Tatra KT8D5 is bidirectional light rail vehicle operating in Europe and Asia. In several variations, it was designed and manufactured by Czech engineering corporation ČKD Tatra from 1984 to 1999. 206 cars were made total.
The vehicle has an articulated design similar to Tatra T6A5

Tatra T6A5

Tatra T6A5, also known as Tram 6 and nicknamed "Iron" is a unidirectional high-floor light rail vehicle made for rapid transit systems in Bratislava, Košice, Brno, Prague and Ostrava....

 and Tatra KT4

Tatra KT4

Tatra KT4 is the name of an articulated tramcar developed by the Czech firm ČKD Tatra. The first pre-production vehicles entered service in Potsdam in 1975, with the first production vehicles in 1977. A total of 1747 units were built, with initial deliveries to East Germany and later The USSR and...

 both outside and inside, later versions had design changed to newest standards, including old ones reconstructed and modernized later.

History

The need for new generation vehicles for Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

 started in late 1970s. Original goal was to made light rail vehicle with high capacity to accomplish raising demands in public transport. The project for KT8D5 was approved in 1982 and first prototype was constructed in 1984.

Design and construction

Tatra KT8D5 is large, high capacity tram constructed from 3 parts, 4 bogies. The middle-section is located on 2 jacobs bogie

Jacobs bogie

Jacobs bogies are a type of rail vehicle bogie commonly found on articulated railcars and tramway vehicles....

s. Vehicle is bidirectional and has driving room and doors on both sides. On the roof of both side sections are pantographs.