In Plzeň, a tram depot worth 1.8 billion was opened, replacing the facility from 1943

Plzeň - A new tram depot was opened today in Plzeň for 1.8 billion crowns. It replaced the original complex from 1943, which had long been in a state of disrepair and was built for trams with one-third the weight of the current vehicles that are twice as long. All trams that provide nearly 40 percent of the transport performance of all three traction lines of the Plzeň Municipal Transport Company (PMDP) are now under one roof. There is a wash station, light maintenance area, chassis diagnostics, and comfortable facilities for drivers, everything that the company was missing. About a third of the costs were covered by an EU grant, the rest by loans and internal resources, said PMDP CEO Jiří Ptáček to ČTK.

"This is one of the largest modern investments of the city, which meets the strictest European standards. The new 'bedroom for trams' was completed on time and without significant cost overruns, with minimal additional expenses,” said Mayor Roman Zarzycký (ANO). The construction lasted 29 months while maintaining full operation. According to the mayor, it did not have a significant impact on the neighboring residential areas.

According to tram center manager Jiří Císař, the facility consists of three parts. The largest is the transit hall for parking vehicles, 124 meters long, where it is possible to "garaging" 52 vehicles of 33 meters and seven half-length trams. In addition, there is a maintenance hall and an operational-administrative building with a parking lot. The new depot has a green roof and a system for retaining rainwater, which is used by the automatic wash station. It is also equipped with an underground lathe for machining worn wheels, lifts, and a hall for regular inspections.

According to Deputy Mayor Aleš Tolar (STAN), PMDP now has state-of-the-art facilities for all three traction types - trolleybuses and buses have had a modern depot in Karlova since 2014, where heavy maintenance of trams is also carried out. This is managed by Škoda City Service, as well as the light maintenance of tram sets, which is now in the newly opened complex.

"All trams will be under a roof, so they will not suffer as much. In winter, they will not have problems with snow and will be leaving partly tempered, which passengers will appreciate," said PMDP’s transport operations director Miroslav Macháň. He anticipates that if the new complex is well maintained, it could last 100 years. "We are already prepared to service forty-meter trams here," he noted. Currently, PMDP operates the longest thirty-meter vehicles.

"Maintenance technologies are at a top level. Thanks to the wash station, they will be beautifully clean. Employees have a luxurious environment," said Ptáček. According to him, the new complex has a capacity for 180 classic T3 trams. The transport company now has 109 trams of various lengths, operated by 260 drivers, one-third of whom are women.

"The risks of the construction included the tight completion deadline arising from the grant conditions and the fact that it was carried out during the full operation of the original depot," said Ptáček.

Discussions about the new tram depot began as early as 1995. However, the city long postponed the investment due to high costs.

The first trams ran in Plzeň in June 1899, when they had a depot on Cukrovarská Street, closer to the center. A large tram depot was built during World War II on the then outskirts of the city in Slovany. Its poor technical condition was caused, in addition to the significantly higher weight of modern vehicles, by unstable sandstone subsoil, which caused track collapses.