Dieter Ludwig

Dieter Ludwig at a panel discussion in Güglingen (2011)

Dieter Ludwig (born July 15, 1939 in Dortmund ; † July 16, 2020 in Ettlingen ) was a German engineer . As head of the Karlsruhe transport company (VBK) for many years , the Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (AVG) , the Karlsruhe Rail Infrastructure Company (KASIG) and the Karlsruhe Transport Association (KVV) , he significantly shaped the development of the Karlsruhe public transport system . He became known beyond the borders of the region as the initiator of the Karlsruhe Model . Due to his consistent commitment to the tram and his great services to this means of transport, he is considered the German “tram pope”.

Life

Dieter Ludwig was born on a train ride. However, he grew up and went to school in Mannheim . After graduating from Karl-Friedrich-Gymnasium , he studied civil engineering at the TH Karlsruhe . During his studies, he worked as a temporary conductor and driver. After completing his studies, he completed a legal clerkship at the Deutsche Bundesbahn , which he completed in 1967.

In the same year, Dieter Ludwig took over the position of Supreme Operations Manager at AVG , and from 1972 he was also operations manager at VBK. In 1976 he was appointed head of VBK, and in 1978 he was also appointed managing director of AVG. He was also the managing director of KVV, which was founded in 1993 and KASIG, which was launched in 2003. All positions held Dieter Ludwig until his departure in retirement in the year of 2006.

From 1995 to 2003 he was also President of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) . Ludwig died on July 16, 2020.

Public work

Dieter Ludwig was known for his tireless efforts to expand rail traffic in a comparatively small metropolitan area like Karlsruhe. The new construction of the non-federally owned railway line to Ittersbach in the first half of the 1970s was a novelty, because comparable lines were shut down in many places as part of the withdrawal of the railway "from the area". The expansion of the tram, which was consistently promoted in the 1970s and 1980s - at a time when this mode of transport was still considered to be obsolete in many cities - made Dieter Ludwig well-known far beyond Karlsruhe. The worldwide renaissance of the tram is therefore due in no small part to his exemplary work in Karlsruhe.

Karlsruhe route network

With the development of the Karlsruhe model , i.e. the connection of the tram network with the network of today's Deutsche Bahn , at that time still Deutsche Bundesbahn , by means of two-system light rail vehicles, Dieter Ludwig made a significant contribution to the positive development of local transport, as this way, passengers were free to change trains attractive connections from the region to the pedestrian zone are offered. This led to a significant increase in passenger numbers. In 1992, the first such light rail line went into operation with the connection from Karlsruhe to Bretten . The great success of light rail operation on the Kraichgaubahn also influenced the design of the regionalization of local rail transport within the railway reform in the early 1990s.

Awards

Honorary doctorate from the University of Karlsruhe
Honorary citizen of the city of Karlsruhe
Federal Cross of Merit
Merit Medal of the State of Baden-Württemberg (1994)
Beuth Medal of Honor of the German Machine Technology Society (2006)
Honorary Prize of the German Rail Transport Prize of the German Railway Customers' Association (2006)
Passenger award of the passenger association PRO BAHN for his life's work (2012)

Web links

Commons : Dieter Ludwig - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Dieter Ludwig in the Stadtwiki Karlsruhe
Honors: University recognizes the connection between science and practice: Honorary doctorate for KVV boss Dieter Ludwig / local transport helped to achieve success. In: Karlsruhe StadtZeitung. November 27, 1998.; accessed on July 17, 2020
Honorary Citizen: Dieter Ludwig changed the city. In: Karlsruhe StadtZeitung. June 30, 2006.; accessed on July 17, 2020
Personal details: "The pilot disembarks" / VBK managing director Dr. Dieter Ludwig said goodbye to retirement. In: Karlsruhe StadtZeitung. July 28, 2006.; accessed on July 17, 2020
Rolf Schraut: Awarding the Beuth Medal of Honor 2006. In: dmg-berlin.info . 2006 .; accessed on July 17, 2020

Individual evidence

^ Andreas Müller and Walter Vögele: 75 years of Dr.-Ing. E. h. Dieter Ludwig . In: Der Weichenbengel No. 2/2014
^ Adolf Müller-Hellmann: Laudation for Dipl.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. E. h. Dieter Ludwig. In: dmg-berlin.info . October 13, 2006, accessed July 17, 2020 .
^ Matthias Kuld: The father of the Karlsruhe model: Dieter Ludwig died. In: bnn.de . July 16, 2020, accessed July 17, 2020 .
↑ Thomas Naumann: Thank you, Dieter Ludwig! In: Straßenbahn Magazin , issue 3/2007
^ Georges Muller: Karlsruhe: La place du tramway dans les dessertes régionales, an example à suivre. In: Revue générale des chemins de fer , issue 4/1995
↑ Dieter Ludwig, Horst Emmerich, Martin in der Beek: Experiences with the first light rail on federal railway tracks. In: Der Nahverkehr , Issue 1–2 / 1994

personal data
SURNAME	Ludwig, Dieter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German engineer
DATE OF BIRTH	July 15, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH	Dortmund
DATE OF DEATH	July 16, 2020
Place of death	Ettlingen

[1] Andreas Müller and Walter Vögele: 75 years of Dr.-Ing. E. h. Dieter Ludwig . In: Der Weichenbengel No. 2/2014

[2] Adolf Müller-Hellmann: Laudation for Dipl.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. E. h. Dieter Ludwig. In: dmg-berlin.info . October 13, 2006, accessed July 17, 2020 .

[3] Matthias Kuld: The father of the Karlsruhe model: Dieter Ludwig died. In: bnn.de . July 16, 2020, accessed July 17, 2020 .

[4] Thomas Naumann: Thank you, Dieter Ludwig! In: Straßenbahn Magazin , issue 3/2007

[5] Georges Muller: Karlsruhe: La place du tramway dans les dessertes régionales, an example à suivre. In: Revue générale des chemins de fer , issue 4/1995

[6] Dieter Ludwig, Horst Emmerich, Martin in der Beek: Experiences with the first light rail on federal railway tracks. In: Der Nahverkehr , Issue 1–2 / 1994