A delegation of representatives of Plzeňské městské dopravní podniky, a.s. (PMDP), the public transport operator in the Czech city of Plzeň, have been presented with the first of the new low-floor tram cars ordered for their city at the manufacturer’s plant. After further tests at the Skoda Transportation’s premises, the first two cars are to be delivered in the next few weeks.
The new tram of the “ForCity Smart” model is a three-module, bi-directional, 100% low-floor vehicle with five wide entrance doors on each side. It is 29 metres long and 2,5 metres wide.
Initially, two trams were firmly ordered by PMDP with Skoda Transportation, however, 22 will eventually replace all 12 Tatra KT8D5R.N2P now more than 30 years old. They will be primarily seen in service on lines 2 and 4.
Read also our report about the trams in Plzen here: https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/skoda-astra-trams-out-of-service-in-plzen/
Perhaps Skoda & others could demonstrate for community planners the massive revenues available from a cargo service to reduce the unnecessary, & in some cases unsustainable, costs of debt financing & “all that comes with that.” The in place Public Transport Systems (PTS) have colossal amounts of unused capacity (idle hrs./lines – 24/7/365) for unmatchable “trunk-line” efficiencies that “feed” endless lesser lines, track & off-track, vehicles & facilities of many functions. Required: Legions of standardized, very fast on-off, (RFID/IoT/AI), RO-RO carts, including cold chain, for upstream unitization & downstream selectivity. Massive e-commerce & “pull” replacement volumes can utilize line-balancing strategies for optimal throughput also reducing bottlenecks at high traffic hours. The “Feeder-Trunk-Line” strategy will expose the unnecessary costs of duplication in conventional distribution designs & “all that comes with that.”