Škoda ForCity Plus 52T: New trams for Prague (3. strana)
Trams for Prague unveiled: Škoda ForCity Plus Praha 52T to serve the capital
"We have managed to develop and pre-
pare a tram that will meet the technical re-
quirements of the demanding service in
the streets of Prague and go well with the
city's appearance while elevating the ove-
rall travel experience to a new level. For
passengers, the biggest advantage is in
the continued trend of 100% low-floor ve-
hicles that are fully air-conditioned. Years
ago, we produced 250 trams for Prague
with step-free boarding and believe the
next 200 vehicles will win an even better
reception by passengers. The new trams
will make getting on and off much easier
for many passengers. In addition, passen-
ger changes and movement inside the ve-
hicle will be much easier compared to
trams with high-floor sections. These are
just some of the aspects we worked with
in the design process. After many years,
our undercarriage design has revived the
electromechanical brake, which brings
about lower maintenance costs and is
much more environmentally friendly than
hydraulic brakes. The deployment of the
electromechanical brake has been ena-
bled by our significant technological pro-
gress and developments in the continu-
ous control of drives, especially motors.
We can now fine-tune the motor braking
smoothness until the vehicle comes to a
complete stop, bridging the original short-
comings of the mechanical brake while
reaching the market's best values in ener-
gy recovery and therefore operating
costs. At Škoda, we are really excited
about the new tram for Prague and we
believe it will even exceed the passen-
gers' expectations. Supplying trams for
Prague, which has some of the largest
and most demanding tram operations in
the world, is a matter of prestige and a
great commitment for us," concludes To-
máš Ignačák, Vice-Chair and President of
CZ&SK and Central East Regions at Ško-
da Group.
Anti-collision system – preventing
traffic accidents
As safety requirements continue to incre-
ase, each new tram will be equipped with
a Škoda anti-collision system designed to
reduce the probability of a collision while
in service. To do this, the system uses a
dual LiDAR and HD camera technology
combined with precise positioning with
offline HD maps and odometry. This set-
up enables the system to create a virtual
ride tunnel in which the tram can detect
obstacles with an accuracy of 10 cm, pro-
vide early warnings, minimise false positi-
ve warnings, and activate the emergency
brake in time. By preventing major acci-
dents, the anti-collision system will also
prevent injuries and damage to vehicles.
Sustainable braking technology
The Škoda ForCity Plus 52T for Prague is
equipped with an electromechanical bra-
king system, which was chosen for its effi-
ciency and sustainability. Electromechani-
cal braking delivers ease of operation and
maintenance, oil-free economy, and low
operating costs. It will only serve as an
emergency, parking, and reserve brake. A
more precise and faster response and
smoother deceleration control will be pro-
vided by the electrodynamic motor brake,
which comes as part of the drive and mo-
tor. The advantage of this design is lower
noise and maximum possible energy re-
covery until a complete stop. The energy
thus recovered will primarily be used for
operating the vehicle itself, or it can be re-
turned into the grid to be used by other
vehicles. This improves energy efficiency
and reduces the overall energy consump-
tion. In addition, it also reduces wear on
the brakes and the track infrastructure.
Furthermore, compared to hydraulic bra-
king systems, it does not contain hydraulic
fluids, which is both more environmental-
ly friendly and beneficial in reducing the ti-
me needed for maintenance and return to
service.
The vehicle combines proven compo-
nents, drawing from the experience obta-
ined in Škoda's successful projects. The
chassis frames are taken from the ForCity
Smart trams for the cities of Ostrava, Pil-
sen, and Brno and the powerful traction
motor from the ForCity Plus project for
Frankfurt, Cottbus, and Brandenburg. As
for the structural shell of the vehicle, the
inspiration comes from the five-section
ForCity Plus for Bratislava, where the mile-
age done on a new wheelset was su-
ccessfully increased.
Technical parameters of the Ško-
da ForCity Plus Praha 52T
Vehicle length over bumpers: 31.99 m
Vehicle width: 2.5 m
Total vehicle capacity:
243 at 5 persons per m
2
Number of standing places: 173
Number of seats: 70 in total, of which
44 are forward-facing = 62% (the Prague
Transport standard requires at least 60%)
and 26 are rear-facing = 38%
Low-floor section: 100%
(all seats are accessible without landings
and stairs)
Total number of bogies: 4 traction bogies
(2 freely swivelling and 2 partially
swivelling)
Brake: electromechanical
Diameter of new wheels: 640 mm
Boarding height: 350 mm
Doors: 5 double-leaf doors, each
1,300 mm wide
Driver's door: external: mechanical,
internal: sliding
Vehicle life cycle: 30 years
Design speed: 80 km/h
Weight of empty vehicle: 48 t
www.skodagroup.com
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