History of the Düsseldorf tram

This article or section needs to be revised: The section Further development of the tram network shows that the trains of the Düsseldorf-Duisburger Kleinbahn only ran between Düsseldorf and Kaiserswerth before May 1, 1926. This contradicts the information in the articles "Düsseldorf-Duisburger Kleinbahn" and "Straßenbahn Duisburg" . Accordingly, the route between Düsseldorf-Nordstrasse / Kaiserswerther Strasse and Duisburg-Königstrasse / Düsseldorfer Strasse has been in operation since August 1900. In addition, three tables are missing, which show the line network from 1955 after the opening of the route on Berliner Allee, from 1962 after the opening of the tram junction Jan-Wellem-Platz in 1962 and from 1973 after extensive changes. Other questions that the article should answer: Between 1938 and 1968 lines 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 18 changed or lengthened their course significantly. When did these changes take place? When were lines 14, 15, 20, 21, 24, 27, 28, 29 and 30, which ran in 1938, to be discontinued?
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Tram cars 2501 and 2432 (type GT6)

The history of the Düsseldorf tram describes the development of the tram network in the North Rhine-Westphalian state capital Düsseldorf . It started in 1876. Since then, the system has developed from a horse-drawn tram in the early days to a tram that is known today . Parts of the network operated by the tram have been converted into a light rail system since the 1970s . As a result of these measures, the length of the Düsseldorf tram network has become smaller, but its continued existence is not in question.

Beginnings of the tram

Horse tram

The first horse tram in Düsseldorf was opened on February 6, 1876. It was operated by the Belgian entrepreneur Leopold Boyaert , who won a tender on September 29, 1875 . He received a license limited to 25 years , which, however, set very unfavorable conditions for him. The concession stipulated that he had to pay three percent of his gross income plus 500 marks a year as a tax, but at least 1200 marks for each line in operation. After five and ten years, the minimum fee should be increased by 400 marks each. Furthermore, the lines had to be driven every 15 minutes and the maximum 2.20 m wide vehicles could not exceed 12 km / h. In addition, he had to complete five kilometers of the route in three months. After the concession had expired, all tracks, wagons and other infrastructure facilities should then fall to the city. They also had the option, if they were not satisfied with the operation of the railway, to request the closure of the railway and the dismantling of all lines.

Tracks on Burgplatz, taken around 1900

Despite these very unfavorable conditions, work began on January 19, 1876. After its completion, the first two lines were opened on February 6 of the same year. The first line ran from Burgplatz through Kasernenstrasse to the Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (BME) station. Line two also began at Burgplatz and led through Mühlenstrasse and Schadowstrasse to the Tonhalle. The third line finally opened on February 20, 1876 and, like the other two, began on Burgplatz. There it led over today's Königsallee to the BME train station. The railway had thus reached a distance of 2.65 kilometers. There were no stops on the routes, they were stopped as required.

In the next year, the network had grown to five lines and had a route length of 11.12 kilometers. The Burgplatz had meanwhile developed into an important transport hub in Düsseldorf. There the tracks of the tram also crossed a line of the state railway on the way to Flora. This route had to be set at the instigation of the BME, as it forbade driving over the tracks at the same level . Operations only resumed on August 10, 1888. However, the passengers had to cross the tracks on foot. In 1878 the depot, which until then had been temporarily housed in a shed on the grounds of the old castle on the banks of the Rhine , was moved to a separate building on Nordstrasse . By the end of 1878, a total of 1.5 million passengers had used the train. They paid between 10 and 30 pfennigs per trip.

Tracks in Schadowstrasse, taken around 1906

The network began to be rebuilt in the mid-1880s. The existing tracks were relocated to a new, stronger substructure. In the course of this work, some passing points were extended in order to shorten waiting times. In the same year there was the first disagreement between Boyaert and the city. That year he founded the “Societe Anonyme de Tramways de Düsseldorf”, took over the chairmanship and transferred the license to it. Although he was entitled to this option by contract, it was not wanted by the city. Another point of contention was the insufficient income from the operation of the railway, which prompted the new company to want to negotiate new framework conditions for itself. The city, on the other hand, wanted to accelerate the expansion of the routes and did not show any concessions to society's demands to invest less money. Since both sides could not agree, the city put out a new route, which was planned for the opening of the new main station . After a prospect was found, a contract was signed. However, this was immediately challenged by the Societe Anonyme de Tramways de Düsseldorf. This in turn prompted the city of Düsseldorf to take advantage of the opportunity to take over the railway on July 1, 1892. As a severance payment , Boyaert received a one-time payment of 200,000 marks and for each of the following nine years 100,000 marks.

The “new” main train station, taken around 1900

The railway was then leased to the director of the Koblenz horse-drawn railway, Wilhelm August von Tippelskirch, for a period of ten years . He immediately started building new routes. The first was opened on August 3, 1892, in accordance with the city's plans for the accessibility of the new train station, and led from Oststrasse via Bismarckstrasse to the new central station. On August 13th and September 4th, two extensions of the route followed, which reached Schützenstrasse . Also on September 4th, a junction was opened from Oststrasse through Bahnstrasse to the newly created Graf-Adolf-Platz .

At the same time as the takeover of the railway, the stops on demand were abolished and permanent stops were set up. In order to make this measure, which did not meet with their approval, palatable to customers, fares were lowered at the same time and the division into first and second class was abolished. These measures led to an increase in the number of passengers and the railways to make a profit again.

On November 10, 1893, on the one hand, a new depot was inaugurated on Erkrather Straße, which relieved the now overloaded depot on Nordstraße. It was unusual that this depot had two floors, with the cars being transported to the basement by means of an elevator. Since the workshop had also been set up there, the depot on Nordstrasse was only used for storing horses. On the other hand, thanks to the investments made by Baron von Tippelskirch, the line from Graf-Adolf-Platz through Kavalleriestraße and Lorettostraße to the church in Bilk doubled the network length within two years.

In the years that followed, all the new lines were built with two tracks and many existing ones were expanded to two tracks at great expense. In 1898 the horse-drawn tram network had reached a length of 23.7 kilometers and one drove in large areas every five minutes. At the beginning of the year the railway owned 88 wagons and 370 horses. Now the age of the electric tram began and this year the electrification of all routes began.

Electric tram

First electric tram in the Grafenberg district

Electric tram on the Düsseldorf – Krefeld route , 1899

The first electric train opened on January 27, 1896. This was already decided in a contract dated July 12, 1894 between the city and Baron von Tippelskirch. The train should lead from Grafenberg to the Wehrhahn. However, since some homeowners in Düsseldorf had declared that they would not accept rosettes to attach the contact wire to their houses, it was decided to go outside the built-up city. This was followed by the construction of a branch line along Grafenberger Allee via Rath to Ratingen . Since the operation of the railway was successful, the city of Düsseldorf decided on March 29, 1898 to electrify all trams.

The Nürnberger Elektrizitäts-Aktiengesellschaft was commissioned to carry out the work and began work on January 30, 1899. On July 1 of the same year, the lease with Baron von Tippelskirch was terminated, and the railways were now operated by the city, with Baron von Tippelskirch taking over the management of the city's operations. The retrofitting of the 28.8 kilometer long routes lasted until the end of November 1899 and cost 3.2 million marks. The scheduled electrical operation was then started on all routes on July 1, 1900. The last horse tram ran on June 21 of the same year. In its last year, the horse-drawn tram carried another 10 million passengers. The line to Ratingen was also electrified and acquired by the city on July 1, 1901.

In its first year, 23.1 million passengers used the electrically powered train. In 1902 the speed limit was then increased from 12 to 15 km / h, and from 1904 the maximum speed was further increased to 18-20 km / h. From 1907 onwards, the previously used form of line designation with colors began to be replaced by numbers.

In the following years there were numerous changes in this network, so that the length of the lines fluctuated, but added continuously increased. In 1909 and 1916, further depots were built to accommodate the steadily growing number of vehicles. Technical innovations were also tested and introduced. For example, electrical points were installed in 1909, which could be operated via the contact wire . From 1910, the pantographs used up until then were replaced by bow-type pantographs. They also experimented with ticket machines. Since the tests with an American device were unsatisfactory, use in practice was refrained from. In order to make it easier for passengers to travel across the company border, the municipal company introduced transition tariffs to neighboring companies.

To make operations easier, all single-track sections were successively expanded to double-track and the previously blunt end points were provided with reversing loops. In addition, the expansion of the line was driven forward intensively, so that on the eve of the First World War there were 16 lines in Düsseldorf.

Corneliusplatz around 1911

In addition to the line numbers, these lines also carried parallel colored signs (earlier line markings), which were no longer used after the war.

During the war many positions were filled by women. Even so, it was not possible to keep the train running in the usual way and went from five-minute intervals to ten-minute intervals. In addition, some lines were completely or partially discontinued. The fare also rose due to the introduction of the so-called war tariff. Like other tram companies, they took over the transport of goods in the city. For example, coal was delivered to Düsseldorf by the Moers – Kamp – Rheinberg tram and distributed by the city's railways. In some cases, trailers with rubber tires were attached to the trams for such services . These additional services also worsened the condition of the vehicle fleet and the track systems, as there was a lack of personnel and material for maintenance.

After the end of the war, the condition of the railways deteriorated noticeably, as there was a lack of income due to inflation . The city of Düsseldorf decided to merge its own railways with those of Rheinbahn AG. From September 15, 1920, the Rheinbahn took over management of the urban routes, and from January 1, 1922, they were leased. The actual merger of the two companies did not take place until December 15, 1936.

Development of the Rheinische Bahngesellschaft

→ Main article : Rheinbahn (company)

Logo of the company trading today under the name Rheinbahn AG

After the two cities of Düsseldorf and Krefeld had agreed to set up a joint railway to connect the two cities, the Rheinische Bahngesellschaft AG was founded in Düsseldorf on March 25, 1896 by the entrepreneur Heinrich Lueg . The management of the transport company was entrusted to the experienced municipal administration specialist Friedrich Haumann .

First long-distance railway line

→ Main article : K-Bahn

In order to finance the railway, Lueg bought - in addition to the land required for the construction of the tram and the bridge over the Rhine - additional land in the area. These areas were drained, equipped with roads and supply lines and sold as building plots . In the resulting Oberkassel district , the company also built its head office, power station and depot . Construction of the bridge to Düsseldorf on the right bank of the Rhine began on September 1, 1896 and was opened to traffic in 1898. The total cost was around 5.2 million Reichsmarks. In order to finance this high amount for the time, a bridge fee was levied from the users of the bridge for its use.

The railway line between the two places was opened on December 15, 1898. One of the Prussian state railways ran parallel to the new Rheinbahn route in sections, making it a direct competitor. In order for citizens to use the trains on the interurban tram , it had to be faster than the state railroad. The Rheinbahn was therefore forced to travel at a speed of at least 40 km / h. The route began in Krefeld on Rheinstrasse on the Ostwall, led via Dießem, Fischeln , Osterath , Büderich , Lörick and Oberkassel and ended after crossing the Rhine on the edge of Düsseldorf's old town at Ratinger Tor . Except for the sections in Düsseldorf and Krefeld, the line was single-track with sidings. The trains were supplied with 600 V direct current . There was both an express train that stopped at the end points and an additional train that stopped at all stops on the route. In this way, a 30-minute cycle was achieved, which was condensed in Krefeld and Düsseldorf with additional trains.

Right from the start, the company expressed the wish to be able to drive to Graf-Adolf-Platz in the city center. Due to the rejection of overhead lines in the streets of the city center, the Rheinbahn equipped its trains with an underground power supply after operation with battery-powered vehicles was unsuccessful. This was not what the Rheinbahn wanted, but enabled it to travel to downtown Düsseldorf from November 25, 1899. Thus the long distance had reached a length of 22.2 kilometers.

Second long-distance railway line

On August 5, 1901, the second long-distance line of the Rheinbahn was opened. It began in Meerbusch and led to neighboring Uerdingen . Initially, the approximately twelve kilometer long route was operated with steam locomotives , as the demand was not expected to be so high that the construction of an electric railway line would have justified. However, this assumption turned out to be a mistake, so the line was also electrified and electrical operation could begin on April 25, 1902. Initially, there was a 90-minute cycle between Graf-Adolf-Platz and Uerdingen. Since the route more than fulfilled expectations, it was extended in two steps via Rumeln , Trompet and Schwafheim and reached Moers on December 16, 1911 . The Moers – Rheinberg tram had a common terminus, and at times both trams were even connected. A new depot was built in Trompet to accommodate the vehicles for the now 23-kilometer route. The entire route between Graf-Adolf-Platz and Moers, now 32.7 kilometers long, was one of the longest tram routes that has ever existed in Germany.

Third long-distance railway line

→ Main article : Düsseldorf – Neuss light rail line

Car of the Bergische Kleinbahn in Benrath

Finally, on December 21, 1901, the third long-distance railway line to neighboring Neuss was opened. This route was quite successful and took so many passengers away from the state railway that its operation between Neuss and Oberkassel was stopped on October 1, 1902. The Rheinbahn line ran from Belsenplatz via Düsseldorfer Strasse, the Rheindeich, and Heerdter Buschstrasse to Neuss. There it led through the city center to the Obertor. Since the dyke administration feared damage by the railway, a new line was opened on February 25, 1912 from Düsseldorfer Strasse through Heerdt and the original route over the dyke was only used in exceptional cases.

Takeover by the city

City map of Düsseldorf 1909 with tram line

In 1907 the city of Düsseldorf acquired shares in the Rheinbahn to the value of 5.5 million marks. This was a reaction to the fact that RWE AG had previously acquired a large stake in the company and the city did not want the railway to come into their own completely. This purchase also made negotiations with the city easier. In 1909 the line to Graf-Adolf-Platz could finally be operated with overhead lines.

From September 26, 1911, the Rheinbahn leased the tram lines between Oberbilk, Benrath and Hilden and the branch lines to Vohwinkel and Ohligs . Shortly before, this line had been acquired by the city of Düsseldorf from Bergische Kleinbahn AG . In order to be able to operate the routes continuously, gauging began in 1914. At the same time a second track was laid. On June 1, 1917, they reached Benrath.

Merger of the companies

On September 15, 1920 the lines of the city tram were taken over by the Rheinbahn. From 1922 it also owned the majority of the shares, so that from that year both companies operated under the name Rheinische Bahngesellschaft AG. The operating voltage was standardized to 550 V in order to enable joint operation of the companies that now belong together. All vehicles of the urban railway received bracket pantographs and those of the Rheinbahn that were not intended for long-distance traffic received pin couplings . At the same time, all vehicles were given a uniform paint job. These necessary renovations continued until 1924.

Further development of the tram network

City map of Düsseldorf center around 1920 with tram lines

After the merger, the company made profits in the years that followed and the number of passengers rose steadily. In 1925 a new depot was inaugurated in Münsterstrasse . In order to create space for the growing number of vehicles, the depot on Himmelgeister Strasse was expanded by a hall in 1928 and a new depot was built in Heerdt . In addition, smaller depots were built in Krefeld-Dießem and Vohwinkel. On April 12, 1924, the first new line after the First World War was opened. It was the route to the Düsseldorf-Hamm district .

On May 1, 1924, all lines that had been closed during the war years were able to go back into operation. At the same time, the five-minute cycle was reintroduced. On September 7, 1924, the line between Spichernplatz, Kalkumer Straße and Unterrath station, which had already begun before the start of the war, was put into operation. Another step to improve the offer was the expansion of the line to Krefeld. It was now largely double-tracked. The city also acquired 50% of Düsseldorf-Duisburger Kleinbahn GmbH that year; the money used for this was originally intended for a stake in a planned tram line between Neuss and Rheydt, which was not implemented. At the end of the year, the Rheinbahn had a total of 162.7 kilometers of track with 307.2 kilometers of track.

Another innovation in 1924 was the introduction of a dining car on the line between Düsseldorf and Krefeld. At the same time, the substructure of the tracks was improved on this stretch, so that it was possible to increase the speed up to 90 km / h. As part of these measures, the platforms were raised to make boarding easier, and numerous stations were provided with additional tracks to enable express trains to overtake. 1924 was also the year in which the Rheinbahn began to set up its own bus operation .

The following important information is missing from this article or section:

The article does not contain any information on the further development of the bus service. In Rheinbahn (company) and local transport in Düsseldorf , only the current situation is described. Instead of expanding the article about the history of the Düsseldorf tram, it makes more sense to write your own article (e.g. history of the Düsseldorf city bus network ). In a paragraph in the Düsseldorf # Public Transport section, there is already little information that could serve as a starting point for the new article.

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On April 24, 1925, the construction of the new station on Graf-Adolf-Platz began. The now four-track system replaced its predecessor, which had become too small, and was built in the existing green area. The station was opened on May 1, 1926. Long-distance lines A, C and D each stopped on a different track. Track 4 was intended for the long-distance line to Mettmann. Since this route was never realized due to the refusal of the Reichsbahn to allow a crossing at Staufenplatz, line 17 stopped here for some time. Later a sidecar was parked there and served as a waiting room for passengers.

On April 18, 1926, line 10 was extended from Stockum to the newly created Rheinstadion . A few days later, on May 1st, the line from Düsseldorf-Duisburger Kleinbahn GmbH to Duisburg went into operation as line D, whose trains now ran through to Graf-Adolf-Platz. Up to this day the trains ended in Kaiserswerth. At the end of the year there were 23 lines operated by the Rheinbahn.

Already at the beginning of the 1910s it became clear that the Rhine bridge near Oberkassel would soon no longer be able to cope with the increasing traffic. So the Rheinbahn decided to widen the bridge. The beginning of the work was prevented by the outbreak of the First World War and the subsequent economic crisis. After the end of the inflation , the widening from 14.20 m to 26.54 m began. For this purpose, two lanes were set next to the existing bridge piers, on which the footpaths and tram tracks were relocated. The center was left entirely to car traffic. The opening finally took place on April 20, 1926, and from July 1, 1927 the bridge could then be used without a toll. In that year, work began on a second Rhine crossing in the south of Düsseldorf and Neuss, where plans were made to replace the existing ferry link near Hamm with a bridge. The south bridge was opened on October 12, 1929 , and line 16 was extended from the main train station via Hamm to the Obertor in Neuss, thus forming a ring line . From September 10, 1931, this ring line 16 led as a special feature a red line signal for the southern half of the ring over the south bridge and a black line signal for the northern half of the ring over Oberkassel. In Neuss the drivers changed the line signs coming from Oberkassel at Neuss main station and coming from the Südbrücke at Neuss Obertor , in Düsseldorf, however, in both directions at the main station. The color differentiation finally ended on April 1, 1942, when the red line 16 was assigned the new number 26.

The opening of line 13 on November 1, 1928 led to a gap in the numbering. From that day it operated as a ring line from the main train station via Ackerstraße, Uhlandstraße, Brehmplatz, Rethelstraße, Sternstraße, Hofgartenstraße, Corneliusplatz, Königsallee, Graf-Adolf-Platz, Lorettostraße, Bilker Church and Corneliusstraße back to the main train station. Due to the low usage, however, this line was closed again on February 15, 1931.

From September 27, 1930, another technical innovation was introduced at the stops at Wilhelm-Marx-Haus and Corneliusplatz . A signal transmitted over the contact wire indicated which line would arrive next. The Rheinbahn continued to be active in research despite the onset of the economic crisis. Among other things, one dealt with a loose wheel drive, which in later years became a prerequisite for low-floor trams .

A change in the line network was made by the discontinuation of line 6 between Lierenfeld and Oberbilk on July 15, 1931. For this, line 2 now runs over Erkrather Straße to Eller. In Eller itself, the lines ending there were extended to Vennhauser Allee. The demolition of the bridge over the Reichsbahn line to Cologne had already started in Benrath in 1930 . In this section, the Reichsbahn line was extended to four tracks and set higher. Thus, from October 30, 1933, the tram ran eastwards through an underpass. At the same time, the tracks up to the depot in Benrath were re-gauged to standard gauge, so that the meter-gauge lines were shortened by another piece.

Since the two routes in the Bergisches Land were neglected for years, heavy wear and tear had to be noted in the 1930s. However, the Rheinbahn initially had no intention of renewing the tracks, as this would have involved high investments. Instead, she planned to convert the two lines to a trolleybus operation. However, since the communities on the two lines refused to do so, the Rheinbahn finally had to carry out the rehabilitation of the line. In the course of this refurbishment, the single-track sections were expanded to double-track in many areas. Since this shortened the travel time, both lines could now be served every 20 minutes, so that in the section on which both lines travel a ten-minute cycle was created.

On October 14, 1934, the tram route along Werstener Strasse, built in 1923, between Stoffler Kapellchen and Kölner Landstrasse in Wersten was put into operation. Line 1, which previously ran between Rath and Stoffeln , was extended to Holthausen . On May 15, 1935, four more lines were opened in addition to the existing lines. They replaced the emergency vehicles and reinforcement lines that had been in service until then.

In the following years there were some minor changes in the route network. In addition, on September 10, 1935, an extension of line 6 was opened to traffic. This route, which was largely built in the 1920s but never completed, led from Brehmplatz via Lindemannstraße, Dorotheenplatz, Kettwiger Straße, Werdener Straße, Oberbilker Markt and Kruppstraße to Volksgarten.

On December 15, 1936, the city of Düsseldorf bought the remaining shares in RWE AG, and the Rheinbahn became one hundred percent owned by the city. At the same time, the official merger of the two previously separate companies took place. From that day on, the trams only operated legally as Rheinische Bahngesellschaft AG, Düsseldorf.

From April 16, 1937, Rheinbahn owned the Mettmanner Straßenbahn GmbH district . This was taken over by RWE AG . From May 1, 1938, there was also a new regulation for the line to Duisburg . The line was divided in the middle so that the southern section became the property of the Rheinbahn, while the northern section became the property of Duisburger Straßenbahnen GmbH . The line continued to be operated jointly by both companies. At the beginning of the Second World War, the Rheinbahn service comprised a total of 30 lines in Düsseldorf and the surrounding area.

Operation under wartime conditions

The section between Wülfrath, Dornap and Wieden was sold to Wuppertaler Bahnen AG on January 1, 1940 for 100,000 Reichsmarks , as the medium-term plan was to convert the network in the Mettmann district to buses. This consideration was initially not implemented, as there were not only a shortage of staff but also fuel restrictions. Since this brought individual traffic to a complete standstill, the number of passengers on the Rheinbahn rose to record highs. From 1940 onwards, air raids by the Allies repeatedly interrupted operations, as well as diversions and changes in the course of the line. Since more and more staff were withdrawn, the conductors-less operation was initially introduced from September 4, 1944 , although this was initially abolished in the post-war years. The south bridge was blown up on March 2, 1945, and the Oberkasseler bridge the following day . Five days later, on March 8, operations were stopped.

After the Second World War

reconstruction

First aid car No. 379 at the Schloß Jägerhof stop

On June 8, 1945, line O was put back into operation. By the end of the year, 16 lines could already run on a 179.1 kilometer network. While 78.33 million passengers were transported after the war, by 1946 it was 209.73 million. From September 10, 1948, the dining car to Krefeld ran again over the bridge in Oberkassel, which was provisionally restored in May with a width of 8.21 m. While this provisional solution was preserved until the 1970s, the south bridge was instead reopened in a modern form on November 17, 1951. This year, with the relocation of the tracks from Breitestrasse and Friedrichstrasse to Kasernenstrasse and Elisabethstrasse, the first new building after the end of the war followed. By the end of 1948, 26 of the previous 31 lines were in operation again.

1950s

On July 17, 1955, the new line was opened in the newly created Berliner Allee . Since that day the Königsallee has been without a tram. Initially, it was planned to upgrade the section in Berliner Allee as a subway line , but this was not realized due to the estimated construction costs of 20 million  DM . At the same time, the modernization of the rolling stock began. The two-axle vehicles used until then were gradually replaced by modern four-axle open-plan vehicles.

Special trip with the railcar 2498 from 1960, which was specially procured for the "D-Bahn" to Duisburg, on line (7) 12

In addition to these improvements, there were also the first thinning of the tram network with line closures. The tracks in Düsseltal were dismantled as early as 1946 and some sections in the city center were shut down. On May 17, 1952, line W to Wuppertal was discontinued. On May 3, 1954, the route between Handweiser and Meerbusch followed . Despite these incipient reductions, the Rheinbahn had its best year after the Second War in 1956 with 320 million passengers.

Individual traffic increased steadily and developed more and more into competition, which continuously made passengers contest the railway and thus caused a decline in revenues. Attempts were made to counteract this development by reducing staff and extending the time from ten to twelve minutes. At the same time, the rehabilitation of all routes began and those that seemed too costly to restore were closed. Some sections also fell victim to the car-friendly policies of the state and the city of Düsseldorf. The Ministry of Transport of North Rhine-Westphalia demanded the closure of the M line between Meerbusch and Moers . This route was closed on October 20, 1958, despite increasing numbers of passengers, because it disrupted individual traffic, as was Line 2 (Hauptbahnhof - Tonhallenstrasse - Dreieck - Nordfriedhof), which ran for the last time on July 31, 1960.

In contrast to the vehicles previously used, the new cars ordered by the Rheinbahn were designed for one-way operation. Therefore, at the end of the 1950s, reversing loops began to be built at the end points of the lines on which they were to be used. In cases where the required space was not available, track triangles were created . With the GT6 wagons , Rheinbahn also received the first Duewag articulated wagons from 1956 , of which a total of 95 had been procured by 1965.

1960s

Old conveyor belt display for line 8

From August 1, 1960, all lines ran every twelve minutes. A year later, the lines were only served every 20 minutes after 8 p.m. At the same time, the traveling speed of the railways fell due to the increasing disabilities caused by individual traffic. This led to a further decrease in the number of passengers. They started to rearrange critical areas. From 1960 to April 17, 1964, the area around the main train station was extensively redesigned. Between August 1, 1961 and October 30, 1962, the area around Jan-Wellem-Platz was expanded , which was supposed to take over the functions of the Wilhelm-Marx-Haus transfer point. Inside this four-track system were also the stops of numerous bus routes, so that it became an important transfer point in Düsseldorf. This expansion was followed by the discontinuation of the lines in the old town. As a result, the trams also disappeared from Burgplatz, the image of which they have shaped since 1876. In addition to the tracks in the old town, the superfluous systems at Graf-Adolf-Platz were also removed, because the lines that had previously ended there now ran to Jan-Wellem-Platz.

On May 8, 1961, line V from Benrath to Vohwinkel and on April 15, 1962, line O to Ohligs was discontinued. From that day on, there were only standard gauge trams on the Rheinbahn. The number of lines operated by the Rheinbahn was thus reduced to a total of 16 in 1968.

Since September 19, 1965, line 4 has been operating without a conductor on a trial basis. Since this proved to be feasible without any problems, the conversion of lines 1 and 18 began on January 1, 1968, and this was extended to all lines. For this purpose, the vehicles were equipped with door openers outside and inside, validators and an acoustic warning device in the driver's cab to prevent accidental starting with the doors open. Thus all sidecars could be operated without a conductor during the year. The railcars were also gradually converted for this use.

From July 15, 1969 to 1977, a four-kilometer-long section of the tram route between Düsseldorf and Duisburg in the southern city of Duisburg was converted into a light rail line . For this purpose, the stops between the Waldfriedhof and Kesselsberg were expanded into covered stations with platforms for level entry and exit, the route was partially elevated and a heavily frequented street crossing at the Sittardsberg stop was built in an elevated position to allow an underpass with an integrated station enable. In the same period, in the area of Wittlaer, which was incorporated into Düsseldorf in 1975, an existing stop was converted into a station suitable for light rail operations, which went into operation in 1975 or 1976. The construction with a central platform was also a novelty in the Düsseldorf tram network and for the first time required the use of vehicles with doors on both sides. The vehicles of the type GT8S - four of them with a dining compartment - met this requirement and operated exclusively on the D and 79 route until 1981 and their tunnel-compatible modifications GT8SU until 1988. The remote, poorly lit and because of its closed construction difficult to see station attracted many criminals, so that there were frequent rape and other violent crimes. This was also one of the reasons that it was demolished again in 2002 and only partially roofed again about 200 meters further north.

1970s

In 1970 the Rheinstadion station was expanded in the course of the construction of the halls of the new exhibition center. From the time of completion, line 20 was intended to reinforce line 10 for trade fair operations. It ran on the same route from the main station.

Between 1971 and 1973, the line to Grafenberg was expanded to two tracks.

On August 7, 1971, the last tram of Stadtwerke Neuss ran on the Neusserfurth - Neuss Bahnhof - Markt - Grimlinghausen route . The Rheinbahn then took over all four and six-axle vehicles from the small neighboring company. From that day on, lines 16 and 26 were operated by her alone. From May 27, 1972 both went on in the new line 5.

On July 29, 1973, extensive changes in the tram network came into force. The course of many lines has been changed in order to be able to offer passengers more direct connections. Line 17, which had been in service since the 1920s, was discontinued. As a replacement, line 3 was extended beyond its previous terminus at Wilhelm-Marx-Haus to Volmerswerth. The opera house - Lörick section was taken over from line 10. Line 18 ran between Jan-Wellem-Platz and Messe / Rheinstadion instead of 10. Line 2 was shortened to the section Unterrath - Wilhelm-Marx-Haus (- Kirchplatz). Line 11 ran beyond the main train station to Holthausen during rush hour . As a replacement for the emergency vehicles that run on lines 1, 3 and 9 during rush hour, the booster lines 14 (Am Steinberg - Rath), 13 (Wilhelm-Marx-Haus - Gerresheim Mitte) and 19 (Südfriedhof - Bruchstraße (- Oberrath)) set up. The new line 15 (Holthausen - Uni-Kliniken - Bilk Bahnhof - Wilhelm-Marx-Haus - Oberkassel, Rheinbahnhaus) closed several gaps in the offer: Despite the change to line 18 and the discontinuation of line 17, there was a direct connection from Holthausen, Wersten, Bilk and the Kirchplatz and Graf-Adolf-Platz to the Opera House, Ratinger Tor and to Oberkassel. Similar to line 2, it only did not run during off-peak hours (daily evenings, mornings on Sundays and public holidays). Line 16 strengthened line 710 between Eller and Jan-Wellem-Platz and 718 between Jan-Wellem-Platz and Reeser Platz during rush hour.

In 1973, the construction of park-and-ride facilities began to enable residents of the neighboring cities and suburbs of Düsseldorf to use the train for journeys into the city center, which are less well connected to public transport.

The construction of a light rail was discussed and prepared for many years. The final start was then on March 24, 1973. On this day, work on the first section of the planned tunnel section began in Fischerstrasse. Since this section with the tree population to be preserved also proved to be very difficult, the so-called Düsseldorf cover was developed here. In the first step, concrete walls were sunk and a concrete ceiling was drawn between them. The road could then be restored on this. In the second step, they began to excavate the soil under the concrete ceiling in order to create the tunnel. The first 360 m long section was followed by the 480 m long section between Klever Strasse and Kennedydamm. In 1979 the construction of the temporary ramp in Heinrich-Heine-Allee began. This work could then be completed on October 3, 1981.

1980s

On January 1st, 1980 the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) was founded, to which the city of Düsseldorf and Rheinbahn AG have belonged since the beginning. In the course of a uniform and unique numbering of all public transport lines in the VRR, the tram lines were given a three-digit number starting with 7, the last digit (s) of which corresponds to the previous line number (701 instead of 1 etc., 711 instead of 11 etc.). The D- and K-Bahn were assigned to the express traffic of the VRR and therefore received two-digit line numbers, in their case 79 and 76. E-cars were henceforth led with a line signal that was crossed out, in this way four-digit line names were avoided. At that time, the Rheinbahn was still operating 154.8 kilometers of tram routes.

On October 3, 1981, the first underground section of the metro stations was Kleverstraße and North Road put into operation and the first phase of the so-called light rail - forward operation started. Therefore the routing of the lines 79 , 711 and 718 changed.

While modern vehicles were already being used on line 711, the 2.65 m wide cars could not yet be used on the other two routes, as it was not possible for vehicles to meet in some places.

During the first phase of preliminary operation, the construction of the four-track and partly two-story inner city tunnel was continued and completed. The most expensive individual project was the construction of the Heinrich-Heine-Allee underground station , which cost around 400 million  DM . In the course of its open construction, the relocation of the Carsch house by 23 meters to the west caused a sensation. In the final stage, it should consist of two levels one above the other. The upper four-track stop with two central platforms was put into operation as part of the opening of the inner city tunnel. The double-track western approach to the planned stop of the so-called Wehrhahn Line crossing underneath has already been built as preliminary construction work for this. Following the planning decision of the City Council of Düsseldorf for the Wehrhahn Line on August 19, 1999, the associated planning approval procedure between September and November 2004 and the start of construction on the Wehrhahn Line in 2007, the lower level of the crossing station was also opened in May 2013 - but now built in a mining manner underneath the frozen earth to protect the building of the Kaufhof above - and put into operation with the opening of the Wehrhahn Line on February 20, 2016.

At that time the logo of the Rhein-Ruhr transport association

The second larger individual project was the complete renovation of the main station, below which a second large underground station was built. This was opened on December 16, 1985. Between the two stops Heinrich-Heine-Allee and Hauptbahnhof, the line runs on two levels with two tracks in each direction. Only shortly before the breakpoints are they brought together again in one level. In the middle of the construction phase of the inner city tunnel, the city council decided on an acceleration program on August 29, 1985. It provided for the creation of separate lanes for the trams and priority circuits at the traffic lights. Around 150 million DM were made available for these investments.

In addition to the structural measures to improve the offer, night trips were introduced from July 1, 1986. It started with four bus and nine tram lines. After the end of the trial phase, it was decided in November of the same year to keep this offer permanently.

A typical tram car of the 1980s: the GT8S type

On April 12, 1988, work began on the new depot in Lierenfeld . Space should be created for a total of 112 vehicles and the central Rheinbahn workshop. A construction period of five years was planned. The final completion took place with the opening on October 13, 1994. The site of the old tram depot on Erkrather Strasse near the main train station was handed over to the city on July 16, 1992 on the basis of a contract concluded on July 13, 1988. The listed building has been completely rebuilt and now houses the Capitol Music Theater . In the same year, the main station could also be approached underground from the north. On July 31, overground traffic from Oberkassel / Heinrich-Heine-Allee via Jan-Wellem-Platz and Bismarckstraße towards the main train station was suspended. The opening ceremony was on August 6th of that year. From this point onwards, all lines traveling in the direction of Kaiserswerth, Krefeld, Messe, Neuss, Oberkassel and Rheinstadion used the tunnel. With the start of light rail operations, lines 76 and 79 became the U76 and U79, respectively. At the same time, the 718 was also renamed the U78.

Originally lines 76 and 79 left out various stops within the Düsseldorf city limits. These were taken over by additional tram lines such as the 717 on the route of the 76 and the 711 and 718 along the line 79. With the introduction of the light rail lines, it was decided to let the trains stop at each station. This also applied to the new U76 and U79. For this reason, the new U70 rapid transit line was introduced between Krefeld and Düsseldorf when the tunnel was opened. To this day, however, it only runs during rush hour and skips ten of the 27 stations on the entire route between Düsseldorf and Krefeld.

1990s

The U75 light rail line took over the route to Neuss that was previously reserved for trams

After the underground route was opened, the temporary redesign of Jan-Wellem-Platz began . After the opening of the inner city tunnel between the Heinrich-Heine-Allee and Hauptbahnhof underground stations, the long-distance railway lines no longer used it, as the Stadtbahn, further south, now crosses Königsallee instead. Due to this elimination of lines, some tracks could be shut down, but at the same time Jan-Wellem-Platz as the second central transfer point next to the main station was severely weakened. The redesign cost around 3.5 million DM and was completed on August 10, 1992. In parallel to this work, a new above-ground route was put into operation for the first time in a long time. This year, an approximately 800 m long upgraded line was built on the premises of Heinrich Heine University . The line, which opened on December 14, 1991, cost a total of around DM 12 million. Line 704 was extended from Christophstraße to the new stop Universität Ost / Botanischer Garten . The transport links to the campus have thus been significantly improved.

Double traction consisting of type NF6 low-floor wagons acquired in the 1990s in Gerresheim

On September 24, 1993, the shunting contract with the Rheinbahn was terminated by the city of Neuss due to the redesigned pedestrian zone . In September 1999, this meant that the Neuss city center connection was no longer available for the U75, which was built on September 26, 1993 and runs via the Oberkassel district to Neuss, and has since ended in front of the main train station in Neuss. The advantage for the Rheinbahn was that the 2.65 m wide B80 cars could be used on the remaining route. The city of Neuss also tried to ban the tram line 709 , which runs over the Düsseldorf-Neusser Südbrücke , from the pedestrian zone. After the plans to relocate the railway to a side street were rejected, there were alternative considerations of realizing an underground route. However, the country refused to grant grants for this measure, the cost of which had been estimated at 200 million DM. The U75 light rail line was created with the opening of the 1.6-kilometer tunnel from the main station in the direction of Eller. It replaced line 707 on the route to Vennhauser Allee. The section includes two tunnel stations and cost around 380 million DM. On the same day as the tunnel, the short above-ground new line from Hansaallee to the Am Seestern stop was opened. Line 717 was used on this section. This line then operated as the U77 light rail line from February 27, 1994. This ended the mixture of tram and light rail lines using the inner city tunnel. Mixed operation took place and is now only taking place in the outer areas of both networks.

As a result of the opening of the tunnel, the 707 from the main train station in the direction of Eller was stopped. The tracks are now used as an operating route to the Lierenfeld depot. For this reason, the approach to the 707 from Oststrasse to the main station was relocated from Bismarckstrasse to Immermannstrasse with a northern entrance to the Hauptbahnhof station. Thus it was possible for this line to take over the section of line 704 from the main train station via Bilk (S) to the university. The 704 was given a new route from the main station along Graf-Adolf-Str. past the state parliament towards the south cemetery or Neuss, town hall.

In 1996 the Rheinbahn broke new ground in terms of financing. She sold 19 light rail cars to a company and leased them back. In 1997, 94 more cars went into another so-called cross-border leasing project. Since this approach saved around 16.2 million DM, other properties were added to such projects in the following years.

Line 716 was introduced on May 24, 1998 at the suggestion of Heinrich Heine University. This serves to improve the connections between the S-Bahn stations Flingern, Volksgarten and the university. Since then, it has been running in rush hour from Staufenplatz via Grafenberger Allee, Flingern (S) , Kettwiger Straße (U) , Oberbilker Markt / Warschauer Straße (U) , Volksgarten (S) , Auf'm Hennekamp, ​​Südpark to the University East / Botanical Garden and back. This is the only line in the Düsseldorf tram network that does not serve a stop in the city center.

2000s

Since the turn of the millennium, only a few measures have been implemented in the field of Düsseldorf trams. Only one of the numerous projects listed in the local transport plan was implemented: The one-kilometer-long tram line with a special rail structure and three newly built stops along the B 7  (Bergische Landstrasse) on the border between Ludenberg and Gerresheim made this possible Extension of lines 709 and 713 beyond their previous final stop Staufenplatz in Grafenberg to Gerresheim, hospital .

The discussion about the whereabouts of the tram in the inner city of the neighboring city of Neuss has been going on for many years. After a sweeping track had been built in front of Neuss Central Station for the U75 light rail line at the end of the 1990s to keep the pedestrian zone free, discussions began again in 2006 about the future of the 709 tram that remained there. There were already the mid-1990s a decision to build a new route for the railway parallel to the shopping street. However, this was not realized. After the renewed discussion, a council decision took place on May 13, 2007 as to whether line 709 should be removed from downtown Neuss. The majority of Neuss residents voted to stay in the city center. In August 2007, a decision was made to partially line route 709 in this area in the future.

NF8U light rail vehicle used in the tram network from 2007–2016

In the same year with the low-floor - rail cars NF8U a new type of vehicle used in the Düsseldorf tram network. Three cars of this type first ran on line 715 on April 18, 2007. By April 2012, the number had grown to 76 vehicles, which ran on almost all tram lines. Use in the tram network ended on February 20, 2016 with the opening of the Wehrhahn line .

The opening of the Stadtbahn tunnel in Oberbilk on June 15, 2002 had no direct impact on the tram network, because the lines that had previously operated above ground had been part of the tram network since 1994. Only the extension of the U74 tram line to Benrath from September 24, 2009, which had ended in Holthausen , had an impact on the tram network, because at the same time the service of line 701 between Holthausen and Benrath was thinned out.

2010s

At the beginning of 2014 - more than eleven years after the extension of lines 709 and 713 to Ludenberg and Gerresheim - the next new construction project for the Düsseldorf tram was completed with the tramway development of the southern tip of the Medienhafen via Gladbacher Straße. The course for this variant with the aim of commissioning by 2009 was set on October 24, 2007 by resolution of the Transport Committee. Previously, a tour of the tram closer to and parallel to the Medienhafen through Hammer Strasse - also in the form of a historic port railway - was discussed for several years. The local transport plan 2002-2007 even included the planning of an underground train between the main train station and the Medienhafen . From January 8, 2014, line 719 initially ran for a little over two years on the approximately 500-meter-long, newly built junction from the Franziusstraße stop along the street of the same name with the new Speditionsstraße stop and Holzstraße to the end of the line and the Wendeschleife before the junction the Kesselstrasse . This also involved the change of the route from Unterbilk ,  Bilker Kirche : Instead of the parallel traffic with the 709 to the Südfriedhof , the section to the Franziusstraße stop was served together with the 708 , also on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays and in the evenings .

The commissioning of the Wehrhahn line led to a turning point in the development of the tram network - if at all, only comparable to the changes in the 1950s to the early 1960s, the redesign of the network in 1973 or the start of light rail operations in 1988. Before the start of regular service Due to the new underground tunnel on February 21, 2016, eleven tram lines ran in the Düsseldorf city area and in parts of the urban areas of Neuss and Ratingen , after that there were only seven lines. In addition, all lines - with the exception of line 709 - changed their course. Already from summer 2015 and with the slogan "Et Kütt - dat Netz met Häzz!" the Rheinbahn informed the population about this change through extensive billboards and information stands in many parts of the city.

Around 30,000 visitors celebrated the opening of the Wehrhahn Line on February 20, 2016 with a public festival on Schadowplatz. Free shuttles were made not only in the tunnel between the Kirchplatz and Pempelforter Straße underground stations but also with historical trams on the parallel above-ground route and on to Gerresheim and Ratingen. The next day there were no more trams in the old town. The Heinrich-Heine-Allee stop was only served underground by eleven instead of the previous seven light rail lines, and above ground exclusively by buses at more conveniently located bus platforms. The following changes in the Düsseldorf tram network came into force:

• Line 701 only runs between Rath and Karolingerplatz in Bilk on its previous route and then instead of line 706 to the new terminus Am Steinberg . The southern branch between Karolingerplatz and Benrath is taken over by the U 71 ( Mörsenbroich  - Benrath) and U 83 ( Gerresheim , Krankenhaus - Benrath) trams .
• Line 703 will be replaced by the U 73 tram, which runs beyond Kirchplatz to the terminus at Universität  Ost / Botanischer Garten .
• Line 704 runs again on its route from 1968 to 1991, that is between Derendorf- Nord and the Christophstraße stop, which has been renamed Universität Nord / Christophstraße . In the afternoons on Sundays and public holidays, trips to the East University / Botanical Garden are extended.
• Line 706 only runs in the section Merowingerstraße  - Oberbilk  - Flingern  - Düsseltal  - Pempelfort  - Schadowstraße (previously Jan-Wellem-Platz ) on its previous route, then over Berliner Allee , then parallel to line 709 to Bilker Church and finally instead line 708 to Hamm .
• Line 707 only runs between Unterrath and the Bilker Allee / Friedrichstraße stop on its previous route. The subsequent section to the University of East / Botanical Garden is taken over by the U 73 tram line. Instead, line 707 runs via Bilker Church to the Medienhafen and replaces lines 708 and 719 on this section.
• Line 708 was originally supposed to be discontinued because the new light rail line U 71 runs between Mörsenbroich and the Uhlandstraße stop and the changed lines 707 or 706 run between the main station and Hamm. The criticism that there was no longer a direct connection between the main train station and the districts of Mörsenbroich and Düsseltal was taken up by politicians and a trial run was carried out on this line with a different route from the main train station to the police headquarters Monday to Friday every 20 minutes.
• Line 712 will be replaced by the U 72 light rail line.
• Line 713 will be replaced Monday to Friday by the U 83 light rail line, which always runs beyond the Universität Nord / Christophstraße stop to Benrath, and is no longer available on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays
• Line 715 will be renamed 705 and will only run between the Schadowstraße and Berliner Allee stops on a changed route, namely parallel to line 701.
• Line 719 is no longer available. Between Bilker church operates and media port instead the line 707. The trips between Bilker church and Staufenplatz during peak hours are in the schedule of the line 709, which during this time between South Cemetery leaves every five minutes and Grafenberg, integrated.

The planned extension of line 701 to the ISS Dome was only completed later and went into operation on January 7, 2018.

Additional information

712 car in front of the GAP 15 high-rise building

See also

• List of Düsseldorf subway stations - overview of the subway stations in the Düsseldorf city railway network, which have replaced many tram stops or are important transfer points
• 

  Portal: Tram  - Overview of Wikipedia content on the subject of trams

literature

• Herbert Dörnemann: 100 years of the Rheinbahn / In the Rheinbahnland . DuMont Verlag, Cologne 1996, ISBN 3-7701-3705-1 .
• Dieter Höltge: Trams and light rail vehicles in Germany Volume 4: Ruhr area from Dortmund to Duisburg. EK-Verlag, 1994, ISBN 3-88255-334-0 .
• Reinhard Manter: 100 years of the Rheinbahn / Under the vane . DuMont Verlag, Cologne 1996, ISBN 3-7701-3705-1 .
• Hans G. Nolden: The Düsseldorf tram . GeraMond Verlag, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-932785-02-9 .
• Axel Schild, Dieter Waltking: The Rheinbahn urban transport in and around Düsseldorf . alba, Düsseldorf 1981, ISBN 3-87094-327-0 .
• Axel Schild, Dieter Waltking: The Rheinbahn urban transport in and around Düsseldorf . alba, Düsseldorf 1996, ISBN 3-87094-355-6 .
• Richard Jacobi, Dieter Zeh: The history of the Düsseldorf tram From the horse tram to the light rail . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1995, ISBN 3-88255-401-0 .

Web links

Commons : Trams in Düsseldorf  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Website of the traffic history association of the Düsseldorf tram “Line D - Arbeitsgemeinschaft historischer Nahverkehr Düsseldorf e. V. "
• Website of the tram operator Rheinbahn
• Site of the traffic association Rhein Ruhr
• Office for traffic management of the city of Düsseldorf - bus & train area

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au} Richard Jacobi , Dieter Zeh: The history of the Düsseldorf tram - from the horse tram to the light rail . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 1995, ISBN 3-88255-401-0 .
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Hans G. Nolden: The Düsseldorf tram . GeraMond Verlag, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-932785-02-9 .
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Axel Schild, Dieter Waltking: The Rheinbahn city traffic in and around Düsseldorf . alba, Düsseldorf 1996, ISBN 3-87094-355-6 .
4. ^ Jan Wellem , magazine for culture and tradition of the Alde Düsseldorfer Bürgergesellschaft from 1920 e. V. , Volume 84, Issue No. 3, August to October 2009
5. ↑ Heimatverein Werstener Jonges eV: Wersten> Geschichtliches> Anno 1063 to this day in well-being in Wersten - the informative internet portal for Düsseldorf-Wersten of the SPD local association Düsseldorf-Wersten
6. ↑ A station rotting , on r-abels-xxl.de
7. ↑ Stadtbahn Rhein-Ruhr , on jochen-schoenfisch.de
8. ↑ Denisa Richters: Safety in the city: fight the fear rooms. Rheinische Post , January 19, 2007, accessed on March 14, 2018 . 
9. ↑ mobil-in-d.net timetable 02/03  ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) , as of September 2, 2009.
10. ↑ More democracy in NRW Neuss - Council citizens' decision on running a tram route , as of June 30, 2009.
11. ↑ Mobility portal NRW low-floor tram NF8U , accessed on March 9, 2018.
12. ↑ newstix.de Rheinbahn orders more Silver Arrows for Düsseldorf , as of September 2, 2009.
13. ^ Christian Herrendorf: U74 extension: New line to the south. Rheinische Post , September 25, 2009, accessed on March 9, 2018 . 
14. ↑ Unanimous decision: The tram to the port has been decided. Rheinische Post , October 24, 2007, accessed on March 11, 2018 . 
15. ↑ Tram in the Medienhafen goes into operation. Rheinische Post , January 8, 2014, accessed on March 10, 2018 . 
16. ↑ Big tam-tam about "Netz met Häzz" - Rheinbahn right on track. July 13, 2015, accessed July 14, 2015 . 
17. ^ Christian Herrendorf: New Wehrhahn Line: "An important day for Düsseldorf". Rheinische Post , February 20, 2016, accessed on March 9, 2018 . 
18. ↑ Katharina Pavlustyk and Andreas Bretz (photos): Above parting, below beginning. Rheinische Post , February 22, 2016, accessed on March 9, 2018 . 
19. ^ Werhahn Line in Düsseldorf: But no rush for the last trip of the "12". Rheinische Post , February 21, 2016, accessed on March 11, 2018 . 
20. ↑ The new connection by bus and train to the ISS Dome. December 21, 2017, accessed January 9, 2018 .