablished, giving badly needed capacity to the whole tram network. So after 40+ years, trams will come back to Wenceslas square and Main railway station.


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

City council has yesterday finally decidedabout construction of tram line on Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí), which is to connect current lines on Vinohradská and Vodičkova/Jindřišská streets. Project with final tracing will be elaborated during this year, start of the construction is planned for 2021, completing in 2022.

This tram line, built previously in 1884, was abolished in 1980 after opening A metro line in 1978.

---

IPR (City institute for planning and development) completed final strategy for development of railway network in the future. Electrification and double-tracking of lines, as well as new stops are planned. However, the biggest project is "Metro S" - construction of new tunnels under the historical center of the city, which will allow segregation of long-distance trains and improving of train connections in city core. Document also reflects proposed HSR lines in area.

Strategy (in Czech): www.iprpraha.cz/uploads/assets/dokumenty/infr/strategie_rozvoje_prazske_metropolitni_zeleznice_.pdf

Scheme (red: new line or modernization) - better resolution in the PDF file above


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Another tram line in preparation - environmental impact assessment for construction of 5.5 km long line to Zdiby (village 9 km to the north of the city cinter) is already in progress. Project contains i.a. viaduct over D8 highway and two new P+R for total 1260 cars. Estimated costs are CZK 2 billions, completing will be in 2023.


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Two generations of ForCity Alfa. Photo: Jan Sůra via Zdopravy.cz


Today, the last remaining new tram has arrived to Prague and so the fleet of all 250 Škoda ForCity Alfa trams is complete.

Story behind these trams is tricky and non-transparent at all - tender for purchasing them was announced in 2005 and Škoda was the only bidder there. The order contained supplying of 20 vehicles and option for up to 230 more. However, this option had been applied immediately when the contract had been signed, 3 years before the first tram was produced. Whole contract costed about CZK 17 billions.

First prototype has been revealed in April 2008 (but officialy delivered to DPP in January 2011) and so ForCity Alfa became not only the first 100% low floor tram with pivoting bogies in the world, but also one of the most expensive new trams. They're 31.4 m long, 2.5 m wide and have capacity of 180 passengers (61 seating).

First years of operating them weren't easy and included many problems with brakes and abrasion of wheels. For example, in summer of 2018, 50 trams were out of service due to repairs.

In 2015, after 125 vehicles delivered, facelifted version has been revealed. Completely changed has been front of the tram, livery and passenger seats, air condition and wifi has been added (but soon, air condition will be installed also in first 125 trams).

For now, there are no more concrete plans of replacing tram rolling stock. However, current strategy in the city is, that all public transport will be low floor accesible until 2025.


The latest ForCity:

















Photos: DPP/Škoda


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## Klausenburg (Jul 25, 2007)

Any updates ?


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Photo: Škoda

To the new contract with ČD about operating of suburban S-train routes, Prague wants to include purchasing of 56 new high capacity EMUs. These will be necessary for the lines to Beroun and Benešov, where offered capacity can't meet the demand of the passengers. Current trainsets formed of the 2 EMUs with total length 158 m and capacity 620 seating have to be replaced by new ones 200 m long and offering space for 800 seating passengers. The first couple of new double-decker units has to be delivered until 2023. 

Also current CityElefant EMUs from Škoda will undergo some changes - 17 oldest of them will be modernized, some others will be lengthened by additional one car. There is also a plan to relocate some Elefants to the Prague from Ostrava region, where they will be replaced by new, one-deck units.

https://zdopravy.cz/praha-chce-kapacitnejsi-vlakove-soupravy-az-pro-800-lidi-zvazuje-hybridy-25025/


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------










Project of the new tram line from Na Pankráci street to Budějovická metro station is moving forward - the city council has approved shortened process of the construction preparation. The 1,5 km long branch will include three new stops (Pankrác, Zelená Liška and Budějovická) and in the future will become a part of the "Southern tram tangent". Estimated costs are CZK 704 millions, start of the construction is planned for 2023.









(black: current tram lines, red: new line, grey: proposed Southern tram tangent)


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## Klausenburg (Jul 25, 2007)

BHT said:


> Project of the new tram line from Na Pankráci street to Budějovická metro station is moving forward - the city council has approved shortened process of the construction preparation. The 1,5 km long branch will include three new stops (Pankrác, Zelená Liška and Budějovická) and in the future will become a part of the "Southern tram tangent". Estimated costs are CZK 704 millions, *start of the construction is planned for 2023*.


Why wait until 2023 ? In Prague it seem anything is scheduled many years in advance... and it doesn't make much sense...


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Klausenburg said:


> Why wait until 2023 ? In Prague it seem anything is scheduled many years in advance... and it doesn't make much sense...


 It's national tradition  Really, average time of just preparing an infrastructure project (not including construction) in Czechia is 13 (!) years.

In this case, detailed study of the line has to be done first (for example, it will be quite a problem to find a space for the tram loop there) and only then it can undergo all the necessary processes like enviromental impact assessment. And be sure, that there will be a plenty of residents who will agree neither with a tram itself (cause it makes a noise!), nor with abolishing the parking lots (except the tram line, also new bike lanes are to be created). So even the date 2023 is really optimistic.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

The Skoda 15T is almost silent, people cannot complain about that! Parking lots - bad luck. I can see that they will have quite a problem with the loop, but it is possible with lateral thinking.


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

*Launching a "request mode" at all bus stops*










> From 1 July, ROPID (Prague's integrated public transport coordinator) plans to change status of all 2342 bus stops in Prague request. Currently, only 60% of the stops work in this mode, at the others bus always has to stop and open the doors, even when nobody's getting on/off. This slows down the traffic, causes additional noise and increases expenses - ROPID estimates, that the new proceeding will save about CZK 5 millions every year.
> 
> What does it mean for passengers? When you want to get on the bus, you just need to stay at the stop the way that the bus driver can see you, no waving is needed. When getting of, it's necessary indicate it by pressing one of the 'Stop' or 'Open the door' buttons.


data.pid.cz/jednotny-charakter-zastavek-BUS.pdf


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

First articulated trolleybus in Prague ever - during next three weeks, the city will test on route 58 trolleybus of type Škoda 27 Tr borrowed from Pilsen:






























Source of photos: Dominik.HK via Vlaky.net


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

The city council is considering another new tram line - the branch from current stop Malovanka to Strahov Stadium. Line with length 1.3 km will include two stops, estimated costs are CZK 660 million. Construction is supposed to start in 2023.










---
This week, city council has approved processing of feasibilty study for the "water tram" project. Plan is to launch 3 new boat routes on Vltava river, as an addition to already operated ferries P1 - P7.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Is there much activity at Strahov Stadium nowadays to warrant a tramline?


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

historyworks said:


> Is there much activity at Strahov Stadium nowadays to warrant a tramline?


The main purpose is to serve a dormitory located next to the stadium (Koleje Strahov), where about 5,000 students are living. After the line is completed, there will be no need to operate direct bus from Strahov to university campus in Dejvice - it can be done with just tram. Also, there's an effort to calm traffic on Vítězné Square, where these buses are running through.


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## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

I know Victory Square quite well. It's actually my favorite place for nights' stay in Prague. Multiple hospitality businesses side by side, an acceptable yet inexpensive hotel occuping a quarter of the rotunda's edges and of course direct access to Dejvicka metro station. But it's true that you can feel kind of lost in there when you try to reach the metro station and walk along the, let's say, empty part of the rotunda.


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

On 20 June officially starts construction of line D of Prague Metro. In the first phase that costs CZK 1.6 billion, geological survey will be carried out, including digging of exploration shafts. These will be later used as metro tunnels. Construction of stations is to start in summer 2020.

Estimated costs of the whole section between stations Pankrác and Depo Písnice is CZK 72 billion, completed will be in 2027.

Info in Czech


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## Trupman (May 17, 2010)

BHT said:


> On 20 June officially starts construction of line D of Prague Metro. In the first phase that costs CZK 1.6 billion, geological survey will be carried out, including digging of exploration shafts. These will be later used as metro tunnels. Construction of stations is to start in summer 2020.
> 
> Estimated costs of the whole section between stations Pankrác and Depo Písnice is CZK 72 billion, completed will be in 2027.
> 
> Info in Czech


The article says it is expected the construction of the first phase will be the whole section from Pankrác to Depo Písnice (that means the plans of building a shorter section first are discarded). However the article also says only 5 stations are expected to be built and the construction of the remaining 3 stations will be postponed. I can't find anyway a list of those postponed stations. Do you know them?

If I get it right, it is planned that the metro line will basically pass under the whole densely populated suburb with no station and skip to the Depo Písnice terminus. The rest of stations on the line will be opened later.


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Trupman said:


> The article says it is expected the construction of the first phase will be the whole section from Pankrác to Depo Písnice (that means the plans of building a shorter section first are discarded). However the article also says only 5 stations are expected to be built and the construction of the remaining 3 stations will be postponed. I can't find anyway a list of those postponed stations. Do you know them?
> 
> If I get it right, it is planned that the metro line will basically pass under the whole densely populated suburb with no station and skip to the Depo Písnice terminus. The rest of stations on the line will be opened later.


Construction will start now just at the part Pankrác - Olbrachtova, works are supposed to take 7.5 years. Following phase to Nové Dvory needs only 5.5 years, so even when the works will start later, both sections can be opened in December 2027/January 2028.
A problem with the section incl. Libuš, Písnice and Depo Písnice is, that the city still doesn't own all the necessary lands (hope this will be solved soon). However, as the start of the construction is officially estimated for 2024 and will take only 3.5 years, it will be still possible to open the line with 8 stations in 2027/8.

You can find more info here: http://zastupitelstvo.praha.eu/ina2...128126125127132&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Now, the biggest problem IMO is, that an extension from Pankrác to Náměstí Míru is supposed to open only in 2029 and until that, Metro D will be just a feeder to already overcrowded line C...


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## metr0p0litain (Aug 16, 2012)

Great news! What are the final parameters for the new line? Same car sizes like lines A, B and C, but only 4 car trains? Will the new trains use overhead catenary or third rail?


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

metr0p0litain said:


> Great news! What are the final parameters for the new line? Same car sizes like lines A, B and C, but only 4 car trains? Will the new trains use overhead catenary or third rail?


 Supplier of the new metro trains wasn't chosen yet, but AFAIK they have to be compatible with those from lines A-C (third rail will be used). Trainsets are supposed to have 4 cars (i.e. capacity 10,500 passengers per hour), but platforms (equipped with doors) will be long enough to enable adding one more car.


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## Trupman (May 17, 2010)

There is still a huge process ahead and many issues that must be solved and that can delay the construction for decades


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

*Tram line 22 Vypich - Nádraží Hostivař - Returning to depo Strašnice|Cabin view|Shift *


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

New visualisation by SŽDC for Dejvice - Veleslavín stretch on new Prague - (airport) - Kladno railway. It was decided to move tunnel southern, because previous was too close to Institut of phycics with its sensitive devices and rather prominent NIMBYs were afraid of TBMs under their villas too.
https://www.szdc.cz/-/szdc-vyresi-stresovicke-tunely-takzvanou-jizni-variantou





So far, completion of reconstruction of Negrelli viaduct on the same railway is planned for 7/2020. http://www.rekonstrukce-negrelliho-.../postup-rekonstrukce-duben-2019-letecke-foto/


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Winning designs for two new metro stations on line D were revealed today. Both are the result of workshop organized by National gallery, on which several reputable artists from whole country were involved. Also designs of other new stations will be chosen this way.

* Pankrác station, by **Jakub Nepraš*

_“In my artistic rendition of the Pankrác station, I tried to make the whole work together with the detail and I wanted to smartly use the time of passengers who have time to stop while waiting for the train. I worked with the allegorical dimension of evolution, modern technologies and inventions, inspired by nanoparticles that make up people and everything around us in a cohesive superorganism. This will change with the time of day, when the colors become hot later and the animation slows down for better sleep, or when the set arrives, when the station will light up and become more active. 3D sculptures above escalators will see passengers in different perspectives, the spatiality and detail of the video objects will change smoothly as the escalators rise and fall, or they may rotate in drafts. ”_


























Animation of this _artwork_ can be found in the comments here: https://www.facebook.com/adam.praha...d=434749037123128&comment_tracking={"tn":"R"}

*Olbrachtova station, by Vladimír Kokolia*

_“The key to me was the situation of waiting for the train to arrive, where the passenger (unless he has a mobile phone in front of him) simply looks in some direction, stares at the wall or paving, and kills time in various ways. Outside the subway, such a situation is rare today: where can we just wait today? I reached for a method of auto-stereoscopic imaging, which I sometimes use in my free creation when I really want to get the viewer “in the picture”. In practice, such an image looks just like a tread, a “roller on the wall”. However, in a certain way of looking, its surface texture will appear as a spatial image. Usually it takes more than a few seconds, but passengers have this time. ”_



















Not surprisingly, most of the locals think that it's absolutely terrible and awful and that first minimalist proposals were much better...


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

It looks like space debris has penetrated the metro!

A suggestion from my experience of the new Sydney metro - One very noticable feature about it is how quiet it is, not only inside the train but on the platform. The reason for the latter is that the platform door screens extend right up to the ceiling to create a completely enclosed platform space, so it's like waiting inside an enclosed lounge and you don't hear the typical roaring and screaming train noises of an underground station.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

The old Soviet escalators at Karlovo náměstí station have been replaced with new ones.










https://zdopravy.cz/dalsi-sovetske-...lovo-namesti-se-po-modernizaci-otevira-32832/


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

The plan to convert route 119 connecting the airport with Veleslavín station (where's transfer to metro A) into a trolleybus line was approved today by the city council. For this purpose, fleet of 20 bi-articulated (25m) trolleybuses will be purchased. These will be equipped with batteries, as the overhead wires will be built only on section between Divoká Šárka and Terminal 3. Whole project has to be realized before 2023.

This is just a temporary solution how to increase offered capacity to the airport - in 2028, new railway connection to the centre (Masarykovo station) will open.

https://zdopravy.cz/praha-chce-velkokapacitni-trolejbusy-na-letiste-plan-schvali-v-pondeli-rada-34200/
https://www.facebook.com/adam.praha.sobe/photos/a.187702201827814/462494741015224/?type=3&permPage=1


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## Gintaras (Sep 19, 2019)

Praha metro 2018





Praha tram 2018





Praha trolleybus 2018


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Summary of new tram lines that will be built in the next 4 years:










*
Extension of line from Barrandov to Slivenec*

Length: 1,9 km | Costs: CZK 691 million | Completion: 2021

New extension will be led western from Barrandov neigborhood to "nowhere". Whole area is currently a big unused greenfield, but in the near future, many development projects are planned along the new tram line.









*
Extension of line from Modřany to Libuš*

Length: 2,1 km | Costs: CZK 500 million | Completion: 2021

In 2025, it's expected that line D of Prague metro will open. New tram extension has to connect current tram terminal Levského with new metro station in Libuš, where transport hub will be created. In first phase, no loop will be built so only bi-directional trams will be able to run there.









*
Depo Hostivař tram loop*

Length: 0,5 km | Costs: CZK 168 million | Completion: 2021

Construction of this loop will allow extension of tram route no. 7 from Černokostelecká to Depo hostivař, where comfortable transfer to metro A will be created.









*
Záhradní město tram loop*

Length: 0,3 km | Costs: CZK 120 million | Completion: 2021

Within the project of modernization of Vršovice - Hostivař railway, current station Praha-Strašnice will be replace by new transport hub Praha-Zahradní město. To meet the travel demand from Strašnice, tram route 22 will be extended to new loop 










*Extension of line from Divoká Šárka to Dědina*

Length: 2,4 km | Costs: CZK 893 million | Completion: 2022

This project is being prepared already since 1980s. New tram line has to provide for residents of Na Dedině neighborhood new direct connection with Dejvice, Malá Strana and city centre. It will be also a feeder to Nádraží Veleslavín metro station - in difference from buses currently running on this route, trams won't get stuck in traffic jams.









*
Line through Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square)*

Length: 0,5 km | Costs: N/A | Completion: 2023

Former tram line on the square was closed on 13 December 1980 at 5 am - back then, City Hall was of opinion that after opening of metro line A, this tram line isn't needed. Of course that it was totally stupid decision and now, return of trams is planned again. Whole square will be revitalized (according to the project of Jakub Cigler Architects) and tram tracks will be placed in Short section of tram line between Václavské nám. and Vinohradská street has already been built in advance.


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## BillyF (Nov 16, 2019)




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## BillyF (Nov 16, 2019)




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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

SŽDC (Czech railway infrastructure manager) together with IPR (Prague's institute for planning and development) revealed winnig proposal for rebuilding of Prague-Veleslavín train station from idhea architekti. After completion of new line to the airport in 2028, Veleslavín is supposed to become one of the major transport hubs in the city with transfer between trains, metro, trams and (trolley)buses.


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## Shenkey (Mar 19, 2009)

very nice!


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## BillyF (Nov 16, 2019)




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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Prague Institute of Planning and Development revealed today in cooperation with Dopravní podnik Praha new renders of three stations on metro line D:
*
Olbrachtova station*


















(note that this is just a temporary entrance to the station and in the future it will be replaced by a mixed-use building)



















*Nemocnice Krč station*










*Pankrác station*





































More renders can be found in the video from project's public presentation: https://www.facebook.com/camppraha/videos/600170600782139/


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Dopravní podnik Praha (DPP) presented today the latest addition to its tram fleet: two "new" ČKD Tatra T2 trams. This type was produced between 1955 - 1962 and total 771 vehicles were built, but only two of them had been operated in Prague (and this was just for a short period, the last had been taken out of serivce in 1964). In other cities of Czechia, most of these trams were scrapped already in 1980-90s, but in Liberec the last couple of T2 was running until 2018. In that time, DPP decided to buy them and give them their (almost) original look. The works took 2 years and now, both trams are ready for service with passengers on route 23:









(the left tram is the original prototype which is a showpiece in DPP's museum)













































*Source of the photos: Pražské tramvaje.cz*


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

Challenging times ahead... 





But it has its sunny side too - Prague historic centre is now almost tourist free with empty and quiet streets, closed shops and restaurants.


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## BillyF (Nov 16, 2019)

Prague Metro & Tramway (Czech Republic)


The Prague Metro in the Czech Republic was put into service in 1974. The network has 3 lines: A, B and C. All lines are operated with drivers. Lines A and B ...




www.youtube.com


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## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

Now look at this.








This answers an old question of mine. The question was how to sensibly link Zizkov to the rest of the metro network. There's a great desire to abandon Praha Masarykova with the help of Metro S. Metro S necessitates an answer how to work in an interchange for line D at Praha Opera. A handy 90-degree angle for line D that makes for a convenient continuation to Republic Square and a perfect pairing of interchanges seems like the best way to go. This also means that there won't be an access for Zizkov to line D at the expense of those higher priorities.

Iteration 5 in yellow shows how you can have the cake and eat it when it comes to line D. The promises of the land use planning won't be broken, estate values for Zizkov buyers won't be at stakes, those supposed 80,000 denizens of Zizkov will get their banana instead of remaining in that weird wide wap betwwen line B and A for good.


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:









Rebuilt Negrelli viaduct inaugurated in Prague


The renovated and rebuilt Negrelli viaduct in Prague was officially inaugurated by Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš on May 29




www.railjournal.com


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Designs of another three stations on the new line D of Prague metro were revealed:

*Nové Dvory *(author Stanislav Kolíbal)
















*Nádraží Krč *(author Vladimír Kopecký)






















*Nemocnice Krč *(author Jiří Černický)






















Source: https://facebook.com/adam.praha.sobe/posts/635951127002917


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## Shenkey (Mar 19, 2009)

Why are the doors not to the ceiling to block sound and particles?


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## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

dimlys1994 said:


> From Rail Journal:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So this is it. Step 1 for reforming the Prague railway node was the New Connection 1 inaugurated in order to access Praha hl. n. just as easily from the north as Masarykova. Step 2 is the overhaul of the Negrelli Viaduct as has been realized in the shown fashion. Step 3 will be the underground realization of the new airport railway in Prague's northwest. Step 4 will be Metro S, the viaduct requiring that Florenc station of that branch will be overground to avoid an insane nosedive whereas the other branch from Karlin will be underground.

How are steps 3 and 4 actually doing right now?


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## Nouvellecosse (Jun 4, 2005)

Shenkey said:


> Why are the doors not to the ceiling to block sound and particles?


Considering that the doors stretch less than 1/2 way to the ceiling, doing it that way was probably less than 1/2 the cost.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Shenkey said:


> Why are the doors not to the ceiling to block sound and particles?


Although it was not immediately obvious in the renders, you are right, the stations are open. I think this is a crude method nowadays. In the new underground stations on the Sydney metro the platforms are fully enclosed with a wall to the ceiling above the door gates. It makes an incredible difference to the experience of travelling. Everything is extremely quiet, both the platform and inside the trains. There is no screaming or roaring noise typical of underground stations. I'm sure it doesn't make a great difference to cost to put some basic soundproof walls above the gates.








Sydney Metro - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org


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## metr0p0litain (Aug 16, 2012)

historyworks said:


> Although it was not immediately obvious in the renders, you are right, the stations are open. I think this is a crude method nowadays. In the new underground stations on the Sydney metro the platforms are fully enclosed with a wall to the ceiling above the door gates. It makes an incredible difference to the experience of travelling. Everything is extremely quiet, both the platform and inside the trains. There is no screaming or roaring noise typical of underground stations. I'm sure it doesn't make a great difference to cost to put some basic soundproof walls above the gates.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It does! Costs are higher due to a higher fire protection when it's fully enclosed.


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## dysharmonica (Dec 3, 2015)

metr0p0litain said:


> It does! Costs are higher due to a higher fire protection when it's fully enclosed.


Without knowing any of the actual engineering .. you are pointing out the true culprit .. designing for an approach from the beginning. If at the start the project was not designed with fully enclosed stations, retrofitting this has ton of knock on effects ... you mention fire. I will mention air pressure dissipation - Copenhagen metro has a venting system built int to allow the air pushed by the train to escape and not blow in the glass doors. I am sure there are dozen other impacts us mortals can hardly think of, which is why adding half-height platform doors is by far the easiest way to retrofit them into anything that at any point was designed without fully enclosed stations.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

I mentioned this in the case of new building, like Prague line D. Obviously retrofitting is a different matter. The Sydney metro also reuses some underground stations inherited from the suburban system (as well as some surface platforms) and these have only gate screens, without bulkheads extending to the ceiling - and they are noisier! If the bulkheads can be designed-in from the beginning of a new-build, it is a definite advantage for passenger amenity. It's the quietest of any public transport system.


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## dysharmonica (Dec 3, 2015)

But the D is not a new building thought - it is nearing productions - it has lived on paper for decades ... I bet you, at some point this metro was designed without screen doors and they were added later. The public may have never seen these earlier drafts, but the current design tells me they exist. If platform screen doors were intended from the beginning, the stations would have been enclosed.


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## tunnel owl (May 19, 2013)

metr0p0litain said:


> It does! Costs are higher due to a higher fire protection when it's fully enclosed.


Exactly. It is a completely different concept of smoke-ventilation then. Fully enclosed PSD-systems mean to have not much smoke impact in the station if a train stops there burning. But the smoke has to be ventilated anyway as otherwise it would spread into the tunnel affecting nearby stations or trains in the tunnel.


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## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

dysharmonica said:


> But the D is not a new building thought - it is nearing productions - it has lived on paper for decades ... I bet you, at some point this metro was designed without screen doors and they were added later. The public may have never seen these earlier drafts, but the current design tells me they exist. If platform screen doors were intended from the beginning, the stations would have been enclosed.


Line D has always been a neverending story. If you look at plans for line D before the Velvet Revolution, you see that it was mostly seen as a big bypass away from the central triangle. A bifurcation of line C for the workers from straight down south wouldn't have done because of the expected overload of the system. Žižkov as a classical worker neighborhood lies conveniently between lines A and B in their east, so it was a brainchild of the best Communist logic to make it cross line A to run through Žižkov in a way that it will cross line B way out in the northeast to provide a semi-convenient interchange in direction ČKD where workers would assemble trains to move workers elsewhere.

After the Velvet Revolution, things changed. First of all, the most northeastern parts of line D, with Prosek and Letnany, were connected by extending line C beyond Ladvi and with the detour via Bohnice which was supposed to access the Zoo. Line D was streamlined to get from Pankrac to Namesti Miru in the most direction fashion (easy interchange for a trunk line to relieve itself) and later on, it was supposed to interchange to Praha hl. n. and still get to Žižkov just as planned. Yet now, if line D was to touch lines A and C in the center anyway, it would've been callous not to have a central interchange to line B as well at Namesti Republiky with Praha Masarykova. 

And then Žižkov was at stake and I read adventurous ideas how to both have the cake (Petersburg-style four-line interchanges) and eat it too (access Žižkov) with a big curve bypassing Florenc from Masarykova to Karlin (crossing line B twice for that matter!) and don't get me started on cul-de-sac proposal that make interchange stations to Masarykova and Praha hl. n. look like needing four tracks and three platforms just to make it run smoothly. Žižkov is often called the hotspot of Prague and there are 80,000 denizens and therefore about 6 percent of the total capital population and therefore a deserves a metro. And considering that Metro S is supposed to cross all four metro lines, why shouldn't line D do so as well? So you need to marry both Žižkov access and accessibility in the center in some way.


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Public transport vehicles in Prague (as well as in its metropolitan region) are supposed to get brand new, unified livery:

























The author of it is a graphic designer Petr Štěpán, whose proposal was rated as the best in organized competition. Fun fact is that details about the new livery were leaked only by an accident and the public immediately responded with severe criticism.


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## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

BHT said:


> *Záhradní město tram loop*
> 
> Length: 0,3 km | Costs: CZK 120 million | Completion: 2021
> 
> Within the project of modernization of Vršovice - Hostivař railway, current station Praha-Strašnice will be replace by new transport hub Praha-Zahradní město. To meet the travel demand from Strašnice, tram route 22 will be extended to new loop


I see that they'll give up the stop Na Padesatem for the new interchange. I've found out that it's maybe 100 meters away from Dubecska station anyway and I wonder why there are two stations so close to each other in the first place. The reason I care is because I used to overnight at Hotel Astra at Mukarovska ul. 18/1740 which is in one of the side streets of Na Padesatem. You see Skalka metro station in one direction and tram station Na Padesatem in the other.


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## Natasza K (Aug 22, 2020)

BHT said:


> Public transport vehicles in Prague (as well as in its metropolitan region) are supposed to get brand new, unified livery:


Prague has Polish colours? Just joking.


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## Aupa (Jul 25, 2020)

White vehicles are not the best option. Especially in autumn and winter.


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## metr0p0litain (Aug 16, 2012)

The first impressions looked quite cool, but with the update after critics about bad visibility of the doors (what I can understand), I don't like the adjusted design anymore:


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Here are some more updated renders:

























I think this is a very good summary regarding the new identity of public transport:








Komentář: Nová vizuální identita PID | Československý Dopravák


Zásadní vzhledová proměna PID z dílny superlative.works, jíž dali pražští radní v pondělí 3. srpna 2020 zelenou, pořádně rozbouřila jinak klidné hladiny hlavně pražských a středočeských vodních ploch.




www.cs-dopravak.cz





In short, a good idea, but a terrible result. They wanted to make a painting scheme that would unify all vehicles in the city, but in the end, it won't apply to:

vehicles designed by architect Patrik Kotas (i.e. Škoda 15 T and Metro M1)
buses bought before 2021
regional trains that operate also beyond the border of Central Bohemian Region
T3 trams (because somebody wants to make from Prague another Lisbon/Milan, so only a new logo will be added to them):









And that's another thing - they prepared a new logo and visuals for Prague Integrated Transport (PID) even despite the fact, that the whole system should be renamed soon:

















--------------------
Meanwhile, a trolleybus is after a short break running on route 58 again - only on Saturdays and only 5 times a day, but with the vehicle owned by DPP (it's their first 'new' trolleybus after 60 years!):








Photo by ROPID


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Ceremony to commemorate 24 years of fully low-floor buses in Prague and the retirement of older buses to be placed in the Prague public transport museum.


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Metro Report:









Praha plans metro Line B extension


CZECH REPUBLIC: Praha transport authority DPP has unveiled proposals to develop a new terminal station and park-and-ride interchange for metro Line B in Zličín, adjacent to the existing metro depot.




www.railwaygazette.com


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## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

So this is it. This is the second time after Depo Hostivar where Prague will install a terminal station into a depot, taking passengers where they initially weren't supposed to be. Well, not inside the depot, but you get my drift. I guess they'd kill for the opportunity to do the same with Depo Kacerov, but here we've got the problem that it's no longer been a frontier to an outback ever since the projects of South Town have been built and the metro's been likewise extended. Yes, you can do P+R without having a depot, but Prague is to envy that it's got the opportunity to retrofit two depots for sensible passenger service.

And yet there's one thing to remember: Depo Hostivar is the terminus for every second train on line A only. Letnany is the terminus for every second train on line C only. And that's also the fate I see for Depo Zlicin, only seeing every second train only terminating there from line B. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but it's notable.

Let's look at the P+R facilities of all lines if only for the patterns:
Line A only has _parkoviště_ in its southeast, two at Skalka and one at Depo Hostivar, there is none in the northwest. I found an article from 2012 that they planned to build a _parkoviště_ at yet to be built Veleslavin station, but that the money is needed for other stuff etc. If you go there, you'll see that it replaced Dejvicka as the bus hub for the villages northwest of Prague, so it's only fair to realize a P+R for those villages' car drivers. This could become the typical airport P+R once the railway between Fairground and Veleslavin will have been modernized (underground two-track and giving up historical one-track) and the Esko service will really feel like Esko.
Line B has _parkoviště _in Zlicin twice, Nove Butovice once and Cerny Most once. Depo Zlicin would be its fifth one.
Line C has _parkoviště _at each new northern terminus (Holesovice 1984, Ladvi 2004, Letnany 2008) and at two southern stations (Chodov, Opatov) that were never a terminal which (Haje) only features a K+R, a kiss and ride. Oh, and there's also a P+R at the Congress Center near Vysehrad.

So line C has the most _parkoviště_ of all metro lines with line B being a close second whereas line A clearly is the shortest line with the fewest _parkoviště_.


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## autobusik2 (Dec 2, 2020)

Today Prague retired the last high floor busses, all were type Karosa B951. A total of 131 these busses were delivered between 2002 and 2006. Due to ongoing pandemic there was no official ceremony, instead the last 14 busses were driving on multiple lines all around the city all day. This is not only the end of high floor busses in Prague, but also end of famous Czech brand Karosa (the company was sold to Iveco in 2006 and later renamed), which was the main supplier of buses to Prague since 1965.










Karosa B951 is actually the 4th bus type retired this year. Karosa B961, the last articulated high floor bus type was retired in June and in August the first generation low floor busses types Irisbus Citybus 12 and Irisbus Citybus 18 were also retired. Most of these retired busses were already scrapped or sold, but Prague will keep a few of them and there will be occasionally used on special retro services during weekends.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

autobusik2 said:


> in August the first generation low floor busses types Irisbus Citybus 12 and Irisbus Citybus 18 were also retired. Most of these retired busses were already scrapped or sold, but Prague will keep a few of them and there will be occasionally used on special retro services during weekends.


If original low floor (stepless gangway) buses are being retired, this means that, with replacements for these, Prague is already onto its second generation of fully low floor buses. It must be one of very few major cities to have a complete fleet of fully low floor buses. Most cities around the world are still stuck on obsolescent low-entry (part high-floor) buses and some even still have fully high floor buses.


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## dysharmonica (Dec 3, 2015)

autobusik2 said:


> Today Prague retired the last high floor busses, all were type Karosa B951. A total of 131 these busses were delivered between 2002 and 2006. Due to ongoing pandemic there was no official ceremony, instead the last 14 busses were driving on multiple lines all around the city all day. This is not only the end of high floor busses in Prague, but also end of famous Czech brand Karosa (the company was sold to Iveco in 2006 and later renamed), which was the main supplier of buses to Prague since 1965.
> 
> View attachment 814289
> 
> ...


What model bus/ models did Prague choose to go forward with. Are you standardizing on a few models, or like Bratislava having dozens of types - a new every year.


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

dysharmonica said:


> What model bus/ models did Prague choose to go forward with. Are you standardizing on a few models, or like Bratislava having dozens of types - a new every year.


First of all, beside DPP, there are five other carriers which are responsible for operation of total 36 city bus routes, not mentioning the routes serving the suburbs. Just because of this the bus fleet will never be unified.

It's true that DPP usually chooses to organize big tenders which result in signing of a framework agreement - for example, the last ones are from 2017, according to which SOR is delivering to Prague 500 new buses (300 standard LF, 50 standard LE, 150 articulated), and from 2020, based on which 60 midibuses from Solaris (40) and SOR (20) will be supplied. However, I wouldn't say that it's intentional to buy new vehicles from a single producer (as Solaris is kind of surprising exception), it's just that SOR has really strong ties to the city (and some local politicians) thus other producers usually don't have a chance.


historyworks said:


> Prague is already onto its second generation of fully low floor buses. It must be one of very few major cities to have a complete fleet of fully low floor buses. Most cities around the world are still stuck on obsolescent low-entry (part high-floor) buses and some even still have fully high floor buses.


I don't wanna disappoint you, but as I have mentioned, Prague is still buying low-entry buses even nowadays.


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## autobusik2 (Dec 2, 2020)

historyworks said:


> If original low floor (stepless gangway) buses are being retired, this means that, with replacements for these, Prague is already onto its second generation of fully low floor buses. It must be one of very few major cities to have a complete fleet of fully low floor buses. Most cities around the world are still stuck on obsolescent low-entry (part high-floor) buses and some even still have fully high floor buses.


Prague actually retired its last high floor busses much later than other European cities. For example Vienna bought its last high floor busses in 1992 and they were all retired in spring 2007. Vienna is buying only low floor busses since 1993!

Those retired low floor Irisbus Citybus 12 and 18 busses were delivered between 1996 and 2004, but due to financial reasons, parallelly to low floor busses, Prague had to still buy high floor Karosa 900 series busses series, all the way till 2006.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

autobusik2 said:


> Prague actually retired its last high floor busses much later than other European cities. For example Vienna bought its last high floor busses in 1992 and they were all retired in spring 2007. Vienna is buying only low floor busses since 1993!


My recollection of Vienna buses ten years ago was that they were low-entry, not low floor, but maybe I didn't see enough buses there. Still better than high floor but I'm referring to stepless gangway buses (completely low floor aisle and doorways). 

Yes I forgot about Prague low entry buses - smaller number of midibuses, not full size, as I recall?


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

historyworks said:


> My recollection of Vienna buses ten years ago was that they were low-entry, not low floor, but maybe I didn't see enough buses there. Still better than high floor but I'm referring to stepless gangway buses (completely low floor aisle and doorways).
> 
> Yes I forgot about Prague low entry buses - smaller number of midibuses, not full size, as I recall?


The only staris are to the very last 3 back seats and single steps towards the seating groups on the back weels. I would call them completely low floor aisle and doorways. They also nowadays come with substantial free space for buggies and wheel chairs. Things might have been different a long time ago but 10 years ago, I think it should not have been all too different either but maybe my memory is letting me down there.


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Slartibartfas said:


> The only staris are to the very last 3 back seats and single steps towards the seating groups on the back weels. I would call them completely low floor aisle and doorways. They also nowadays come with substantial free space for buggies and wheel chairs. Things might have been different a long time ago but 10 years ago, I think it should not have been all too different either but maybe my memory is letting me down there.


OK thanks, obviously Vienna have low floor buses now. My memory ten years ago in Vienna was riding some low entry buses (steps halfway up the aisle) so maybe there was a period of transition. This Wiener linien document from 2014 shows a fleet of 462 "low floor" buses, but I note that there were 60 two-door buses. It was the two-door buses that I recall as being low-entry only.



https://www.wienerlinien.at/media/files/2015/facts_and_figures_2014_151139.pdf



One can assume that the three and four door buses are definitely low floor but the term "low floor" is used so casually around the world that it often means also low entry buses, not fully low-floors. In the tram sector they are usually more clear, referring to "100% low floor" vs "part high-floor". Low floor means 100% stepless gangways, that is aisle and doorways. Steps up to seats in either buses or trams don't negate this definition, although there are some tram designs that don't even have steps up to seats (like Škoda 15T and Vienna ULF). This is obviously not possible in buses.


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

New video on commuter rail to Vaclav Havel Airport and Kladno was presented by Czech rail infrastructure manager Správa železnic:


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

I don't know whether the double-deck trains shown in that video are simply conjecture, but I can say from Sydney's experience that using double-deck trains on an airport service is a bit of a disaster. All those people boarding the train with luggage end up filling the door vestibules and carriage-ends with people and baggage, because naturally hauling a suitcase up and down stairs is not something that people want to do. So the trains are packed at the ends and the doorways are blocked (leading to conflict at every station) and the double deck part of the train is half empty. This type of service is best-served by metro-type trains, single deck with multiple doors.


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

New Praha-Eden station was opened today as part of rail quadrupling between Prague main station and Hostivař. Second new station - Praha-Zahradní Město - will be opened next year. The current Praha-Strašnice zastávka station and track around will be closed:









Zastávku Praha-Eden pokřtí konvoj drezín, přístup bude zatím provizorní - Zdopravy.cz


Zastávka bude sloužit lince S9 mezi Prahou a Benešovem zatím v provizorním režimu.




zdopravy.cz


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Reconstruction of railway bridge over Vltava River near Vyšehrad:


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

dimlys1994 said:


> New Praha-Eden station was opened today as part of rail quadrupling between Prague main station and Hostivař. Second new station - Praha-Zahradní Město - will be opened next year. The current Praha-Strašnice zastávka station and track around will be closed:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Cab ride along the old and new sections:


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## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:









Prague airport rail link planning contract awarded


SŽ has awarded a contract to conduct planning and preparational work for the 4km Václav Havel Airport railway project west of Prague




www.railjournal.com


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

A first tram was repainted into the new PID livery:








Source

-------------------------------------------
By the end of March, DPP announced a tender for purchase of 15 articulated trolleybuses - these will be operated on route 58 (previously 140) connecting Palmovka with Miškovice. Overhead wires will cover about 50% of the route's lenght, the service is scheduled to begin in late 2022:





První pražská pravidelná trolejbusová linka Palmovka – Miškovice má zelenou (Portál hlavního města Prahy)


Dopravní podnik hl. m. Prahy (DPP) může začít s první etapou stavebních prací na elektrifikaci autobusové linky č. 140, získal totiž pro ni pravomocné stavební povolení. DPP pro provoz na této lince chystá v nejbližších týdnech vyhlášení veřejné zakázky na nákup 15 nových kloubových bateriových...




www.praha.eu





-------------------------------------------
The city announced also a tender for extension of tram line from Sídliště Modřany (Levského) to Libuš (future interchange with metro D) with total length of 1,7 km - the works are supposed to start in October and to be completed until the end of the next year:








DPP vypsal tendr na tramvajovou trať do Libuše, předpokládané náklady činí 350 milionů - Zdopravy.cz
 

Nová trať o délce 1,7 kilometru bude mít čtyři páry zastávek. Naváže na stávající obratiště Sídliště Modřany.




zdopravy.cz


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## metr0p0litain (Aug 16, 2012)

BHT said:


> A first tram was repainted into the new PID livery:


Looks better than expected, especially because of the straight black area around the windows.


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

The city revealed yesterday the final design of Smíchov Terminal, which will be an interchange point between Esko (S-Bahn), metro, trams and buses. Compared to the previous proposal, it will be more simple and low-cost and it won't contain a new headquarters of Správa železnic (railway infrastructure manager). Architects of the project is bureau A69, the completion is scheduled for 2026:


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Praha-Zahradní Město railway station will open 2021.09.24


__
http://instagr.am/p/CSR8hXloah4/


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Praha-Zahradní Město railway station has opened











https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nadrzahradnimesto.jpg













https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Praha_%E2%80%93_Zahradn%C3%AD_M%C4%9Bsto,_stanice,_2021_(02).jpg













https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Praha_%E2%80%93_Zahradn%C3%AD_M%C4%9Bsto,_stanice,_2021_(03).jpg













https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Praha_%E2%80%93_Zahradn%C3%AD_M%C4%9Bsto,_stanice,_2021_(06).jpg













https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Praha_%E2%80%93_Zahradn%C3%AD_M%C4%9Bsto,_stanice,_2021_(16).jpg













https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Praha_%E2%80%93_Zahradn%C3%AD_M%C4%9Bsto,_stanice,_2021_(20).jpg













https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Praha_%E2%80%93_Zahradn%C3%AD_M%C4%9Bsto,_stanice,_2021_(30).jpg













https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Praha_%E2%80%93_Zahradn%C3%AD_M%C4%9Bsto,_stanice,_2021_(35).jpg


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## Volk85 (Dec 29, 2019)




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## Kolerus (Mar 11, 2014)

In december was signed a contract for a new tramway section between Modřany and Libuš. The works will start at spring 2022, the line will be finished in 2023 (14 months after signing).
source: Volno ke stavbě další tramvajové trati v Praze. Na spojnici Modřany – Libuš má DPP už smlouvu - Zdopravy.cz


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

From the Facebook page of Adam Scheinherr, Prague's Deputy Mayor for Transport:

*NEW TRAMS FOR PRAGUE*

_We are starting negotiations with the ten largest tram manufacturers in the world. As for buses, Dopravní podnik Praha already has the youngest fleet in its history. However, it's a different story for trams. I can say with certainty that the new Prague trams will be 100% low-floor, comfortable, air-conditioned and quiet. Today we have taken the first step towards purchasing them - we have launched preliminary market consultations. For the largest business players in the production of modern trams, we have more than 50 questions of a technical, operational and economic nature.

Before announcing a public contract, we need to know whether there are companies on the market that meet our extremely demanding technical requirements and at the same time provide high comfort for passengers and the city. The last new trams were ordered to Prague in 2005. We need new vehicles for the tram lines that we have started to build or will start building soon. And of course, as we do with buses, we must gradually renew our fleet. If there will be suppliers capable of meeting our requirements, we want to buy up to 186 new tramcars for Prague. The first could arrive as early as in 2024.







_
https://facebook.com/adam.praha.sobe/posts/1006757836588909_
_


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

And another news from the deputy mayor, this time about the new line of Prague metro:


*THE FIFTH CIRCUIT LINE OF THE PRAGUE METRO: LINE O*

_This is going to be a little longer to read, so let's start with a few basic facts:

👉 Prague is growing rapidly. You may not have noticed, but just in brownfields, flats for hundreds of thousands of new residents are being built.
👉 Hundreds of thousands more travel to the city every day for work, and there will be even more. There will be more development and construction in the Central Bohemian Region, new people will be brought by high-speed railways or the planned railway connection from Kladno and the airport.

Prague is the heart of our country. A metropolis of European significance. It will keep growing and there's no way to stop it. There's also nothing we can do about the fact that Prague is built the way it is. The streets are not inflatable, many more cars or buses will not fit in them. But we must prepare Prague for what awaits it. I want Prague where everyone will live well, even if there will be three hundred or four hundred thousand more of us. I want a city where people can get where they need to go quickly and comfortably.

Therefore, it is necessary to bring additional transport capacity underground. Including public transport, which needs a new artery that won't overwhelm the streets. The answer is the metro line, line O. If we don't start planning it today, the city will suffocate in the future.

So far, we have a rough idea of where line O will lead. It is clear that in principle it will connect the places where new 'cities in a city' will grow. Smíchov, freight station Žižkov, Vysočany or Bohdalec-Slatiny. In the following years, not only in these new localities, flats for about 270,000 people will be built. We will also connect places where people commute to work - residential areas with business centers. Dejvice - Smíchov - Pankrác - Slatiny - Žižkov - Vysočany. We have to check this first of all. The new line of the Prague metro is missing here the most.

The state is preparing a new line to Kladno and the airport, new high-speed lines and suburban railways are starting to work better, which we will connect to line O at several nodes. Thanks to this, people from Central Bohemia will be able to leave their cars at home and use the comfortable and denser Prague metro. Every car that stays in Central Bohemia is a win for Praguers.

Already today, according to the developed basic TSK model, in the southern part of the metro O alone, around 150,000 passengers would use it every day, which means tens of millions a year. We are probably talking about hundreds of millions of passengers a year with new flats and new commuters. Current traffic will not take that. We won't blow the streets.

Sure, we have great public transport. But we must not soothe ourselves. It works great on the way to and from the center. It works in and out. But when you need to get to a neighboring part of the city quickly, it's not so easy anymore. We have to go through the Muzeum, Můstek or Florenc. As if we were traveling from Prague to Brno via Trutnov.

That's why people often prefer to drive directly. Line O connects the metro radials and provides a direct transfer. Imagine that - from Smíchov to Pankrác today in public transport 26 minutes, by car 10 and by metro O only 9 minutes. Who would then sit inside the car?

After completion, the Prague metro would measure 114 km and have 101 stations. For comparison, Munich has a population of about the same size today and has 103 km of metro and 96 stations and is also working on further expansion.

It is a fact that we are preparing tram projects that will also improve tangential travelling. Trams will play an irreplaceable role in the symbiosis with the construction of the metro O in Prague - they will mainly provide shorter connections, but not transport to the other end of the city.

Line O will create an interconnected system with all future investments - it will be connected to suburban railways, high-speed lines, the Prague ring road. People outside Prague must have a comfortable opportunity to get on a train, get to Prague, get on the metro and continue. It is unrealistic to build a P + R car park for hundreds of thousands of cars that are not even for Praguers. I want to invest money in Prague and its inhabitants_.

https://facebook.com/adam.praha.sobe/posts/1008392563092103


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## historyworks (Jul 12, 2007)

Councillor Scheinherr describes the future Great Transport Empire of Central Bohemia in words even more luxuriant than Čapek or Kafka could write!


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## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

Line O looks like a reformed version of Line E that was also supposed to be circular line. I'd elaborate the biggest differences between Line E and Line O plans.


Line E was supposed to provide interchange at Pankrac to lines C and D. Line O nixes this by crossing the direct southern neighboring station of both lines C (Budejovicka) and D (Olbrachtova) instead. It's unweaving southern interchange traffic from the start and the populous south will becomes its very own Soviet-style triangle and I like it.
Line E was supposed to have its northern bend via Holesovice, the central peninsula of the Vltava River. It's telling that S41 accesses both Podbaba and Liben railway stations that will become interchanges with Line O, the tangential function of S41 seems to work out fine enough. Line O will have its northern bend way out up north through Troja with Prague Zoo.
The letter E becomes free again. This could be interesting because ditching letter E for the circular line allows reassigning the letter for other purposes. There used to be alternative plans to lead line D from Hlavni Nadrazi via Zizkov into the northeast. Now you could say that these "tangential" line D plans could be ditched in favor of a new stub line E connecting Mustek (A/B) and Hlavni Nadrazi (C/D) with Zizkov (Propokova Square, Basilejske Square) and line O. This will also mean that Namesti Republiky will be set as the northern terminus of line D. Rebranding the circular line from the letter E to the letter O means that the "leftover" line D plans can easily be reformed into a separate line E instead of calling the messes D1 and D2. That's very elegant..


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## earthbound (Feb 25, 2008)

A new shelters for bus/tram stops are popping up all over the city. So far, without the new stop signs, which are still in the prototype testing phase. Digital panels with departures will be part of the shelters in some of the more frequented stops.

Also, a first electric bus of the standard 12m lenght owned by the city is in operation with passengers. It's a Škoda E' City (bodywork is done by Turkish company Temsa), so far 14 has been ordered. The city is planning to buy up to 100 more electric buses over the next three years.

You can see both, the new shelter (one of its variants) and the Škoda E' City electric bus (together with a new Prague Public Transport color scheme), on this pic:


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

It was announced today that twenty new bi-articulated trolleybuses will be supplied to Prague by Škoda and Solaris. They will operate on the route 119 (future route 59), which connects the Václav Havel airport with Nádraží Veleslavín (transfer to metro A) and thus the new vehicles will increase the capacity on one of the busiest routes in the city. Deliveries are due to take until February 2024, the only other bid in the tender came from Hess.
























Na pražské letiště budou jezdit trolejbusy od sdružení Škoda – Solaris - Zdopravy.cz


Jde o první kontrakt v Česku na tříčlánkové trolejbusy. Výběr výrobce trval přes rok, první trolejbusy převezme DPP příští rok.




zdopravy.cz


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## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

I remember that there used to be lines 100 and 200 accessing Vaclav Havel Airport to either line A or B. Is line 119 a reformed line 100 or something different. If this line 119 becomes line 59, has this to do with the electrification? There were times when the 30s in Prague were provisional tram lines running a course to circumvent track construction sites, later becoming the 50s. Or is line 59 supposed to become a tram line in the future?


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

Skalka said:


> I remember that there used to be lines 100 and 200 accessing Vaclav Havel Airport to either line A or B. Is line 119 a reformed line 100 or something different.


Route 100 still exists and connects the airport with Zličín station (line B), but AFAIK route 200 always served only as an express feeder from Bohnice (northern suburb) to line C.

119 was introduced already in 1959 and in all of its history, it has always been a main bus route running to the airport. Firstly it used to depart from the city centre (Náměstí republiky), in 1983 it had been shortened to Dejvická station and finally since 2015 it only runs from Nádraží Veleslavín. The only two periods, when this route operated under a different number were 1959 - 1966 (as route 225) and 1971 - 1974 (as 219).


Skalka said:


> If this line 119 becomes line 59, has this to do with the electrification? There were times when the 30s in Prague were provisional tram lines running a course to circumvent track construction sites, later becoming the 50s.


It is kind of continuation of historical numbering of trolleybuses introduced in 1947, when all the route numbers had been in format 5x and 6x. Decision to revive this "tradition" is super stupid and will cause many unnecessary confusions, but this is simply Prague.

As for trams, 5x used to be night routes between 1985 and 2017.


Skalka said:


> Or is line 59 supposed to become a tram line in the future?


There are no such plans.


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## 1+1=3 (Apr 10, 2010)

earthbound said:


> Also, a first electric bus of the standard 12m lenght owned by the city is in operation with passengers. It's a Škoda E' City (bodywork is done by Turkish company Temsa), so far 14 has been ordered. The city is planning to buy up to 100 more electric buses over the next three years.


14 e-buses will start operation on lines 154 (Strašnická – Koleje Jižní Město) and 213 (Želivského – Nádraží Uhříněves) since tomorrow, more than half of buses on these lines will be electric. Charging will be provided on two terminal stations - Strašnická and Želivského.

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1495288860795887619


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## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

BHT said:


> As for trams, 5x used to be night routes between 1985 and 2017.


I remember. I used them late at night back in 2013. Now they employ the 9x number room for night trams as I've seen now. This is the one thing that former East Block cities can fill their Western counterparts with envy: If people are more comfortable with riding overground at night than underground because they're old, frail, female or whatever, they're lucky to have their livelihood in Prague because the extensive tram network means that they can afford to close the metro network every night and run the tramway every night instead.


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## The Wild Boy (Apr 5, 2020)

How accurate is this map of Prague Metro by 2100?









Would this be the ultimate form of Prague Metro? Or is there a different more - accurate map showing the future of Prague Metro?


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## Gros Matou (Feb 9, 2014)

The Wild Boy said:


> How accurate is this map of Prague Metro by 2100?
> 
> Would this be the ultimate form of Prague Metro? Or is there a different more - accurate map showing the future of Prague Metro?


I think any map depicting a transportation system for 2100 cannot be taken very seriously. It's not very realistic to predict a city's development on such a distant scale. It's a cool fantasy map from someone who's passionate though.

However the maps on metroweb.cz haven't been updated since several years unfortunately. The Prague 2100 map seems to have been made back in 2005 and most of the fictional future lines on that map do not correspond with actual extensions or current plans.


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## The Wild Boy (Apr 5, 2020)

Gros Matou said:


> I think any map depicting a transportation system for 2100 cannot be taken very seriously. It's not very realistic to predict a city's development on such a distant scale. It's a cool fantasy map from someone who's passionate though.
> 
> However the maps on metroweb.cz haven't been updated since several years unfortunately. The Prague 2100 map seems to have been made back in 2005 and most of the fictional future lines on that map do not correspond with actual extensions or current plans.


So the most reasonable map about the future of the Prague Metro is the one that was posted here, with the orange circular line, right?


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## Skalka (Apr 10, 2014)

The Wild Boy said:


> So the most reasonable map about the future of the Prague Metro is the one that was posted here, with the orange circular line, right?


Yes, that's right.



Gros Matou said:


> I think any map depicting a transportation system for 2100 cannot be taken very seriously. It's not very realistic to predict a city's development on such a distant scale. It's a cool fantasy map from someone who's passionate though.
> 
> However the maps on metroweb.cz haven't been updated since several years unfortunately. The Prague 2100 map seems to have been made back in 2005 and most of the fictional future lines on that map do not correspond with actual extensions or current plans.


There was indeed a land-use plan showing exactly this (I even found an article on iDnes.cz about this), but in practice it's all about not building in their way until it may be realized in a distant future. You can be definitely sure that the old line E has become obsolete with line O taking its place, just as line D terminating at Republic Square instead of going east in direction Zizkov. If anything, the letter O may be used to free the letter E for other purposes... maybe exactly of a line into Zizkov and beyond that was traditionally the subject of later stages of line D before re-routing it to Republic Square.


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

ROPID (Regional Organizer of Prague Integrated Transport) revealed results of the competition for new design of public transport informational and wayfinding system, including on-street and metro stations signage. The winning proposal comes from a consortium of studios Side2, Superior Type and A69 Architekti:









































































For comparison, this is the current design:









More info:








Konec bloudění ve městě, Praha bude čitelná | Pražská integrovaná doprava


Regionální organizátor Pražské integrované dopravy




pid.cz


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## BHT (Jan 27, 2017)

*Prague completes new tram line, regular operation to start on Saturday*

Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) completed the construction of the first stage of the tram line Sidliste Barrandov–Holyne–Slivenec, i.e. the section between Barrandov and Holyne. The construction took less than 10 months and cost CZK 170 million (EUR 7 million) ; it was carried out by Strabag Rail.

Regular operation on the new line will start on Saturday morning. In connection with the start of tram service to Holyně, as of Saturday, the bus stops will be renamed: Holyne will bear the new name Stara Holyne, the Filmove ateliery stop will be named Filmove ateliery Barrandov.

The new Barrandov–Holyne line is one kilometer long with two pairs of stops: Namesti Olgy Scheinpflugove on the square of the same name and Holyne. The line is partially grassed. It is terminated by a siding, construction of the connecting section to Slivenec should start next spring.

...








Prague completes new tram line, regular operation to start on Saturday - CEE Transport


The tram network in Prague has been undergoing unprecedented development in recent years.




ceetransport.com





































Photo credit: Jan Sura/Zdopravy.cz


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## autobusik2 (Dec 2, 2020)

2022 is going to be one of the best years for public transport in Prague in a really long time!!!

New tram extensions:
Barandov - Holyně (1 km) opened on April 8th.
Modřany - Libuš (1,7 km) construction officially started on April 1st.
Divoká Šárka - Dědinská (2,3 km) Skanska was chosento build this extension, construction should start in summer.

Return of trolleybusses:
In fall, the first trolleybuss line 58 from should open. A short 1km long section opened in 2017, but this will be the first regular trolleybus line after the closure of former trolleybus system in Prague in 1972.

And finally, on April 21st after more than 30 years of planning, construction will start on the first section of metro line D!!!


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## AlexMg (Nov 17, 2014)

I read a lot the line along Opletalova and Vaclav Havel Square and didn't find information on an extension closer to the city center. I sketched out my vision, how does it correspond to city plans?


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