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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 Brno, Prague and Ostrava in Czech Republic operate them in various configurations and amounts. The vehicle was designed as successor to Tatra T3 which has been operated in Europe for more than three decades at the time T6A5 was launched. The launch customer was Dopravný podnik Bratislava which received the first set of two vehicles in 1991. Brno, Bratislava, Ostrava and Košice still operate their originally ordered trams, while the fleet in Prague began retiring in 2015. They are commonly called "Irons" by general public and operator employees because their design resembles the triangular surface of clothing irons when seen from larger height.
Although T6A5 is operated exclusively in Czech Republic and Slovakia, there are several different versions operated in other states in Continental Europe and some efforts had been made also to operate these vehicles in North America.
During the early 1980s, new requirements were set by European light rail operators for new vehicles, which would feature lower operating costs and easier maintenance. At the time, Tatra ČKD engineers were already working on new concepts of design and controls that would replace almost 30-year-old Tatra T3 dominating the tram fleet in many European cities.
The T6 model range was introduced with T6B5 in 1983, which has been made mostly for Russian and Ukrainian operators. Tatra T6B5 featured electronic controls and completely new design. Tatra T6A2 launched in 1985 was redesigned to meet requirements for German and Hungarian operators. Vehicle remained technically same but was made considerably smaller to better suit the operation in Germany due to their much narrower streets and less space between rails. To bridge the differences between the two, Tatra T6A5 was developed which was not as large and heavy as T6B5 but not as small as T6A2. German cities Schwerin, Chemnitz were considering T6A5 for fleet restoration.
The last order for T6A5 was filled in 1998, although vehicle remained in offering until ČKD ceased operations in 2002. 296 vehicles and one replacement chassis were made since 1991.
On 27 December 2005, two vehicles were sold to Bratislava. These two trams were manufactured in 1997 and were used for testing purposes in Prague where they remained until 11 May 2004 when they were acquired by rail engineering company Pars Nova a.s. in Šumperk, where they undergone major refurbishment and re-painting to new livery used by third revision vehicles in Bratislava. Continuous service began on 13 December 2006 and both vehicles are coupled into one set. They now carry registration numbers #7957 and #7958 and slightly differ from rest of the fleet due to different front and rear coupler.
More than half of the 296 trams, namely 150 copies, were between 1995 and 1997 to the Prague City Transport Authority (DPP) delivered. The vehicles were already conceptually and technically outdated when they were commissioned. Between April 2016 and June 2019, 40 ex-Prague T6A5/III trams were delivered to Sofia, Bulgaria, where they underwent an upgrade to their visual and acoustic information systems. Some of them also underwent major refurbishment. Trams retired from Prague were also sent to Kharkiv, Kyiv and Kamianske in Ukraine.
In the spring of 2021 there were just three T6A5 in the Czech capital in regular service to be found, mainly in night traffic and on lines 20 and 21. This era ended on 18. June 2021 - the Tw 8637 made its last lap with an early course on line 21.
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Tatra T6A5 AI simulator
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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 Brno, Prague and Ostrava in Czech Republic operate them in various configurations and amounts. The vehicle was designed as successor to Tatra T3 which has been operated in Europe for more than three decades at the time T6A5 was launched. The launch customer was Dopravný podnik Bratislava which received the first set of two vehicles in 1991. Brno, Bratislava, Ostrava and Košice still operate their originally ordered trams, while the fleet in Prague began retiring in 2015. They are commonly called "Irons" by general public and operator employees because their design resembles the triangular surface of clothing irons when seen from larger height.
Although T6A5 is operated exclusively in Czech Republic and Slovakia, there are several different versions operated in other states in Continental Europe and some efforts had been made also to operate these vehicles in North America.
During the early 1980s, new requirements were set by European light rail operators for new vehicles, which would feature lower operating costs and easier maintenance. At the time, Tatra ČKD engineers were already working on new concepts of design and controls that would replace almost 30-year-old Tatra T3 dominating the tram fleet in many European cities.
The T6 model range was introduced with T6B5 in 1983, which has been made mostly for Russian and Ukrainian operators. Tatra T6B5 featured electronic controls and completely new design. Tatra T6A2 launched in 1985 was redesigned to meet requirements for German and Hungarian operators. Vehicle remained technically same but was made considerably smaller to better suit the operation in Germany due to their much narrower streets and less space between rails. To bridge the differences between the two, Tatra T6A5 was developed which was not as large and heavy as T6B5 but not as small as T6A2. German cities Schwerin, Chemnitz were considering T6A5 for fleet restoration.
The last order for T6A5 was filled in 1998, although vehicle remained in offering until ČKD ceased operations in 2002. 296 vehicles and one replacement chassis were made since 1991.
On 27 December 2005, two vehicles were sold to Bratislava. These two trams were manufactured in 1997 and were used for testing purposes in Prague where they remained until 11 May 2004 when they were acquired by rail engineering company Pars Nova a.s. in Šumperk, where they undergone major refurbishment and re-painting to new livery used by third revision vehicles in Bratislava. Continuous service began on 13 December 2006 and both vehicles are coupled into one set. They now carry registration numbers #7957 and #7958 and slightly differ from rest of the fleet due to different front and rear coupler.
More than half of the 296 trams, namely 150 copies, were between 1995 and 1997 to the Prague City Transport Authority (DPP) delivered. The vehicles were already conceptually and technically outdated when they were commissioned. Between April 2016 and June 2019, 40 ex-Prague T6A5/III trams were delivered to Sofia, Bulgaria, where they underwent an upgrade to their visual and acoustic information systems. Some of them also underwent major refurbishment. Trams retired from Prague were also sent to Kharkiv, Kyiv and Kamianske in Ukraine.
In the spring of 2021 there were just three T6A5 in the Czech capital in regular service to be found, mainly in night traffic and on lines 20 and 21. This era ended on 18. June 2021 - the Tw 8637 made its last lap with an early course on line 21.