Å koda 10 T

The Å koda 10 T, or Skoda 10T (with no space between the number and letter), the latter being the common English-language form, is a three-carbody-section low-floor bi-directional tram, developed by Å koda Transportation. It was in production from 2000 to 2002.

The vehicle is four-axled, and is based on the Å koda 03 T, which is a uni-directional model operating in a few cities in the Czech Republic. The low-floor area represents 50% of the entire vehicle floor.

The 10T was originally part of Skoda's ''Astra'' model line, although in the United States it was referred to only as the 10T, not by that model name, but it was later made part of the company's ''Elektra'' model line, after that new line of models was created, around 2010.

Production

In total, 10 trams of this model were manufactured by Å koda and delivered to:

* United States:
** Portland, Oregon: 7 cars, for the Portland Streetcar system, built in 2000–2002
** Tacoma, Washington: 3 cars, for the Tacoma Link system, built in 2002

Those ten trams were constructed at a Å koda factory in the Czech Republic and shipped complete to the USA, under a joint venture between Å koda and Inekon Group, with Inekon having been responsible for most of the mechanical design, as well as marketing and shipping, and with Å koda having manufactured the vehicles. Their propulsion control equipment was supplied by an Austrian company, Elin EBG Traction, and braking systems by Knorr, under subcontracts.

However, the relationship between Å koda and Inekon deteriorated, and the partnership collapsed in 2001. Å koda 10T cars that had been ordered in 2000 or 2001 were delivered by Inekon to Portland and Tacoma in 2002, which was already after the Å koda-Inekon joint venture had effectively been dissolved. Inekon Group formed a new venture, named DPO Inekon, selling a slightly modified version of the 10T (which it named 12 Trio),''Tramways & Urban Transit'' magazine, September 2003, p. 347. Light Rail Transit Association (UK). while Å koda continued to offer the 10T.

Related model built under license

In 2006, Å koda entered into an agreement with a US company to permit the latter to construct a 10T tram (streetcar) under license. Oregon Iron Works (OIW), a specialized manufacturing company based in Clackamas, Oregon (an unincorporated community in the southeastern suburbs of Portland), signed an exclusive technology transfer agreement with Å koda in February 2006, and in January 2007 it was awarded a contract to build one 10T streetcar for the Portland Streetcar system. OIW created a new subsidiary named United Streetcar LLC for this venture.

This prototype tram, which could be considered an eleventh Å koda 10T but is more accurately described as the first United Streetcar 10T, was completed and delivered to Portland Streetcar in spring 2009. It was designated as model 10T3 by United Streetcar,"United Streetcar ... US manufacturer established for new trams". (April 2007). ''Tramways & Urban Transit'', p. 146. Ian Allan Publishing/Light Rail Transit Association (UK). but that company changed the model designation to "100" for the production-series cars it built later."United Streetcar gears up for series production". ''Tramways & Urban Transit'' magazine, November 2010, p. 406. The prototype US-built 10T was presented to the public and media at a ceremony held on 1 July 2009 in Portland, but it did not enter service until September 2012,"Portland Opens New Line" (November 2012). ''Tramways & Urban Transit'' magazine, p. 409. delayed first by problems that came to light during acceptance testing and later by a decision to replace its propulsion-control system with a new one built by a US company, in order to increase the US content.

In August 2009, Portland signed a US$20 million contract with United Streetcar for the supply of six more streetcars, but the city decided in 2010 to modify the OIW/United Streetcar contract for these six cars, to substitute equipment from Elin EBG Traction for the originally planned Å koda equipment.''Tramways & Urban Transit'', August 2010, p. 313. LRTA Publishing (UK). (They did not receive the experimental system with which the 10T3 prototype was fitted.) They were delivered in 2013 and 2014.

In 2010, the city of Tucson, Arizona, placed an order with United Streetcar for seven similar trams for a new tram line to be built there, named Sun Link. An eighth was added to the order in July 2012."Worldwide Review" (September 2012). ''Tramways & Urban Transit'' magazine, p. 356. Designated as model 200, differing from the 100 in having more powerful air conditioning systems, they were delivered in 2013 and 2014.

In April 2012, the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, in Washington, DC, placed an order for two model 100 streetcars for use on the DC Streetcar's H Street/Benning Road Line, under construction for opening in 2015, and the order was expanded to three cars in August 2012. The three cars were delivered between January 2014 and June 2014.''Tramways & Urban Transit'' magazine, July 2014, p. 305.

The orders from all three cities were completed in 2014, the last car being delivered to Portland in November of that year. With no standing orders at that time, United Streetcar ceased production. Its tramcar manufacturing facilities in Oregon were repurposed by its parent company, OIW, and United Streetcar was formally dissolved in December 2018.

Gallery

Portland Streetcar Å koda-Inekon 10T car 006 at 5th & Montgomery stop in 2015.jpg, Portland Streetcar tram, with the logos of both Å koda and Inekon on the front
Skoda 10T car 1003 of Tacoma Link on Pacific Ave (2008).jpg, Tacoma Link tramcar
Interior_of_a_Tacoma_Link_streetcar_-b.jpg, Interior of a Tacoma Link tram
Wheelchair Ramp for a Tacoma Link streetcar.jpg, Wheelchair ramp for a Tacoma Link car
Portland Streetcar car 021 at west end of Broadway Bridge.jpg, United Streetcar-built tram built for Portland under license from Å koda
DCstreetcar test.JPG, A United Streetcar tram for DC Streetcar

See also

* Škoda 03 T – unidirectional version marketed in Europe
* Å koda 06 T - bidirectional model for Cagliari, Italy
* Škoda 19 T - bidirectional model for Wrocław, Poland
* Inekon Trams – sells the very similar 12 Trio model
* United Streetcar – sold the same tram design built in the USA under Škoda licence, originally (the first car only) with propulsion equipment fabricated by Škoda

References

External links

Å koda page about the 10 T
as archived in 2010 in the Internet Archive

Tramcar Elektra Portland
current Å koda page for what had been called the 10 T

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skoda 10 T
Streetcars of the United States
Å koda trams
750 V DC multiple units
Electric multiple units of the United States