The trams of Prague

27 November 2012 about 9 in the morning I landed in Prague. It was clear, no wind but a chilly -10 Celsius. Dressed appropriately for the weather and for walking I took the bus from the airport to Praha hl.n. and stowed my luggage. From a vending machine I bought a 24 hour transit ticket and set out to explore Prague until evening when I had a train to Amsterdam to catch. 

Prague has an extensive public transit system and for only a few dollars you can get a 24 hour transit pass for all of Prague’s public transport; buses, trams and the subway. The subway was built during the cold war and portions are very deep to act as a bomb shelter. I did not explore the subway while there but near the central station are two of these ventilators for the subway tunnel. The Soviet influence stands starkly against the Art Nouveau Praha Hlavni Nadrazi (Prague Main Station).

    Subway ventilator

                                     

Besides rail travel under or just adjacent to the central railway station are bus, metro and tram stops. A future post will have videos and still photographs of the station. For now we focus on the trams.

The trams in Prague range from classic Tatra T3 to some of the most modern in Europe. As the central tourist area of Prague is rather small I actually only rode on one tram during my trip. I lucked out and was able to ride one of the T3 cars. I doubt there is a more fitting tram car for a member of The Hobo Proletariat to ride in. In total over 14,000 T3's were constructed and were exported all over The Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc nations.

A rebuilt T3 Tram with low center floor on the outskirts of Prague

                                        

 A Tatra T6A5 exits the Ujezd stop.

                              

Groomed lawns obscure the rails along portions of the tram line near the city edge, where the trams run in broad median between highway traffic.

                          

A Skoda 15T approaches Ujezd.

                              

I was witness to a most severe punctuality in the operation of the trams. I did not witness a tram arrive even seconds late to a station and frighteningly as you'll read below, nor did I see one leave seconds late from a stop. Not only did the tram doors close shut nearly on a women’s nose as she ran late to a tram stop but the driver than pulled away, the hopeful passenger stuck as a pedestrian scant millimeters away from the moving car. Much more horrifying was the pensioner with forearm crutches struggling to step up into the car and having the doors shut on his leg. Another passenger and I assisted the man as the doors opened and shut on him two or three times. From inside the tram, unless you have a seat, it’s difficult to see the station signs so it’s helpful to have looked at the map beforehand for landmarks.  

    Of course the T3 cars are no longer in their original state. They've had various upgrades include the destination sign shown above.

                                     

A Vagabond can handily use the Prague public transport system to move around the city. Keep in mind the Czech stop names can be a bit of challenge to read and remember, particularly during the very, very short tram stops. For my trip I printed out a map with the tram stops I might use marked on it as well as the destination station and tram number so when three cars were stopped at a station within a minute of each other I would know the right one to get on. The tram was very crowded but I was lucky to stand near the driver’s cab and shoot this short video of the operators view.

I had no difficulty spotting my stop, I knew in my direction of travel it was the first stop after crossing the river. It was the nearest stop on that line for the Petrin Hill cable car. Dating back to 1891 the funicular has been opened, closed, fallen into disrepair, gauge changed, rebuilt, and lengthened. The current iteration dates to 1985. A nice summary time line and some more information is available at the The Prague Post newspaper website.

A look up Petrin Hill and a look up at the cable car at Ujezd Station at the base of the hill.

                         

The Petrin Hill Funicular is a quick trip up a steep hill overlooking Prague.  The transit pass for the other public transportation options in Prague also covers the Funicular. 

The view from the cable car ascending Petrin Hill.

   

There are two cars running on rails but movement is controlled more in the manner of a cable car or ski lift. The two cars counter balance each other and pass just downhill of a central station. On the trucks one wheel is double flanged, the other has no flanges, at the passing siding no points need to be thrown to move the car to the adjacent track. 

Passing track halfway up Petrin Hill.

                               

Petrin hill is home to an observatory, gardens, a replica of the Eiffel Tower and several other attractions. In addition to these the upper station includes a small museum showcasing the history of the Funicular.

Motor and gearing from 1932 still operating today.

                              

Unfortunately the sun was on the wrong side of the building for this photo of the machinery at the top of Petrin Hill. Not part of the museum this is the equipment running the cable cars still today.

Prague is an excellent city for Vagabonds. Transit passes are cheap, food is affordable, the main train station is convenient to the main tourist destinations. The tram and metro networks are extensive and pretty much negate the need for taxis or buses. One drawback for rail fans is there is no rail connection from the airport to any rail stations. A bus runs every 30 minutes and only cost a few dollars.  It's efficient, cheap and takes you where you need to go, but it's no train. Coming soon; thoughts on the Dubai and Amsterdam transit systems and an extra long article on my experience on the City Night Line.