Greasing machine makes many friends in Prague

The city of Prague has a new, rather unusual attraction: a special operational tram that lubricates the tracks to make trams run more quietly. The Facebook page devoted to the bright orange vehicle has attracted nearly four thousand followers to date.

Photo: Facebook Mazací tramvaj

The special tram –the so-called mazací tramvaj in Czech- has been in operation since the start of this year, after an increasing number of passengers complained about the unpleasant squeaky noise that trams, especially the modern 14T and 15T Porsche models, made when turning corners. Jiří Štábl is the spokesman for the Prague Public Transport Company:

“The mazací tramvaj has been in operation since January this year. Its aim is to lower the noise emissions along certain stretches of the tram routes. According to our results it has been pretty successful.

Foto: Facebook Mazací tramvaj

“The tram runs daily since five in the morning till the late night hours and covers roughly 200 kilometres a day. It has a special lubricating device which creates a film on the tracks to reduce the noise as well as to limit the wear and tear.”

So far, there is only one mazací tramvaj in the whole of the Czech Republic, which makes it all the more attractive among its fans, who have chasing it all over the city to take a selfie. For those who want to make sure they won’t miss it, there is even a schedule available to establish its exact location.

According to Jiří Štábl of the Prague Public Transport Company, people are fascinated by the tram’s bright colour as well as by its unusual “cabrio” shape.

Foto: Facebook Mazací tramvaj

Indeed, the fans of the mazací tramvaj all have the same wish: to take a ride at the tram’s open back. According to Jiří Štábl, something like that might actually be possible one day:

“The Public Transport Company is pleased by the public’s interest, which shows that people really enjoy technical sights. We are definitely looking into ways to please fans. We want to enable them to look at the tram up close, let them touch it and look inside.”

If you haven’t yet seen it you can admire the city’s most favourite tram in one of its many photos published on Facebook or wait for a chance encounter it in the streets of Prague.