Abstract
This article focuses on the development of the former Czechoslovakia's rychlá tramvaj (fast tram) systems in Prague, Bratislava and Brno. Its aim is to examine whether these systems meet the definition of light rail transport and whether it is possible to continue their development as the basis of a functional light rail city transport system.
A further aim is a detailed analysis of the conditions and contexts affecting the gradual development of rychlá tramvaj schemes in the three metropolises of the former Czechoslovakia. Urban development in Czechoslovakia was subject to a socialist planning system that constructed large housing estates on the edges of metropolises during the 1970s and 1980s.
As a result, many commuters had to be transported between the periphery and the city centre daily. The necessity for high-capacity rychlá tramvaj connections soon became apparent.
After the socio-political changes of 1989, a market economy was introduced. The modern trend toward suburbanisation of commercial and residential life modified the spatial structure of the three cities, and urban mobility become increasingly dependent on cars.
In response to this, city councils abandoned further development of rychlá tramvaj schemes. Currently, however, an emphasis on sustainable mobility is becoming apparent, principally because of smart city solutions, a focus on the environment, and the common European transport policy.
The municipalities are thus rediscovering the virtues of light rail lines. Because the rychlá tramvaj systems from the 1970s and 1980s still remain in operation, transforming them into modern light rail systems should be a convenient and cheap solution to urban transportation needs.