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Locals split over new trams

Space, noise and heat lead criticism of Porsche 14 T design

August 1st, 2007 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Even 18 months after the model's debut, people still voice dissent — and have lodged formal complaints.
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VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
The DPP plans to run 60 of the low-floored trams by 2010.
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It was supposed to herald the modernization of Prague’s aging tram fleet.
Sleek and flashy, the 14 T model — designed by German luxury-car maker Porsche and built locally by Škoda — won design awards and was lauded for its low floors and doorways, making Prague trams wheelchair-accessible for the first time. With a price tag of 60 million Kč ($2.9 million) each, they’re a big investment for the city.
The first 14 T models hit Prague streets early last year, and today a total of 12 crisscross the city, serving the 9, 14, 22 and 23 routes.
But a year and a half after its debut, not everyone’s happy with the growing presence of the new tram on the block.
“The only advantage of this tram is you can get on really easily, and that’s it,” complained Dana Lvovská, 61, while waiting for her tram at the Wenceslas Square stop one recent morning. “The space inside is really limited and you can’t have your legs under the seat, so everybody puts their legs in the aisle. It is especially crazy here in the center when the tram gets packed.”
She’s not alone in her opinion. So far, the Prague Transport Company (DPP) has received eight formal complaints like Lvovská’s, spokesman Ondřej Pečený said. Plenty more at Wenceslas Square and other downtown stops were willing to add their voices to the mix. (See interviews, left)
“Most of the time, people complain about the insufficiency of the air-conditioning system, noisiness, inappropriate construction of the car and bad layout of seats,” he said. The DPP is taking some of the complaints into consideration and rebuffing others. Neither the seats nor the air conditioning can be changed, and “the tram interior actually received a very prestigious design award,” Pečený said.
The DPP will add looped straps to overhead bars to make holding on easier for shorter passengers and engineers will try to reduce the noise the trams make, he said.
Design expert Jiří Hulák isn’t sure about the 14 T either. He far prefers the iconic, bubble-shaped, red-and-cream T3 model by Tatra, dating from the 1960s and the oldest tram still in use today.
When it comes to design, the T3 is the clear winner, said Hulák, director of the department of industrial design at the National Technical Museum.
“The T3 type is a very well-made tram of a timeless design. The same can be said about the seats, from both an aesthetic as well as a user’s perspective,” he said. The classic appearance of this model has become “a symbol of Prague,” he added.
The exterior look of the Porsche-designed 14 T, meanwhile, “corresponds with current design trends. Only time will show whether its design can last.”
Aesthetics aside, the 14 T has clear positives, he admitted. “I definitely consider it an asset that Prague finally has low-floor trams.”
Still, despite the complaints, the DPP is set to continue expanding the fleet rapidly. By the end of this year, the number of 14 Ts is expected to more than double, from 12 to 27. By 2010, the DPP plans to have purchased a total of 60, Pečený said.
— Hela Balínová and Naďa Černá contributed to this report.


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