Tatra KT8D5 is a bidirectional
light rail vehicle currently ( , and not expected to retire soon) operating in Europe and Asia. In several variations, it was designed and manufactured by
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
engineering corporation
ČKD Tatra
ČKD (Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk) () was one of the largest engineering companies in the former Czechoslovakia and today's Czech Republic. It is famous for the Tatra T3, a tramcar that sold 13,991 units worldwide.
History
ČKD was formed in ...
from 1984 to 1999 and a total of 206 cars were sold. The vehicle has an angular design similar to
Tatra T6A5
Tatra T6A5 is a unidirectional high-floor Czech streetcar made for public transport in Europe and is one sub-type of T6 standard trams made by Czech light rail supplier Tatra ČKD in Prague. Five cities, namely Bratislava, Košice in Slovakia and ...
and
Tatra KT4
Tatra KT4 is the name of a four-axle type articulated tramcar developed by the Czech firm ČKD Tatra. The first pre-production vehicles entered service in Potsdam in 1975, with the first production vehicles in 1977. A total of 1,747 units were bui ...
both outside and inside. During its production period, several versions of KT8D5 were sold.
History
The need for new generation vehicles for
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
started in late 1970s. The original goal was to make a light rail vehicle with a higher capacity to meet growing demands for public transport. The project to design and build the KT8D5 was approved in 1982, and the first prototype was constructed in 1984. The first vehicles entered operation 1986 in
Brno
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
,
Most
Most or Möst or ''variation'', may refer to:
Places
* Most, Kardzhali Province, a village in Bulgaria
* Most (city), a city in the Czech Republic
** Most District, a district surrounding the city
** Most Basin, a lowland named after the city
** A ...
and
Košice
Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of app ...
.
Design and construction
The Tatra KT8D5 is a large, high capacity tram constructed using three articulated body sections riding on four bogies. The middle section is located on two
Jacobs bogie
Jacobs bogies (named after Wilhelm Jakobs,, 1858–1942, a German Mechanical engineering, mechanical Railway engineering, railway engineer) are a type of Rail transport, rail vehicle bogie commonly found on Articulated car, articulated railcars an ...
s. The tram is bidirectional and has driving cabs at each end and doors on both sides. There are two pantographs, one located on the each end of vehicle.
With a capacity of up to 231 passengers, these trams are operated on the busiest routes and during peak hours; due to their bidirectional capability they are also frequently used on routes without termini and during track maintenance for continued operation on only one track in both directions.
Modernization
A new medium low-floor cell based on the KT8D5N was installed in Tatra KT8D5 trams in
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
and
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, and in one tram in
Strausberg,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. The Togol 181, which is based on the KT8D5, was introduced in
Pyongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...
,
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
in 2018.
From 1998 to 1999, ČKD built seven
Tatra KT8D5N trams with a medium low-floor cell,
IGBT transistors, and TV14 electrical equipment.
References
This article incorporates information from the corresponding article on the
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
Wikipedia.
External links
{{TatraTram
Tram vehicles of the Czech Republic
Train-related introductions in 1984
Tatra trams
Tram transport in North Korea