The transport company has begun using a new hall for the maintenance of trams

Brno - The Brno Public Transport Company has started using a new daytime service and cleaning hall for trams in the Pisárky depot. With two tracks inside, the movement of vehicles will double in speed during the evening arrivals at the depot. At the same time, it features the latest technologies, and it will also include diagnostics of the vehicle's technical condition, said the general director of the transport company, Miloš Havránek, to reporters during the hall's presentation.

The hall is part of the second phase of the depot's modernization, which costs about 420 million crowns, including the project. The plan includes building a new washing station in the old hall and covering the track area between the old and new halls.

The new hall will also allow inspection of the tram from below, from above, and checking the interior, as well as disinfecting and cleaning the inside. "The treatment takes about two minutes. When the trams were arriving in the evening in two waves at the depot, they would line up one behind the other. Thus, the driver would arrive from a shift and might wait another half an hour before reaching the cleaning. Now, the process will be faster," described Havránek. Each day, 130 vehicles must undergo treatment.

The hall is also unique towards Hlinky Street in that it absorbs a large portion of the noise from the passing trams on line 1. "The wall is also architecturally designed to be beautiful, and it can be illuminated in various colors at night," said Havránek.

The entire second phase is expected to be completed by the end of this August, so the new washing station should start operating in September.

According to the study, the hall also has very good acoustics, Havránek said. "When we cover the channels for inspecting trams, we can hold a concert for up to 1500 people. Once all restrictions are lifted and it becomes possible, we would like to organize one," said Havránek.

In Pisárky, the third phase is also in project preparation, which includes the loop at the Lipová stop, including platforms, underpasses, and access routes to the planned multifunctional hall at the exhibition center. The final fourth phase will include complete coverage of the track area where trams are parked. "Because we are close to the Svratka River, there is mainly greater humidity here, and we are seeing more faults in the electrical installations than with trams in Medlánky," said Havránek.

The Pisárky depot is the oldest still operating depot in Brno, having existed since the 19th century, when the horse-drawn tram began operating in Brno.