The Škoda ForCity Plus 52T trams designed for Prague have successfully passed the approval and homologation process.
The latest generation of fully low-floor trams from Škoda passed all technical tests and covered the required 20,000 km without passengers and another 20,000 km with passengers. This brings them closer to being handed over to the Prague Public Transport Company (DPP) and put into regular service.
There are now 13 Škoda ForCity Plus 52T trams at the DPP’s Hloubětín depot, and the remaining seven are in an advanced stage of production.
According to the contract, the Škoda Group will deliver them by the beginning of December this year at the latest, just two years after the contract was signed. The vehicles themselves were approved in just 22 months. Before being put into regular service, each vehicle must obtain a certificate of suitability from the Czech Railway Authority.
“Before we can put the new Škoda ForCity Plus 52T trams into regular service, we must perform mandatory test runs and technical safety tests on each newly delivered vehicle, and the manufacturer must then remedy any deficiencies found. We need to obtain a certificate of conformity for each vehicle from the Czech Railway Authority, and they must be transferred to DPP’s ownership by contract. At the same time, our drivers are being trained on the new type of tram,” says Jan Šurovský, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Technical Director of DPP – Povrch.
Adherence to the schedule and rapid implementation have accompanied the Prague Škoda ForCity Plus 52T tram project from the very beginning. The project was launched in December 2023 with the signing of a framework agreement between the Škoda Group and the Prague Public Transport Company. Subsequently, in January 2024, the public was able to see for the first time what the new tram would look like, including its modern design and technical solutions. In June of the same year, Škoda Group began production, with the first cars seeing the light of day in early 2025. This April, homologation began without passengers, and in June with passengers.
The new Prague tram is the result of close cooperation between the Škoda Group and the Prague Public Transport Company. The project builds on the long-term partnership between the two companies. Clear evidence of this is the mileage of the previous tram model delivered. To date, the fleet of 250 ForCity Alfa 15T trams has travelled almost 150 million km.
Škoda’s trams designed for Prague represent the latest generation of low-floor urban vehicles developed for the Czech capital. They offer a fully environmentally friendly air-conditioned interior, a modern information system, new ergonomic seats, but above all a completely new electromechanical brake, which ensures quieter operation, lower maintenance requirements and greater braking precision. In addition, the vehicles are equipped with an anti-collision system with the LiDAR technology, energy-efficient LED lighting, and advanced regenerative braking system, which allows energy to be fed back into the grid, contributing to savings in tram fleet operating costs.
Under the framework agreement, Škoda can supply up to 200 trams. Next year, another 20 will be added to this year’s 20, and the transport company can exercise an option on the remaining 140.
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