Bombarier tram 4059 in purple livery awaits King Phillippe for the inaugural ride on 21 September. (STIB)
Eight months after the start of production, and 13 months after contract signing, the first of 40 single-ended air-conditioned 52T 32m low-floor trams with rotating bogies appeared on the test track at the Skoda factory in Plzen on 27 January, and should be delivered to the Czech capital Praha (Prague) in April. The city operator DPP holds options for up to 200 of these trams, which if exercised will bring the value of the contract to CZK 16.6bn. Skoda is using 230 suppliers to build the trams, 73% of whom are Czech companies. The 2.5m wide, 48t trams can carry up to 243 passengers (70 seated), who board and alight through five double-leaf doors with a 350mm platform edge height. The 52T is designed for a 30-year life cycle. 
 
Zdeněk Hřib, 1st Deputy Mayor for Transport and Chairman of the Prague Public Transit Company Supervisory Board said “The first new tram 52T is already ready! This is a significant milestone because after almost 20 years, Prague is getting a completely new type of tram. The super-modern low-floor Škoda ForCity Plus 52T trams will offer air conditioning, quiet operation and an advanced anti-collision system. By the end of the year, the first 20 of these top-of-the-range vehicles will arrive, and within a few years, the total number could reach 200. We have started an unprecedented tram boom in Prague. New lines are growing like mushrooms after rain in the capital, which is why it is necessary to expand the tram fleet substantially. In the next two years, we will launch several new lines, for example to Malešice, Strahov, Nové Dvory, Žižkov, or the Museum, where we will build on the already implemented line on Wenceslas Square. In short, trams are a symbol of modern and ecological transport, making Prague a cleaner and more pleasant city to live in.” 
 
Prague operates 26 tram lines on a 144km (89-mile) network carrying 375M passengers/year on 882 trams (305 of which are 50-100% low-floor). Horse trams have operated from 1875, with electric trams from 1891. 
 
Photo: The Praha Skoda 52T five-section tram is readied for delivery. (Skoda) 
 
Bombarier tram 4059 in purple livery awaits King Phillippe for the inaugural ride on 21 September. (STIB)
 
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