Dresdeners modernized their Tatras themselves
In the 1990s, many vehicles were operated by the Dresden transport company itself in own workshops technically modernized, which at the same time secured jobs in the difficult post-reunification period.
Upholstery covers over the plastic seats
The red and gray plastic seats were only painted yellow at first and later also covered with upholstery. The trains themselves received new paint in Dresden’s yellow color with brown trim, digital displays and automated stop announcements. The first conversion prototype with still quite angular displays has now been scrapped.
The distinctive ringing of the bell before departure and the four-part folding doors were retained in the Dresden conversion variant. The Dresden Tatras kept their typical “face” and were unmistakable until their end of service in May 2023.
Big journey to the east
With falling passenger numbers in the 1990s and the commissioning of the light rail vehicles, the first Tatras in Dresden, as in other East German cities, were eliminated. DVB was able to sell a number of vehicles to Romania, Hungary, Russia, Kazakhstan and North Korea, where some of the trams are still said to be running.
Farewell trips through Dresden
On Saturday, June 3rd, all fans of the Dresden Tatras can once again extensively experience and enjoy the driving experience of these trams and perhaps remember the name that the Tatras were given by the vernacular in an allusion to the Prague Spring of 1968: ” Dubček’s Last Revenge”.