Pretoska Tramway System (Birth of Krakozhia)

The Pretoska Tramway System (Russian: Претоский Трамвай Системы, Pretoskiy Tramvay Sistemy) is a vital part of the public transport system in Pretoska, and the oldest one, having been in operation since 1902. It has a combined length of 63 km.

History

The capital's municipal council proposed to Emperor Nikifor VI and the national parliament their plan for a Russian-built tramway in Pretoska. The Pretoska Urban Rail Office was allowed to conduct studies on a basic tramway on April 9, 1901, after a six-month debate in parliament over the issue.

Construction lasted little more than a year and the first of the five tram lines was opened on May 6, 1902. A second line opened six months later. The two lines had a total length of 23 km and operated on a meter gauge. Its first manager was a local banker named Zivko Kardalev.

Additional financing was provided by fellow banker Georgiy Ivanov in 1903. The businessman Dimitar Ivanov (who was born in Ibklask, but moved to Pretoska in his late 20s) handled the required imports until the Karoshans could make their own trams.

In the period between 1902 and 1938, large numbers of trams and tram making equipment from different European producers arrived in Karosha. By 1938 Karosha started building their own carriages under the supervision of the Pretoskan engineer Ivan Zelev and his wife, Irina. Initially the old French- and Russian-made frames and chassis were used for the production, but these were replaced in 1941. The first tram depot and maintenance unit was built in 1942. A factory building was added in 1951 by the Karoshan Soviet to make newer models of trams.

2 of the 16 trams were destroyed during a minor Bulgarian attack in early 1944.

The tram factory was upgraded in 1959, and had produced 155 trams by its closure in 1991. All new trams are made in a purpose-built factory near Pretoska since 1991. Most of the computer systems in the trams are now imported from Russia, Japan, Spain and France.

The system was converted to standard gauge in 1982 and 3 more lines with a total length of 40 km were opened in 1987.

25 new and ultra-modern trams were made between 2000 and 2011.

Tram destroyed — The bombed tram after the attacks

On 24 April 2012, a bomb exploded inside a Series 1970 tram running between Rubchevskaya and Gorshkovskaya stations in Pretoska, killing at least 16 people and injuring 70 more. A convoy carrying President Irina Adzhitekova had passed by the attacked tram just three minutes before the explosion, and a video delivered to Telekrakozhia by an anonymous source confirmed that the President had been the target. However, another video received by TKZ claimed that the bomber's real target was Asen Zelev, grandson of former PTS director Ivan Zelev.