The renaissance of the tram

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The renaissance of the tram refers to the recent development and establishment of new tram companies. After trams around the world were shut down in the middle of the 20th century, the reconstruction of tram networks began in the 1970s, initially in the USA and Canada and from the 1980s in France . This development continued in other countries such as Spain and Great Britain . Since around 2000, new networks have also been created in countries outside Europe and North America such as Turkey or Algeria .

The renaissance of the tram in Germany: Saarbrücken

In Germany, new networks were only created in Oberhausen , Saarbrücken and Heilbronn until 2018 ; In addition, several networks have been significantly expanded in many places, e.g. B. in Karlsruhe and Freiburg im Breisgau , or historical lines rebuilt, so in Augsburg . In Switzerland , a new tram line is currently being built in Lausanne ; otherwise it remains to expand existing routes . In Austria, there have also been network extensions or new plans in the local tram networks since 2010.

prehistory

After trams had been built in many cities, mainly in Europe and the USA, the tram became less important with the increase in private transport. In addition, many cities could no longer keep their businesses after the Second World War. So there was a wave of decommissioning worldwide; the number of tram operators fell from over 1,000 to under 300.

Reasons for abandoning tram networks

The following possible reasons for abandoning tram networks are often cited:

It is particularly noticeable that most of the trams were abandoned in the 1950s and 1960s; During this time, the leitmotif of the car-friendly city prevailed , so that in many places the tram had to give way to new lanes when the roads were expanded .

In the USA, between 1930 and 1960, various automobile companies under the leadership of General Motors bought the tram networks in many cities and then left them to decay until the repair costs were too expensive and the networks had to be shut down. This major American tram scandal did not become known until the mid-1970s.

Rethink

As early as the 1970s, however, there was a rethink, in particular due to rising petrol prices and the oil crisis and increasing environmental awareness . During this time, plans for underground light rail vehicles and the first ideas for regional light rail vehicles emerged in Germany . There was a renaissance of the tram in other countries in Europe and North America . At that time, the transport policy and environmental policy advantages of the tram over omnibus, trolleybus and subway , as well as individual transport were recognized again.

The return of the tram

Light Rail Transit

1st generation light rail car ( type U2 from Duewag ) in San Diego

In the United States, most trams had been shut down by the 1950s. However, increasing motorization led to considerable problems in city centers in the 1960s. The bus routes set up to replace the trams turned out to be unattractive for commuter traffic. During this time, the reception of the European underground trams, which have been converted into metro systems with elevated platforms on the outer branches, with which a fast passenger change is also possible for mass transport.

The deliberations then led to the conceptual definition of LRV light rail vehicles in 1972 . The Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA), also founded in 1972 , then set up commissions to promote local transport systems for the cities in which trams had disappeared. Even before the USA, the first LRV system was started in Edmonton (Canada) in 1974 and opened in 1978. This was followed by the light rail in Calgary and the tram in San Diego in 1981. For the three cities mentioned, the U2 light rail cars were imported from Germany at that time (through the Buy America Act with local final assembly from 1983).

From the mid-1980s, more trams opened, and surviving trams such as those in Toronto and Pittsburgh were converted . Since then, the trams in the USA have mostly taken on the role of connecting cities under the name of "Light Rail Transit": They connect the core city with its large districts and satellite towns. In many cases, however, they do not lead directly to the city center, but only close to it or bypass it. In this sense, they can be compared more with the European light rail vehicles, even if they sometimes use tram-like routes and vehicles. In the USA, a general distinction is made between classic “streetcar” trams and newer “light rail” trams, although some newer systems also use the term “light rail”, which is more similar in character to trams.

The renaissance of the tram or light rail continued in North America in the 21st century . New tram systems were u. a. started operations in Ottawa , Seattle , Houston , Minneapolis - Saint Paul , Charlotte and Phoenix . During the same period, many of the light rail systems put into operation in the 1980s and 1990s were supplemented or extended with additional lines. The most extensive of these are now in Dallas (network length 150 km), Los Angeles (142 km), Portland (97 km), San Diego (86 km) and Denver (76 km).

Beginnings in France

High-floor articulated tram for the Nantes tram, 1988
Grenoble: on the right a TFS from the early days, on the left a Citadis 402 of the second generation
First generation Eurotram (left) and Citadis 403 in Strasbourg

While trams were still shut down in Germany in Kiel , Bremerhaven or Wuppertal , in France the discussion about the reintroduction of the means of transport in large cities flared up. The government sponsored these projects; From 1986 to 2006 there was a law according to which every city that wanted to build a tram received state aid. Valenciennes was the last city to benefit from this law in 2006. Nevertheless, other cities want to continue building, as the existing companies are exemplary.

In 1985 Nantes was the first city to build a new tram line, followed by the Grenoble tramway in 1987 . This network is the first tram network in the world that has only used low-floor cars from the start.

The network in Bordeaux is considered to be one of the most innovative examples of the recommissioning of previously disused trams . The tram there was shut down in 1958. In the 1990s, however, the city decided to solve the traffic problems by returning to the tram. In order to avoid that power poles disturb the image of the old town, the railways there draw power from a power rail located in the middle between the tracks , where only the short power rail area just below the tram is energized. In Nice , trams run in sections using batteries so as not to impair the historical cityscape in two squares.

One of the best examples of the tram renaissance in France is the Strasbourg tram . The new network was opened in 1994. It now consists of six lines (labeled from A to F) that connect almost all parts of Strasbourg . The neighboring German city of Kehl has also been integrated into the concept since April 2017 . The tram routes in Strasbourg were often complex, with many greened railway bodies , among other things , part of the cityscape. Also noteworthy are the trams themselves, which thanks to their futuristic shape have already become a tourist attraction. The Strasbourg concept became the model for many other cities in France and other European countries.

In the 2000s and 2010s there was a whole wave of other new or re-commissioned tram systems, including a. in Lyon , Mulhouse , Le Mans , Dijon and Tours .

East Germany after 1990

In the GDR - as in the entire Eastern Bloc - there was a high number of tram operators, although some of them around 1990 (especially in the smaller cities) were technically completely out of date. Nevertheless, the cities - with the exception of Naumburg - stuck to the tram as a modern and ecologically sensible means of transport even after reunification. In the 1990s, route networks and vehicle fleets were modernized at great expense. Later, the expansion of the existing range began in many places. For example, the length of the Erfurt tram network grew between 1998 and 2007 by around twelve kilometers to around 45 kilometers. The networks have also been expanded considerably in Rostock , Jena , Halle (Saale) and Gera . Even Naumburg has been adding to the network since 2014 . In addition, new concepts in route construction were tested in Chemnitz , Zwickau and Nordhausen by linking regional rail connections with tram networks . The tram plays an important role in public transport in all major cities in East Germany. In Dresden and Leipzig , the respective trams were also modernized and expanded and equipped with new low-floor cars. In addition, lines with grass track were built there. In Berlin , the company, which had been limited to the east since the 1960s, managed to "gain a foothold" in the west again after the fall of the Wall; the system is being expanded throughout the city .

Expansion in West Germany

Relocation of a tram track in Munich (2013) ⊙

After reunification, the existing routes in West Germany were expanded again. Well-known examples of this are the networks in Karlsruhe and Freiburg im Breisgau. In the meantime, lines that were once closed are being put back into operation in many cities, e.g. B. in Augsburg. Another example is the Ulm tram , the network of which is and will be expanded again. Except in the aforementioned cities of Heilbronn, Oberhausen and Saarbrücken, however, the tram has not yet been completely reintroduced anywhere. The Munich tram network is currently (again) in an expansion phase: some of the lines that were closed in the 1980s are being rebuilt. The complete new construction in cities that previously had no trams is being discussed more and more, according to the Erlangen city-surrounding railway , which in a way represents an extension of the Nuremberg tram . In the 1970s, it was planned to close it down in favor of a pure underground and bus network . However, there are also local developments that speak out against this means of transport: How was 2015 in Oberhausen by a Council referendum the expansion of the local network rejected.

Network expansions in Switzerland

The tram network has also started to be expanded in Switzerland , for example in Zurich ( Glattalbahn , Zurich West tram ), Basel (extension to Weil am Rhein / Germany and St. Louis / France), Bern (Bern West tram) and Geneva (Onex / Bernex). The resurrection of trams is also under discussion in Lugano .

Network expansions in Austria

Especially after 2010, new lines were (and are) built in all Austrian tram networks in Vienna , Gmunden , Graz , Innsbruck and Linz , thereby changing and expanding the existing network structures. In 2018 the Gmundner tram was connected to the narrow-gauge track of the Traunseebahn to form one line.

New concepts in tram construction

Link with the railroad

Karlsruhe light rail at Germersheim station

In connection with the tram renaissance, the link between trams and railways has played a major role in the expansion or modernization of tram networks since the 1990s. The so-called Karlsruhe model had a special role model . Its success story began with the connection of the Albtalbahn with the urban Karlsruhe tram network. The first connection in which trams shared the tracks of the Deutsche Bundesbahn was the new line in Neureut. Important lines of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn lead to Bruchsal, Wörth am Rhein / Germersheim and Pforzheim. Since 2001 it has been possible to travel by tram from Heilbronn to Karlsruhe on the Kraichgaubahn line; a new inner-city route was built in Heilbronn in the years that followed.

Further developments of the Karlsruhe model are the Nordhausen model , the Zwickau model , the Chemnitz model and the Kaiserslautern model .

Internationally, the link between trams and railways is usually referred to as tram-train . Examples of such systems are:

APS system

APS conductor rail in the switch area of ​​the Angers tram
System change point busbar / overhead line of the Angers tram

As early as the 20th century, experiments were carried out with trams without overhead lines. For example, there is a route on the Bombardier test site in Bautzen where the tram draws electricity using a conductor rail. It should also be mentioned here that the first tram in the world in Berlin-Lichterfelde also initially ran using a conductor rail until the hoop pantograph was invented.

In 2004, however, these concepts were further developed for the Bordeaux tram into a modern, everyday concept: the “Alimentation Par Sol” (APS for short). There is a power rail in the middle between the tracks, which is divided into eight-meter-long sections. At the end of such a section there is an insulating layer. The busbars have a voltage of 750 volts , but are switched off if there is no tram in order not to endanger pedestrians. However, if a tram arrives, it sends a radio signal so that the sections that are directly under the tram are energized so that the tram receives the necessary energy.

In the beginning there were constant problems and breakdowns and the tram had to be replaced by buses. Although there are currently no more problems, heavy rainfall can still paralyze the system for a short time. The system is significantly more expensive than traditional overhead lines, not least because of the high operating costs. Nevertheless, it is now establishing itself as an alternative to overhead lines in historic city centers. The system has already been implemented in other cities, e. B. Angers and Orléans .

Translohr and TVR

Translohr

Translohr in Clermont-Ferrand
Front and rear view of the TVR in Caen

Another concept is the Translohr concept . The vehicles run on rubber tires like buses, but are tracked with the help of a centrally laid rail and draw their electricity like trams or trolleybuses from the overhead line. The system is a further development of the track bus system.

The Translohr has several disadvantages compared to the classic tram. In addition to the lack of the possibility of creating grass tracks, the higher energy consumption , the lower driving comfort and the larger space required by the wheels in the wagon should be mentioned. The advantages are smaller passable curved tracks and larger possible gradients .

The following cities have already set up a Translohr system:

  • Clermont-Ferrand, France
  • Padua, Italy
  • Tianjin, China
  • Shanghai, China
  • Venice Mestre, Italy
  • Saint Denis-Sarcelles (north of Paris), France
  • Châtillon and Viroflay (southwest of Paris), France
  • Medellin, Colombia

TVR

Like the Translohr, the TVR developed by Bombardier is one of the rubber-tyred railways . In contrast to the latter, his vehicles can also move without lane guidance. Only the French cities of Nancy and Caen opted for this system. In Caen, operations were shut down in 2017 in favor of the construction of a "classic" tram. Bombardier has announced that it will no longer pursue the concept.

Wireless energy transfer

In addition to wire-bound energy supply, methods using wireless energy transmission are also being tested. The processes are mostly based on inductive energy transfer, similar to a transformer in which the transformer core is divided into two halves: One part, with the primary coil, is housed in a fixed location in the underground, the second half is the secondary side in the vehicle. One such system in the test stage with a transmission capacity of up to 250 kilowatts is the Primove from Bombardier Transportation . This enables trams that are additionally equipped with batteries to pass through sections without overhead lines or busbars. The advantages of wireless energy transmission are that there is less visual impairment as there are no longer any overhead lines or overhead line masts. Disadvantages are the high costs and the poorer efficiency of the wireless energy transmission compared to overhead lines . A test project of the system is taking place at the Augsburg tram . The Nanjing tram has been using wireless energy transmission since August 2014 .

Examples of projects and plans worldwide

The new French trams were exemplary not only in France, but also in other countries, especially in southern Europe . There are now modern (and new) trams in Athens , Valencia , Seville and Florence . At the moment the trend is therefore towards the fact that large tram networks will continue to be built, especially in these countries. In other countries in the Mediterranean region , further projects are planned or have already been carried out.

In Germany, however, a rather slow development can be seen. There are as many plans for tram routes as in France; Among other things, tram concepts are planned for Kiel and Tübingen / Reutlingen , which are to be implemented in the 2020s. Likewise, plans for new tram networks in North Rhine-Westphalia , including Paderborn, are currently on hold. Most recently, the projects in Aachen and Hamburg were in the media, but both failed due to political changes in the city council and a subsequent referendum. Further plans in Trier, Kaiserslautern, Offenbach am Main and Hanau are repeatedly discussed, but also repeatedly failed due to a lack of financial support from the responsible authorities or changes in opinion in the city council. Other examples of planned networks are here to find.

Even Luxembourg is planning a new tram system since the 1990s. The designs could not be realized for a long time due to citizens' initiatives and disputes about the route. However, due to the importance as an EU location and the growing individual traffic in Luxembourg as one of the Central European (banking) centers, a tram is still necessary. It was announced that the construction of a network could begin by 2030 at the latest. In June 2014 parliament finally decided to build a tram line for 550 million euros, construction began in mid-2015. A first 7.5 km long operating section was put into operation on December 10, 2017, and the completion of the 16 km long line is expected by 2021. In the city center, a 3.6 km long section without overhead lines will be operated with accumulators.

Nijmegen is also considering investments in this direction .

New tram routes have also emerged outside of Europe, including in Turkey , Israel , Algeria and Morocco .

New light rail routes are being built in some Chinese and Southeast Asian cities in particular . Especially in these economically and demographically growing countries there is great potential for new trams. There they could see an upswing similar to that in the western industrialized countries. By 2020, over 5000 km of tram lines are to be built in 36 Chinese cities. The equivalent of 500 billion euros is necessary for this. As a first new construction measure , the Shenyang tram was partially put into operation on August 15, 2013: Lines 2 and 5 on the entire route, Line 1 on only part of the route.

In the Asian region, new tram systems are already in operation in Tuen Mun near Hong Kong and Dubai, among others . In China in particular, new tram routes are increasingly being put into operation. In the 21st century, planning began in South and Central American cities; the first routes have already gone into operation, e.g. B. the Ayacucho tram in Medellín (2015) or the VLT in Rio de Janeiro (2016).

See also

literature

  • Reinhart Köstlin, Hellmut Wollmann: Renaissance of the tram. Birkhäuser, Basel 1998, ISBN 3-7643-1729-9 .
  • Klaus Bindewald: The Alb Valley Railway: History with a future. Verl. Regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher 1998, ISBN 3-929366-79-7 .
  • Eric Gilgore: Regional, urban and tram in a system network - from the Karlsruhe to the Kaiserslautern model . Kaiserslautern 1999, University Library Kaiserslautern
  • Hartmut H. Topp (Hrsg.): Verkehr aktuell: Renaissance of the tram. Kaiserslautern, 1999, University Library Kaiserslautern
  • Christoph Groneck : New trams in France. EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2003, ISBN 3-88255-844-X .
  • Stadtwerke Heilbronn (Ed.): Stadtbahn Heilbronn. Publishing house for regional culture, Ubstadt-Weiher 2005, ISBN 3-89735-416-0 .
  • Wolfgang Kaiser (Ed.): The most beautiful trams in the world: Tram and overland trains around the globe. Bruckmann Verlag Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-7654-7204-6 .
  • Harald Jahn: The future of cities. The French tram and the rebirth of urban space. Vienna 2010, ISBN 978-3-85161-039-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Reinhart Köstlin, Hellmut Wollmann: Renaissance of the tram. Birkhäuser, Basel 1998, ISBN 3-7643-1729-9 .
  2. ↑ Great American tram scandal, report by TU Dresden. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 24, 2014 ; Retrieved April 24, 2014 .
  3. ↑ Article on the Great American Tram Skanadal. December 9, 2011, accessed April 24, 2014 .
  4. ↑ http://www.wissenkennt.de/?p=9320 , accessed on April 24, 2014
  5. ↑ The Great American Tram Scandal. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 24, 2014 ; Retrieved April 24, 2014 .
  6. ↑ Tram magazine 8/06
  7. ↑ different editions of the tram magazine on corresponding new openings in Augsburg, Ulm and Munich
  8. ↑ “The rebirth of the Lugano tram” in NZZ of Jan. 14, 2012
  9. ↑ Dr. Martin Pabst (ed.): Tram yearbook 2014. Munich, 2014.
  10. ↑ New Traunsee tram put into operation. In: ooe.orf.at. September 1, 2018, accessed September 7, 2018 .
  11. ^ Klaus Bindewald: The Alb Valley Railway: History with a Future. Verl. Regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher 1998, ISBN 3-929366-79-7 .
  12. ↑ Le tram-train de Mulhouse ne fait pas sauter les bouchons. In: mobilicites.com. February 27, 2012, accessed September 11, 2016 .
  13. ^ Christoph Groneck : New trams in France. EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2003, ISBN 3-88255-844-X .
  14. ↑ Le Quotidien de la Réunion, votre journal réunionnais d'actualités et d'informations de l'île de la Réunion (974). In: lequotidien.re. Retrieved September 11, 2016 .
  15. ↑ DM: Lyon-Brignais: mise en service du tram-train samedi 8 December. In: leprogres.fr. June 11, 1970, accessed September 11, 2016 (French).
  16. ↑ "Bientôt un tram-train au nord de Nantes", article de la revue Rail Passion de décembre 2012, pages 19 à 23rd
  17. ^ Nantes-Châteaubriant Tram Line. In: railway-technology.com. Retrieved March 7, 2017 .
  18. ↑ www.nantes-chateaubriant.paysdelaloire.fr. In: nantes-chateaubriant.paysdelaloire.fr. Retrieved September 11, 2016 .
  19. ↑ http://www.stadtregiotram-gmunden.at/
  20. ↑ a b c Tramgeschichten.de »Article» Bombardier: Tram without overhead line. In: tramgeschichten.de. January 23, 2009, accessed September 11, 2016 .
  21. ↑ Siemens History Site - In Focus - First electric tram in the world. In: siemens.com. Retrieved September 11, 2016 .
  22. ^ Angers Light Rail System. In: railway-technology.com. Retrieved September 11, 2016 .
  23. ^ Orléans-Val-de-Loire Tramway, Orléans, Loiret. In: railway-technology.com. November 24, 2000, accessed September 11, 2016 .
  24. ^ NTL. In: newtl.com. March 31, 2016, accessed September 11, 2016 .
  25. ↑ Primove: PRIMOVE true e-mobility. In: primove.bombardier.com. Retrieved September 11, 2016 .
  26. ↑ Primove: PRIMOVE true e-mobility. In: primove.bombardier.com. Retrieved September 11, 2016 .
  27. ↑ Primove: PRIMOVE Tramway Nanjing. In: primove.bombardier.com. Retrieved September 11, 2016 .
  28. ↑ Tram magazine 9/10
  29. ↑ Dr. Martin Pabst (Ed.): Tram Yearbook 2014, Munich 2014
  30. ^ Tram magazine 3/14
  31. ↑ Ons Stad: Topic "Trams"
  32. ^ Luxembourg tram. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 2, 2014 ; Retrieved April 24, 2014 (French).
  33. ↑ Parliament takes the tram. In: Tageblatt. Retrieved May 21, 2016 .
  34. ↑ Jörg Tschürtz and Jonathan Vaucher: Luxembourg is pushing the tram up to speed. In: L'essentiel in German. Retrieved May 21, 2016 .
  35. ↑ "Topless" through the upper town. In: Wort.lu. April 30, 2014, accessed May 21, 2016 .
  36. ↑ THE TRAM IN FIGURES. In: www.luxtram.lu. Retrieved May 21, 2016 .
  37. ^ New trams in Morocco. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 24, 2014 ; Retrieved April 24, 2014 .
  38. ^ Trams in Algeria. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 24, 2014 ; Retrieved April 24, 2014 .
  39. ↑ NahverkehrHAMBURG from March 24, 2015: China is building the world's first hydrogen tram , accessed on April 2, 2017
  40. ↑ Railway Gazette of August 15, 2013: Shenyang tramway opens (English) accessed on July 23, 2015
  41. ↑ Tuen Mun district. (No longer available online.) In: hong-kong.info. September 17, 1988, archived from the original on March 5, 2016 ; accessed on September 11, 2016 .
  42. ^ New tram in Dubai. Retrieved April 24, 2014 .
  43. ↑ Peter Odrich: China relies heavily on tram construction. In: ingenieur.de. August 29, 2013, accessed September 11, 2016 .
  44. ↑ China's big cities are back on the tram. In: vdi-nachrichten.com. October 11, 2013, accessed September 11, 2016 .
  45. ↑ Germany Trade, Invest: GTAI - Search. In: gtai.de. February 7, 2014, accessed September 11, 2016 .
  46. ↑ Germany Trade, Invest: GTAI - International Markets. In: gtai.de. Retrieved September 11, 2016 .
  47. ↑ Anne Herrenberg: Brazil - Olympic city of Rio mobilizes. In: deutschlandfunk.de. June 9, 2016, accessed September 11, 2016 .