Essen light rail

	Basic data
Country	Germany
city	Essen , Mülheim an der Ruhr , Gelsenkirchen
Transport network	VRR
opening	May 28, 1977
Lines	3
Route length	21.5 km
Long-distance train stations	2
	use
Shortest cycle	5 minutes
operator	Ruhrbahn
Gauge	Standard gauge (1435 mm)
Power system	750 V / = overhead line

Essen Hauptbahnhof central underground station ; since renovation in 1998 with blue light

The Essen Stadtbahn is a rapid transit system belonging to the Rhein-Ruhr Stadtbahn in the North Rhine-Westphalian city of Essen . Individual lines lead to the neighboring cities of Mülheim an der Ruhr and Gelsenkirchen . On some underground sections of the route there is mixed operation with the tram , which, however, has a gauge of 1000 mm ( meter gauge ), so that multi- rail tracks are laid there. The Essen Stadtbahn, like the rest of the inner-city public transport in Essen , is operated by the Ruhrbahn . Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahnen AG is a co-licensee on the U 11 line , but only Essen vehicles are used.

business

The Essen Stadtbahn includes the three standard-gauge lines U 11, U 17 and U 18 on a network with a route length of 19.6 kilometers. In addition, Essen has a classic tram with seven lines on a route length of around 52.4 kilometers. This tram runs on meter-gauge tracks and is underground in the city center . It uses the tunnels and stations that were previously built for the planned light rail operation, but which have platforms designed for low - floor vehicles. The southern route in the direction of Rüttenscheid is an exception , where mixed operation with the underground (U 11) required a special solution.

The four-track Essen Hauptbahnhof underground station is the most important intersection between the three tram lines and four, at times five tram lines. There, you can change between trams and trams at the same platform. For this purpose, the two platform halves of different heights are equipped with steps and ramps. The platforms are assigned in such a way that there is a direct transition from the tram lines going south to the light rail lines going north. Elevators and a bridge that spans the entire station underground ensure barrier-free transfers in the opposite direction. Otherwise, however, the tram and light rail use different stations. Only the two lines 108 and 107 use one of the southern sections of the Stadtbahn, from Essen Hauptbahnhof to Martinstraße . You use the elevated platforms of the light rail. Therefore, older high-floor trams with folding steps are used on these two lines . Due to the different track widths, this line is equipped with three-rail tracks.

All three light rail lines run at the same frequency: each line is used every 10 minutes during rush hour , every 15 minutes in the evenings and on weekends and public holidays and every 30 minutes late in the evening. During trade fairs , the U 11 line runs every 10 minutes on weekends, and sometimes every 5 minutes between Messe and Berliner Platz . The closing time on all three tram lines - following the Essen concept of day and night network - around 11 p.m.

history

While the first tram in Essen went into operation as early as 1893, plans for a partially underground light rail did not begin until decades after the Second World War . The first advance lines of today's Stadtbahn were built in the early 1960s, when tram tracks were partially laid on the central reservation of the Ruhr Schnellweg , exactly where the line route of today's U 18 runs. An underground light rail system was not initially planned. The construction work on the tram route in the Ruhrschnellweg was carried out at the same time as the expansion of the Ruhrschnellweg itself, as the latter only had three lanes and level crossings and was no longer efficient enough due to the strong increase in traffic. In the course of the expansion, other options for using public high-speed transport on the Ruhr Expressway were also discussed, including express buses on a separate lane. Ultimately, the variant of the traffic-independent express tram in the central position prevailed. This is how parts of today's Essen-Mülheim route were created, which were initially connected to the rest of the tram network by temporary exit ramps.

The planning for a crossing under the city center - with around 1400 × 700 meters, quite small - by the tramway, which was previously above ground, began in 1961. Here, too, there were primarily considerations to relieve the above-ground traffic in this area from the tram that was 'disturbing'. The initial proposed solutions ranged from keeping the tram on the surface with the creation of a new, central transfer stop to creating a pure underground system similar to that in Berlin or Hamburg . For various reasons, it was agreed to build an underground tram with the possibility of a later expansion to a full subway. The idea of immediately creating a pure subway system was discarded due to the connection with the tram networks of the neighboring cities of the Ruhr area , which was impossible in this case, but necessary due to the existing passenger flows .

Tracks of the Essen – Mülheim model line in the central reservation of the Ruhr Schnellweg, the track in the middle is the connection to the Schweriner Straße depot

Soon afterwards, concrete planning of underground tunnels in the city center began. The planning also extended to the construction of an expressway tunnel for the Ruhr Expressway under the city center. Ultimately, a so-called Y-solution prevailed, which envisaged the Essen Hauptbahnhof stop as the central, four-track junction of all lines as well as a branch and three ramps north of it. The first construction measure was the construction of the Planckstraße station in 1964 in the shell; here the connection to the existing above-ground tram route to Margarethenhöhe was planned for a later date . The first underground tram line to go into operation was the 522-meter-long inner-city tunnel with the Saalbau underground station , which opened on October 5, 1967 . This was the beginning of the entire underground railway network in the Rhine-Ruhr region, as the Saalbau station was also the first underground train station in North Rhine-Westphalia .

To the east of the hall (today's Philharmonie) and south of the not yet existing but planned Aalto Theater , construction began in 1969 on an underground station including a parking, repair and maintenance facility under the city garden . The route leads from the Essen Hauptbahnhof underground station under Huyssenallee and turns with meter-gauge tracks to the southeast to the Stadtgarten. In the two-storey building, the subway station, possibly called the opera house or music theater , was to be built on the upper level , and below that space for vehicle maintenance and parking. Further plans that provided for a continuation of the route to Kray were not implemented, so that the tunnel under the city garden ends in front of the planned but not built station.

The next phase of construction was the continuous light rail connection from Essen to Mülheim on the median of the Ruhr Expressway, which, as already mentioned, was partly built in the 1960s. This route was used as a model route for the other light rail construction projects. With the opening of an almost eight kilometer long, continuous connection between Mülheim - Heißen and Essen city center on May 28, 1977 , including the Heißen Kirche underground station in Mülheim's urban area and the Bismarckplatz , Essen Hauptbahnhof and Wiener Platz underground stations (today Hirschlandplatz ) in Essen, the first light rail line of the network was opened, which was completely independent of road traffic. Also on May 28, 1977, the Porscheplatz tram station (now Essen Town Hall ) went into operation, which was only served by trams (and still is). The opening of the remaining five Mülheim underground stations followed on November 3, 1979.

In 1981 the route of the U 17 line to Margarethenhöhe, including the shell of the Planckstrasse underground station and the associated ramp, was put into operation in the 1960s . The above-ground stops were initially given low platforms, which were raised in 2002 and moved to the central position. At the same time, the two underground stations Berliner Platz and Universität went online; the first as the final stop for the U 18 and the second for the U 17.

The next construction phase comprised the construction of a tunnel section to the outskirts of Essen for the first time, namely the so-called southern section from the existing Saalbau station in the direction of Messe / Gruga or Bredeney . This route was set up to the Martinstraße underground station for the joint three-track operation of light rail and tram; The meter-gauge and standard-gauge tracks branch off south of that station. Four underground stations for the U 11 were built here, as well as the underground tram station Florastraße south of the junction . In 1986 traffic was started.

Karlsplatz station , built in 2001

The northern outer branch, executed in two stages, was added as the last construction phase so far. In 1998 the tunnel from the Essen University station to Altenessen Bahnhof was completed, followed three years later by the section to Karlsplatz and on to ramp II. Shift Road . The U 11 line ended at Karlsplatz , while the U 17 continued to Gelsenkirchen , with the above-ground section north of Karlsplatz being expanded for standard-gauge light rail operations by 2001 on the basis of an earlier tram route. The Gelsenkirchen route of the U 17 ended from 2001 to 2004 at the Fischerstraße stop ; in 2004, two additional stations ( Schloss Horst and Buerer Straße ) were put into operation in Gelsenkirchen. Since January 2010, the U 11 line has been running to Gelsenkirchen Buerer Strasse , where it replaced the U 17 line, which only ran to Berliner Platz . For this purpose, the U 18 line became a shopping line and ran to Karlsplatz . The U 11 line has been running to Gelsenkirchen Buerer Strasse since September 2011, the U 17 line replaces the U 18 line to Karlsplatz . The U 18 shopping line has been running between Mülheim an der Ruhr Hauptbahnhof and Berliner Platz in Essen since September 2011 .

Lines and stations

The Essen light rail system comprises an underground trunk line in the center as well as four outer branches, each of which is used by one, and in some places by two lines. The main route is the section between Essen Hauptbahnhof and Berliner Platz , which is served by all three lines. The northern section between Berliner Platz and Karlsplatz is used by the U 11 and U 17 lines. The route between the Essen Hauptbahnhof and Bismarckplatz stations is served by the U 17 and U 18 lines; only one line operates on the remaining routes.

The lines in detail

Northern route / trunk route U 11

Altenessen station in the middle of the U11 / U17

Gauge :

1435 mm ( standard gauge )

Power system :

750 V =

		Gelsenkirchen-Horst , Buerer StrasseU 11
		above-ground route through Gelsenkirchen-Horst
		City limit Gelsenkirchen – Essen
		above-ground route through Essen-Karnap
		A 42
		II. Layer line
		Altenessener Strasse ramp
		( Sweeping track in central position)
		Karlsplatz U 17
		Altenessen middle
		Kaiser Wilhelm Park
		Altenessen Bf
		Bäuminghausstrasse
		Bamlerstrasse
		University of Essen
		( Sweeping track in central position)
		Berlin Square U 18
		( Sweeping track in central position)
		Hirschlandplatz
		Essen Central Station

		Route to the fair / Gruga U 11, Route to Margarethenhöhe U 17 Route to Mülheim an der Ruhr U 18

The line numbering follows the allocation system of the VRR , after the light rail lines are put together as follows: The preceding "U" makes it clear that this is a light rail line that is largely or completely independent of individual traffic and not a tram or bus line. This is followed by a number that stands for the traffic area of the lines, in Essen and Mülheim this is the 1 . Finally, the second digit is the actual line number, which the Essen lines are not assigned in ascending order, but are based on the replaced or similar tram lines.

U11 GE-Horst Buerer Str. - E-Messe West-Süd / Gruga

Route to the fair U 11

Rüttenscheider Stern station with three-rail track (U 11/108)

Gauge :

1000, 1435 mm

Power system :

750 V =

		Trunk line
		Essen Central Station
		Route to Bismarckplatz ( U17 , U18 )
		( Sweeping track in central position)
		Philharmonic / hall building
		Rüttenscheider star
		Martinstrasse
		meter-gauge tram route to Bredeney
		Messe Ost / Gruga
		Tunnel mouth
		Messe West / South / Gruga
		Tunnel mouth
		Turning system trade fair
		Variant 2 / variant 1
		Ramp (planned)
		Karstadt headquarters (planned)
		Sommerburgstrasse (planned)
		Ramp (planned)
		Hatzper Strasse (planned)
		Hatzper Strasse (planned)

Since the timetable change in January 2010, the U 11 line no longer corresponds to a full subway, as it sometimes runs in other road traffic. It begins above ground in Gelsenkirchen-Horst on a three-rail track with the Bogestra tram line 301 ending here , and continues through Karnap in the Essen area as a replacement for tram line 101 . After crossing the Emscher and Rhein-Herne Canal , it runs completely underground from ramp II. Layer road to Messe Ost / Gruga , only the southern terminus Messe Süd / Gruga is in a cut. The U 11 is an important high-speed connection between the northern district of Altenessen and the exhibition grounds as well as the Grugapark in the southern part of the city. On its route, it crosses the city center with the two transfer hubs to the tram, Berliner Platz and Essen main station . The U 11 line serves a total of 23 stations.

U17 Karlsplatz - Margarethenhöhe

Route to Margarethenhöhe U 17

Gauge :

1435 mm ( standard gauge )

Power system :

750 V =

		Trunk line
		Essen Central Station
		Route to the fair (U11)
		Bismarckplatz
		Line to Mülheim (U18)
		Planckstrasse
		Holsterhauser Strasse ramp
		Marked space
		Holsterhauser Platz
		Half height
		Laubenweg
		Margarethenhöhe
		Helgolandring (planned)
		Karstadt headquarters (planned)
		Hatzper Strasse (planned)

The U 17 runs to 17 stations. It runs from the Karlsplatz stop in Altenessen to the Margarethenhöhe stop , a district in the south of Essen. The section from Karlsplatz to the Planckstraße ramp with all the stations in between is underground, the rest of the route runs above ground as a replacement for an earlier tram connection and, in contrast to the U 18, has a number of level crossings. In the southern area near the terminus Margarethenhöhe , parts of the line are single-track. Before that, the route of the dismantled Mülheim-Heißen-Altendorf (Ruhr) railway line will be crossed on a valley bridge. In 2002, the last above-ground stops on the U 17 were equipped with barrier-free elevated platforms, which enabled step-free entry and exit in the entire Essen light rail system - in contrast to the tram, which can still only be reached via the carriageway at some above-ground stops.

U18 Berliner Platz - Mülheim Hbf

Route to Mülheim U 18

Hot church station of the U18

Gauge :

1435 mm ( standard gauge )

Power system :

750 V =

		Trunk line
		Essen Central Station
		Route to the fair (U11)
		Bismarckplatz
		Route to Margarethenhöhe (U17)
		Ramp in the middle of the A 40
		Savignystraße / ETEC
		Hobeisenbrücke
		Breslauer Strasse
		Wickenburgstrasse
		Branch to the Schweriner Straße depot
		( Sweeping track in central position)
		Rhine-Ruhr Center
		Rosendeller Strasse
		Ramp in the middle of the A 40
		Eichbaum
		( Sweeping track in central position)

		Route in high altitude through hot

		Hot church
		Mill field
		( Sweeping track in central position)
		Christianstrasse

		Route in high altitude

		Canal

		Bridge over the Essener Strasse

		Von-Bock-Strasse
		Mülheim Hbf
		Turning system Mülheim Hbf

The 17 stations counting U 18, since the timetable change in September 2011 the only completely crossing-free line of the Essen Stadtbahn, connects the Essen city center in the east with Mülheim an der Ruhr in the west, with nine stations in the Mülheim city area. This also includes the four-track terminus at Mülheim (Ruhr) Hauptbahnhof , where you can change to the tram in the direction of Duisburg , among other things . The U18 line has no crossings at the same level as road traffic at any point and therefore corresponds to a full subway. However, large parts of the line run above ground west of the Ruhrschnellweg tunnel . This is the section between Bismarckplatz and Heißen Kirche , which mostly runs between the directional lanes of the Ruhrschnellweg , as well as individual smaller elevated railway sections in Mülheim. The U 18 was marketed from January 7, 2010 to September 2011 under the name shopping line , as it connects the Allee-Center Altenessen , Limbecker Platz , Essen city center and the RheinRuhrZentrum and ends at Forum Mülheim .

History of the line network

With the opening of the “model route” to Mülheim, the first light rail line in the Ruhr area was introduced: the U18 from Mülheim to Wiener Platz (today: Hirschlandplatz). The next line was the U17 Margarethenhöhe - University, with the route to Margarethenhöhe being re-tracked. When the U11 to the Gruga started operating, the line ended like the U18 at Berliner Platz. In 1998 the U11 was extended via the university to Altenessen Bf., While the U17 was withdrawn to Berliner Platz at the same time. When the route from Altenessen train station to Gelsenkirchen-Horst was extended, the following line network came into effect:

U 11: Karlsplatz - Essen-Altenessen - University - Berliner Platz - Essen main station - Rüttenscheid - Messe / Gruga
U 17: Gelsenkirchen-Horst - Essen-Altenessen - University - Berliner Platz - Essen Hbf - Holsterhausen - Margarethenhöhe
U 18: Berliner Platz - Essen Hbf - Rhein-Ruhr-Zentrum - Mülheim Hbf

With the timetable change on January 7, 2010, the network was changed for the first time. The U 17 was therefore withdrawn to Berliner Platz, in contrast, the U11 now went to Gelsenkirchen and the U 18 to Karlsplatz.

With this line change, the U 11 line lost its underground character. Only the U 18 line retained this, but the connection to the fair for residents of the northern urban area and the city of Gelsenkirchen has been significantly improved. For the residents of Altenessen, this resulted in a direct connection to Mülheim and the RheinRuhrZentrum. With the new U18, the large shopping centers of Essen and Mülheim were directly connected to each other for the first time (Allee-Center Altenessen, Limbecker Platz, Essen city center, RheinRuhrZentrum, Forum Mülheim). The service of the particularly high-demand section Essen Hauptbahnhof - University of Essen in 5-minute intervals thus remained.

The lines went as follows:

U 11: Gelsenkirchen-Horst - Essen-Altenessen - University - Berliner Platz - Essen Hbf - Rüttenscheid - Messe / Gruga
U 17: Berliner Platz - Essen Hbf - Holsterhausen - Margarethenhöhe
U 18: Karlsplatz - Essen-Altenessen - University - Berliner Platz - Essen Hbf - Rhein-Ruhr-Zentrum - Mülheim Hbf

For the U17 line, it was only planned to use double units during rush hour . According to the then Essener Verkehrs-AG , a triple traction on the Karlsplatz - Messe / Gruga route would still be possible.

In September 2011 the network was redesigned again, the U17 returned to Karlsplatz, the U18 was shortened accordingly:

line	course	Tact
U 11	GE-Horst , Buerer Straße - Schloss Horst - GE-Horst, Fischerstraße - E-Karnap , Alte Landstraße - Boyer Straße - E-Karnap, Arenbergstraße - E-Altenessen , Heßlerstraße - II .schichtstraße - U Karlsplatz - U Altenessen Mitte - U Kaiser-Wilhelm-Park - U Altenessen Bf - U Bäuminghausstraße - U Bamlerstraße - U Universität Essen - U Berliner Platz - U Hirschlandplatz - U Essen Hbf - U Philharmonie - U Rüttenscheider Stern - U Martinstraße - U Messe Ost / Gruga - Essen, Messe West / South / Gruga	10 min
U 17	U E-Altenessen , U Karlsplatz - U Altenessen Mitte - U Kaiser-Wilhelm-Park - U Altenessen Bf - U Bäuminghausstraße - U Bamlerstraße - U Universität Essen - U Berliner Platz - U Hirschlandplatz - U Essen Hbf - U Bismarckplatz - U Planckstraße - Gemarkenplatz - Holsterhauser Platz ( Clinic ) - Halbe Höhe - Laubenweg - E-Margarethenhöhe	10 min
U 18	Essen , U Berliner Platz - U Hirschlandplatz - U Essen Hbf - U Bismarckplatz - Savignystraße / ETEC - Hobeisenbrücke - E-Frohnhausen , Wickenburgstraße - Mülheim (Ruhr) , Rhein-Ruhr-Zentrum - Rosendeller Straße - U Eichbaum - U Heißen Kirche - U Mühlenfeld - U Christianstraße - U Gracht - U Von-Bock-Straße - U Mülheim (Ruhr) Hbf	10 min

List of all stations

Essen light rail stations

Station Messe Ost / Gruga of the U11

Altenessen station in the middle of the U11 / U17

Hot church station of the U18

Station Kaiser-Wilhelm-Park of the U11 / U17

Rüttenscheider Stern station on the U11

Northern outer branch
station	location	Lines	Switching options	Opening date
Gelsenkirchen Buerer Strasse	above ground	U11	301 SB36 252 253 254 258 259 260 383 396	June 13, 2004
Gelsenkirchen Horst Castle	above ground	U11	301 SB36 253 254 259 260 383 396	June 13, 2004
Gelsenkirchen Fischerstrasse	above ground	U11	396	September 30, 2001
Old country road	above ground	U11		September 30, 2001
Boyer Street	above ground	U11	189 263	September 30, 2001
Arenbergstrasse	above ground	U11	189 263	September 30, 2001
Heßlerstrasse	above ground	U11		September 30, 2001
II. Layer line	above ground	U11		September 30, 2001
Karlsplatz	underground	U11 U17	162 172 173 183	September 30, 2001
Altenessen middle	underground	U11 U17	162 170 172	September 30, 2001
Kaiser Wilhelm Park	underground	U11, U17	162 172	September 30, 2001
Altenessen train station	underground	U11, U17	S2 , RE3 108 140 162 172 183	May 24, 1998
Bäuminghausstrasse	underground	U11, U17		May 24, 1998
Bamlerstrasse	underground	U11, U17	196	May 24, 1998
University of Essen	underground	U11, U17	SB16 166	November 27, 1981
Trunk line
station	location	Lines	Switching options	Opening date
Berlin Square	underground	U11, U17, U18	101/106 103 105 109 145 166 SB16	November 27, 1981
Hirschlandplatz (Wiener Platz)	underground	U11, U17, U18		May 28, 1977
Essen Central Station	underground	U11, U17, U18	S1 , S2, S3, S6, S9, RE1 , RE2 , RE6 , RE11 , RE14 , RE16 , RB40, RB42 101/106 105 107 108 145 146 147 154 155 166 193 196 SB14 SB15 SB16 SB19	May 28, 1977
Southern outer branch ( Essen Hbf - Messe )
station	location	Lines	Switching options	Opening date
Philharmonic	underground	U11	107 108	5th October 1967
Rüttenscheider star	underground	U11	101/106 107 108	June 1, 1986
Martinstrasse	underground	U11	107 108 142 160 161	June 1, 1986
Messe Ost / Gruga	underground	U11	142	June 1, 1986
Messe West / South / Gruga	above ground	U11	142	June 1, 1986
Essen-Mülheim route
station	location	Lines	Switching options	Opening date
Bismarckplatz	underground	U17, U18	196	May 28, 1977
Savignystraße / ETEC	above ground	U18		May 28, 1977
Hobeisenbrücke	above ground	U18	101/106	May 28, 1977
Breslauer Strasse	above ground	U18	160 161	May 28, 1977
Wickenburgstrasse	above ground	U18	145 196	May 28, 1977
RheinRuhrZentrum	above ground	U18	129 130 138	May 28, 1977
Rosendeller Strasse	above ground	U18		May 28, 1977
Eichbaum	above ground	U18	136	May 28, 1977
Hot church	underground	U18	129 132 136 138 753	May 28, 1977
Mill field	underground	U18		3rd November 1979
Christianstrasse	underground	U18		3rd November 1979
Canal	underground	U18		3rd November 1979
Von-Bock-Strasse	underground	U18	131	3rd November 1979
Mülheim (Ruhr) central station	underground	U18	S1, S3, RE1, RE2, RE6, RE11 102 901 122 124 128 131 132 133 135 151 752	3rd November 1979
Branch to Margarethenhöhe
station	location	Lines	Switching options	Opening date
Planckstrasse	underground	U17		November 27, 1981
Marked space	above ground	U17		November 27, 1981
Holsterhauser Platz	above ground	U17	101/106	November 27, 1981
Half height	above ground	U17		November 27, 1981
Laubenweg	above ground	U17		November 27, 1981
Margarethenhöhe	above ground	U17	169	November 27, 1981

vehicles

Today, two different types of wagons are used on the three Essen light rail lines.

Light rail car B

B-car at the Mülheim main station

The type B light rail cars were purchased between 1976 and 1985 and are still used on all three lines today. Originally, these cars were equipped with folding steps that made it possible to get on and off at stops without platforms or with low platforms. However, since all stops have now been equipped with uniform elevated platforms, these steps will be dismantled in the course of the current car modernization (which also includes the installation of surveillance cameras in the car, partly new paintwork and new matrix displays inside and LED displays outside). The B-wagons run in Essen in both single and double traction. In 2007, a total of 31 B-cars were in use on Essen's Stadtbahn. Seven of these vehicles belonged to the then Mülheimer VerkehrsGesellschaft , but were used together with the Essen wagons.

Light rail car P86 / P89

P86 car in DLR livery

P89 car

Since 1991, light rail vehicles of the P86 and P89 series have also been purchased. The P86 series produced by Linke-Hofmann-Busch was originally procured and used by the London light rail system Docklands Light Railway (DLR) when it opened in 1986. However, since they did not meet the British safety requirements for use in tunnels, the DLR was no longer able to use these wagons without restrictions after expanding their initially exclusively above-ground route network with a tunnel section. The P86 vehicles, which were only a few years old at the time - a total of eleven - have now been sold to the then EVAG, which just needed more vehicles for the planned route extensions. The ten P89 vehicles that were procured in 1989 on the occasion of the DLR's route expansion also only remained in service in London for a few years; In 1995 they too had to be taken out of service there, because a new, more powerful LZB system ( Alcatel SelTrac) was installed on all routes due to the strong increase in traffic and further route extensions , which would have meant converting the vehicle equipment. They were also not allowed to be used on the extended tunnel sections due to the lack of front doors. As a result, DLR also sold the ten P89 vehicles to Essen in 1996. All vehicles taken over from DLR were converted for use in Essen on behalf of the then EVAG. In doing so, u. a. Driver's cab and roof pantograph are retrofitted, as these cars in London ran in automatic operation and with power take-off over a lateral conductor rail , while in the Essen underground system the power take-off takes place over the overhead line . In addition, modifications were made to the drive control and braking system (installation of rail brakes ). The P86 wagons have been successively modernized again since 2005 so that they can be used in the Essen light rail network for more years (P86U). The red and blue livery from London will also be replaced by the yellow and blue EVAG color scheme that the P89 cars have been wearing since the first day of operation in Essen. The P86 and P89 cars are also used on all three lines in Essen; the not yet converted P86 due to their reduced braking delay only on the U18 line.

Expansion planning

Tram with not extended folding steps when changing passengers at the Rüttenscheider Stern

A connection of the Bredeney office complex, including the Karstad headquarters, to the light rail network is currently planned. Both an extension of the U11 line from Messe and an extension of the U17 line from Margarethenhöhe can be considered. In the meantime, consideration is also being given to extending both lines to Hatzper Straße. There are currently two options for a connection via the U11 line. Option 1 connects the Karstad headquarters directly with an above-ground stop and thus ensures a good connection to the office park. A disadvantage, however, is the need to tunnel under the Autobahn 52. If it is not possible to cross under the Autobahn, the Stadtbahn should run west of the A 52 and have an underground stop at the level of Sommerburgstrasse. In both variants, however, the end point is provided on Hatzper Straße, depending on the variant to the west or east of the motorway. If the U17 were to be extended, there would be a total of three stops at the stations "Helgolandring", "Karstadt Hauptverwaltung" and "Hatzper Straße".

In addition, there are plans to replace the old high-floor tram cars with their folding steps, as they are necessarily used on the current lines 108 and 107 (only amplifier trips). In the course of this, the southern route to Bredeney was to be expanded for a line U12 to a standard-gauge light rail, but this was ultimately rejected by the city of Essen.

The current plans provide for a partial lowering of the platforms in the Rüttenscheider tunnel. This means that 2 tram lines can continue to run to Bredeney, and in future also with low-floor trams. The high-floor platform is slightly raised and thus also offers stepless entry and exit for the U11 line. Trade fair traffic with 3-car trains on the U11 can no longer be carried out at these stations. The renovation work for this began in December 2018. In the meantime, line 107 has been divided into a full-day line between Gelsenkirchen or Katernberg and Essen Hbf (low-floor operation) and an amplifier line between the Katernberg branch and Bredeney (high-floor operation): a new generation of low-floor trains has been on the way since October 2014 EVAG (since September 2017 Ruhrbahn ), which initially operated mainly on tram line 109 between Frohnhausen and Steele , now almost all trips except for lines 108 and amplifier line 107 are carried out with low-floor cars of both generations.

Subway stations in tram advance operation

East-west clasp
station	Tram lines	Switching options	Opening date
Berliner Platz (deep) ¹	101/106, 103, 105, 109	U11, U17, U18; Bus SB16, 145, 147, 166	September 28, 1991
Rheinischer Platz	101/106, 103, 105, 109	Bus 145, 147, 196	September 28, 1991
Schützenbahn - downtown
station	Tram lines	Switching options	Opening date
Viehofer Platz	107 , 108	Bus 145, 147, 154, 155, 196	September 27, 1985
Essen Town Hall	101/106, 103, 105, 107, 108, 109	Bus SB16, 145, 147, 154, 155, 166, 196	May 28, 1977
Essen main station ³	101/106, 103, 105, 107, 108	S1 , S2, S3, S6, S9, RE1, RE2, RE6, RE11, RE14, RE16, RB40, RB42 U11, U17, U18; Bus SB15, SB16, SB19, 145, 146, 154, 155, 166, 196	May 28, 1977
South route
station	Tram lines	Switching options	Opening date
Philharmonic / Hall building ²	108 (and 107 in peak hours )	U11	5th October 1967
Rüttenscheider star ²	108 (and 107 in peak hours )	U11, 101/106	June 1, 1986
Martinstrasse ²	108 (and 107 in peak hours )	U11; Bus 142, 160, 161	June 1, 1986
Florastrasse	108 (and 107 in peak hours )		June 1, 1986

¹ Junction station: U-Bahn above, tram below
² Shared use by U-Bahn and tram on the same platform
³ Shared use by U-Bahn and tram on different platforms

As part of the urban railway planning of the 1970s, further tunnels were to be built, including an underground east-west connection that would have included existing tram routes. The construction project as a whole comprised around 30 kilometers of tunnels, the complete re-gauging of all railway lines to standard gauge and the dismantling of all tram routes that were not covered by the plans. Completion was planned for 2008. Up to this point in time, the already built train stations in the city center and in Rüttenscheid should still be used by trams - as a light rail service. The plans turned out to be financially too ambitious and could not be pursued further. With the inauguration of the northern line in 2001, the subway construction in Essen was officially finished. The provisional route structures that had been built to date and were used by trams in advance, remained in place, with all their shortcomings.

Tickets and tariffs

The tariffs of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) apply to journeys with Essen's Stadtbahn, as well as to trams and other public transport in the city .

literature

Christoph Groneck, Paul Lohkemper, Robert Schwandl: Rhein-Ruhr Stadtbahn Album 1 . Robert Schwandl Verlag, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-936573-06-9
Hellmut Hartmann, trams in the Ruhr area - the network that connects 20 cities . Düsseldorf 1975, pp. 52-63, ISBN 3-87094-312-2
City of Essen (ed.): A city paves the way. 20 years of subway construction in Essen . Verlag Koska, Berlin 1986, ISBN 3-920561-31-X
Transport History Working Group EVAG e. V. (Ed.): 25 years of the Essen underground railway . Special rally, Essen 2002