Tram transport in Prague is part of the city's public transport. According to Prague Integrated Transport, the tram network is about 150 km long and is among the most extensive in Europe.[2]
The beginnings of urban transport
The pioneer of regular passenger transport in Prague was the carrier Jakub Chocenský, who obtained a concession for two omnibus lines. During the 1860s and 1870s several omnibus companies ran in Prague.[1] The start of urban public transport is symbolically dated to the ceremonial opening of the first line of the Prague horse tram, which ran from Karlín, from the Invalidovna, to the chain bridge of Emperor Francis. It was 3.4 km long; on Prague territory it was single-track with passing places, in both suburbs it was double-track, and the first depot stood in Karlín.[1]
Electric railways
The first Czech electric tram in Prague was put into operation in Letná by František Křižík; the line ceased operation on 15 August 1900. Křižík later opened service on the first line of the private Electric Railway Prague – Libeň – Vysočany. Matěj Hlaváček, mayor of Košíře, started service on the private Electric Railway Smíchov – Košíře, and the town of Královské Vinohrady operated its own municipal electric railway.[1] The electric companies opened their first line and, together with Královské Vinohrady, ran a circular line Prague – Žižkov – Královské Vinohrady. They took over the horse-drawn line on 1 July 1898 and began to electrify it.[1]
The last run of the horse-drawn tram on Charles Bridge took place on the section from Křižovnické náměstí to Lesser Town Square. After that the first cars of a new type were officially tested; their appearance was designed by the architect Jan Kotěra and influenced Prague tram cars for several decades. Numbered lines were then introduced, the first number going to line 5, and a tariff reform introduced a uniform fare across the tram network.[1] Trailer cars known as "krasiny", with a middle entrance and a low boarding platform, were also put into service; with some exaggeration they were the first low-floor vehicles of Prague urban transport.[1]
Current operation according to PID
According to the Prague Integrated Transport website, daytime lines 1 to 26 run from 5:00 to 24:00, at 8-minute intervals at peak times and 10 to 20 minutes outside them. The trunk lines 9, 17 and 22 run at half those intervals.[2] Night lines 91 to 99 run from 0:00 to 5:00 at 30-minute intervals, and the central interchange stop is Lazarská.[2]
The historic line 23 is operated with historic trams of the types Tatra T2, T3 and T6 all year round, roughly between 8:30 and 19:00 at a half-hour interval, and ordinary PID tickets are valid on it. The tourist lines 41 and 42 run at weekends and public holidays roughly between 10:00 and 18:00, line 41 from spring to autumn and line 42 all year; a special tariff applies to them and the operator is the Prague Public Transit Company.[2] The figures given are taken from the PID website and should be checked on the relevant page.[2]