Wroclaw tram

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tram
Wroclaw tram
image
Type 105Na car before and after the modernization, on the right a car from the temporary construction site line 70 with a red line number
Basic information
Country Poland
city Wroclaw
opening July 10, 1877
operator MPK Wrocław
Infrastructure
Route length 84 km
Gauge 1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system 660 V DC overhead line
Depots 6th
business
Lines 20th
Line length 250 km
Cruising speed 13.0 km / h
vehicles 250
statistics
Mileage 11.77 million km per yeardep1
Network plan
Route network map (as of 2012)

The Breslau tram ( Polish : Wrocław ) is one of the oldest tram networks in Poland . It is currently operated by MPK Wrocław (Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacyjne Sp. Z oo we Wrocławiu) . In 2012 the tram system comprised 20 lines with a total length of around 250 kilometers. The tracks are standard gauge . The Wroclaw tram uses an overhead contact line with a voltage of 660 volts direct current .

history

Breslauer Markt, photo between 1890 and 1900, with horse-drawn tram
Breslau Town Hall, on the right the tracks of the horse-drawn tram (around 1900)

Breslau , capital of the Prussian province of Silesia from 1815 and capital of the Prussian province of Lower Silesia from 1919 , was the third largest city in the country after the unification of Germany in 1871. Between 1925 and 1930, Breslau grew through the incorporation of the surrounding places and reached a size of 175 square kilometers with 600 000 inhabitants. The development of public transport in the city must be seen in the light of this history. It was built with German funds and equipped with rolling stock, after 1945 it became Polish.

Horse tram

On July 4, 1876, Johannes Büssing, a merchant from Berlin, received a 30-year concession to build and operate a horse-drawn railway line in Breslau. On November 1st of the same year the concession was taken over by the Breslauer Straßen-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (BSEG) . The first horse-drawn tram ran on July 10, 1877, on a route from the city center via today's Krasińskiego Street to the zoo. After a few months, the route was extended to today's Strzegomskiego Square. A second route was built from Wilhelm-Viertel (today's Krzyki district ) to the main train station. In 1878 a third line was opened that ran from the market in the south-eastern part of the city to the New Outer Ohlauer Tor. Later, the lines were expanded to two tracks so that the timetable could be condensed. The BSEG company was successful: between 1878 and 1909, at least five percent dividend could be paid out every year, in 1899 even 14%. In 1891, 337 horses and 86 wagons carried 8.2 million passengers. In 1900 the company owned 524 horses, 140 carriages and carried 15.4 million passengers. On June 30, 1906, the horse-drawn tram ran for the last time.

Electric tram

Schweidnitzer Straße (today: ulica Świdnicka) with an electric tram in 1906; in the middle the neo-classical building of the opera
The three tram companies in Wroclaw in 1911

On April 2, 1892, the electric trams in Breslau AG (ESB) received a concession for 30 years to build and operate an electric tram network. On July 14th, 1893 the first line was opened, which was the first electric tram on today's Polish territory. The BSEG wanted to electrify its horse-drawn tram lines and acquired a concession for its lines on June 14, 1892. On August 6, 1901, a third company, the Wroclaw City Tram (SSB), which was owned by the city, also received a concession to build and operate electric trams. Since the city council wanted to avoid a situation like the one in Berlin , it was decided that new tram routes should be built on behalf of the city administration. In this way, the Berlin situation, where the private Große Berliner Straßenbahn dictated transport policy and other companies arbitrarily opened tram lines, was avoided and lines could be built that were initially less profitable. The first two routes that the SSB put into operation were the lines Pöpelwitz (today: Popowice) ↔ Ohlauer Tor (today: Plac Dominikański) and Pöpelwitz ↔ Hauptbahnhof. The city council decided to buy up the other two tram companies and integrate them into the SSB, and the implementation of this plan was not without problems. The SSB expanded its route network quickly, but did not come out of the red. Their route extensions were less profitable. The BSEG regularly protested against the shared use of its tracks by SSB lines and hindered operations. The city sued the BSEG to regulate the right of use. At the same time, the SSB tried to prevent a plan by the BSEG, which wanted to build a line parallel to an SSB line in Michaelisstrasse (today: Nowowiejska). The competition led to great growth in the tram network, but also to wild growth. Since there was no coordination of the construction of new routes, the three companies each built their own network. This led to a very dense route network in the city center.

LH standard car, built in 1929, as a work car
Breslau tram network in 1939; Line 7/8 was the so-called Bahnhofsring

In 1911 the city decided to purchase the BSEG for ten million marks . Their lines were integrated into the SSB and two new depots were built. On July 1, 1912, the city presented another novelty: A 4.4 kilometer long trolleybus line from the center to Brockau (today: Brochów), the trackless Lloyd-Bahn Brockau, was opened . However, this was technically still in its infancy and was shut down again after a year. In 1919 the SSB had 85 railcars, 150  sidecars , had 673 employees and carried around 30 million passengers a year. On June 1, 1923, the city was finally able to take over the ESB and its lines were added to the SSB network. Only in the years 1924 to 1927 could the tram network be rationalized and the dense inner-city network improved. Network connections were built to link lines together. This eliminated the frequent changes between lines of different companies, which was typical for public transport in Wroclaw. In addition, the tariff structure could be simplified. The foundation for the 2012 tram network was laid in the 1920s. During the economic crisis it was possible to realize some important extensions. Lines to the Olympic Stadium and to the western and eastern parts of the growing city were opened. Initially, the power supply was carried out using pantographs , and in the 1930s, the overhead line was converted for current collection with pantographs . This conversion could only be completed after the Second World War.

Second World War

During the Second World War, Wroclaw suffered greatly from the fighting. Before and during the German invasion of Poland (September 1, 1939), Breslau became a garrison and front-line city. In order to save fuel, the bus service was discontinued, so that all residents were dependent on the tram. In November 1943, the entire tram network was redesigned to give each district a direct connection to the market. Ambulances were used to transport the wounded and toilet vehicles to counter the spread of epidemics in the bombed city districts by removing faeces. A direct tram line was built between the train station and the largest hospital in order to bring the many wounded from the front straight to the hospital. During the siege of the Wroclaw Fortress , tram cars were built into the barricades .

After 1945

Line network three years after the end of the Second World War, May 1948

Most of the infrastructure was unusable or destroyed after the surrender. The entire overhead line was melted or stolen by fire. The remaining tracks were covered with a large amount of rubble and rubbish. Only 25% of the railcars were more or less usable, 43 of the 150 sidecars could still be used. The lines were put back into operation as follows:

Commissioning after the Second World War with date and route
line Opening
date 		Line route
1 July 22, 1945 Biskupin ↔ Słowiańska
2 October 6, 1945 Nadodrze train station ↔ Karłowice
3 11/22/1945 Big Ring ↔ Legnicka / Poznańska
4th January 24, 1946 Big Ring ↔ Grabiszyński Cemetery
5 3/15/1946 Big Ring ↔ Krakowska Street
6th July 25, 1946 Warszawskie Bridge ↔ Muzealna Street
7th September 27, 1946 Big Ring - Świdnicka ↔ Powstańców Śląskich ↔ Krzyki
8th July 17, 1946 Karl-Marx-Platz (today: Strzelecki-Platz) ↔ Osobowice
9 9/30/1946 Chopin Street ↔ Sienkiewicza Street
10 July 26, 1946 Nadodrze Railway Station ↔ Świebodzki Railway Station ↔ Central Station
11 1.12.1946 Marcina-Kromera-Allee ↔ Kowale
12 1947 Sępolno ↔ Big Ring
14th May 26, 1948 Grabiszynek ↔ Powstańców Śląskich ↔ Big Ring
15th 1948 Dyrekcyjna - Jahrhunderthalle
0 1948 Ring line (around the city center)

The first tram line to be put back into operation was line 1 near the Biskupin depot. Other lines were gradually repaired so that in 1946 the radial lines 4 to 11 could (partially) go back into operation. Because of the shortage of materials and the many damaged tracks, almost all tram lines had to end in the center, on or near the market square (Großer Ring, Polish: Rynek). In 1947 the first night line (E) was set up, which was discontinued in 1948. From that year on, lines 0 to 12 ran every night; this service was only given up in 2003. The ring line could not be fully commissioned until 1948. In addition, new lines were added, which were numbered from 14. (Line number 13 was omitted.) Line 17 was a new line to the Pafawag wagon and tram factory (previously: Linke-Hofmann). In 1949, the tram network as it existed before the Second World War was largely restored. Repairing the war damage was only in progress in the inner city.

Line network 1974
Traditional Konstal -N carriages, many of which were built for Polish tram networks , 1989, Dyrekcyjna stop heading south
Articulated railcar Konstal 102Na, hundreds of this type were built in Poland; 1989, University Bridge

The largest new line to be built after the war was the Pilczyce - Leśnica line (line 3) to the north-west of the city. In 1950 Księże Małe (German: Klein Ohlewiesen, before 1933: Klein-Tschansch) in the southeast of the city was connected to the tram network. In the 1960s, large investments were made in the city center so that lines and infrastructure could be improved.

In 1965 a large passenger survey was carried out, which included in particular desired connections and changes to the offer. The 18 tram and 23 bus routes should be improved. The recommendations derived from this followed the trend of the time: bus lines should be led into the city center, weak tram lines should be closed, short lines should be rationalized and many tram routes should be replaced by the "more efficient" bus service. The proposal to shut down the tram routes around the central market was described as an efficiency improvement. After the plan had been approved by the municipality, the implementation followed. The closure of the route to Osobowice met with major protests in the population, which were discussed by the press, so that it was finally withdrawn. Between 1967 and 1971 even new lines were put into operation (to Grabiszynek and Mickiewicza). In 1974, lines 3, 6 and 8 were the last lines to reach the market.

From 1978 the first tram line was built on its own track on East-West Street (Kazimierza Wielkiego Street); it runs south past the inner old town. The inner-city routes over the streets Ruska and Oławska (south) and Świętego Mikołaja and Wita Stwosza (north) were closed.

In the 1980s, the popularity of bus transport declined. The harsh winters of 1978 and 1979 led to interruptions in bus traffic, and on some lines there were no buses for months. When the weather improved, many buses were left with serious damage on the roadside and could no longer be repaired. Spare parts could no longer be procured. The passengers turned to the - mostly unhindered - trams and began to demand extensions of the tram network. The line to Leśnica was expanded to two tracks in 1981 and network expansions followed, including from Karłowice to Wrozamet. Ensuring the power supply caused major problems because there were significant delays in the delivery and construction of substations.

In 1987 a line was built along Bałtycka Street and the tracks on Społeczny Square (today: Powstańców-Warszawy Square) in the city center were renewed. Maintenance residues have been occurring since the 1990s. Some lines and sections of the route were shut down and plans for expansion disappeared in the drawer. Since 1997 there has not been a day on which all tram lines could run with the scheduled frequency and over the correct route. The reasons for this were: poor condition of the track, defects in the wagons, disruptions in the power supply, points faults, incorrectly parked cars and poor maintenance. Sometimes replacement buses were set up, but the buses got stuck in the strongly increased private car traffic. The passenger information is carried out by different entities, which sometimes creates great confusion. In 2005 the transport company reported that line 22 should be led to Leśnica and line 3 should be shortened to Pilczyce. However, the Tourist Office communicated this change as temporary and under line number 12. Finally, lines 10 and 20 were led to Leśnica.

Developments until 2012, Tram PLUS

Double traction Konstal 105Na on line 22, Arkady stop (2009)
The Protram 204WrAs wagons are based on the four-axle Konstal model 105Na (2006)

After 1990 a lot was invested in the city to build independent tracks for the trams. However, the tram still has numerous tracks that are classically flush with the street, as there is not enough space for a special railway body everywhere in the city. This concerns 18 kilometers of route. On some sections, a special track body is suggested by the fact that the track area is elevated but can be crossed by individual traffic. 20 kilometers of the entire line network are in pedestrian zones. It is planned to separate the track area from individual traffic wherever possible, in some cases with fences.

The entire fleet of vehicles consisted of one-way vehicles , so all tram lines must have end loops . With the acquisition of the latest Škoda 19 T tram cars, modern bidirectional cars are now running in Wroclaw for the first time . These new cars are together with the Škoda 16 T intended for the Tram PLUS lines.

In 2006, the renovation of the existing connection from Pilczyce to the Olympic Stadium (pl: Stadion Olimpijski we Wrocławiu) in the east of the city and to Gaj in the southeast. The west-east connection runs through the city center via Grunwaldzki Square and the connection to Gaj via Legionów Square and the main train station . Two tunnels were planned at the main train station and at Theaterstrasse, but these could not be implemented for the time being. The plan was to cut the travel time on the relevant tram lines by half. For the 2012 European Football Championship , the expansion of the route to Pilczyce, where the new Miejski stadium was built, was planned and implemented. The new stadium is on the route of lines 10/20 to Leśnica and will be connected to the main train station via the new line 32 PLUS. On the Tram-PLUS lines, all traffic lights were equipped with a priority circuit in order to achieve a higher travel speed. The new Škoda trams were purchased for these lines. A branch from the Leśnica route to Kozanów was planned for the football championship, but not implemented. The busy line to Biskupin was converted to Tram PLUS level.

In the future vision of the MPK and the city administration, the tram is the backbone of public transport. The expansion plans are ambitious: route extensions to Maślice I and II, completely new lines to Nowy Dwor, an additional south-western penetration into the Opowów II district, the extension of lines 9 and 15 to Ołtazyn, from Morwowa (line 32 PLUS) to Jagodno and one Branch from the lines in the north to Karłowice. In addition, there are very ambitious plans for routes to the northeast as extensions of the lines to Kowale (6) and 9 and 17 to Pawłowice, Zakrzów and Psie Pole. The time horizon for this planning was 2015, the financing is not secured.

business

Numbers 0 to 24 are reserved for regular tram lines, while numbers 30 to 39 are reserved for Tram PLUS lines. In the past these numbers were used for the night lines. Line 0 - "zerówka" - is a ring line , the two directions of which are differentiated with 0L (Lewo, left-turning) and 0P (Prawo, right-turning). If there are changes to the line route as a result of construction work, the background of the additional large line sign under the windshield is yellow instead of white. Temporary construction site lines are marked with 70 numbers. During large events in the Jahrhunderthalle (Hala Stulecia or Hala Ludowa) or in the Olympic Stadium , emergency vehicles operate with an E appended to the line number. At All Souls' Day there are additional courses to the cemeteries with an E in front of the line number: E1, E5 and E9.

Lines

Fixed routes:

line route length Travel time Hold comment map
0L Dw. Nadodrze (Odertor train station) ↔ Dw. Główny (main train station) ↔ Dw. Nadodrze (Odertor train station) 9.8 km 39 min 24 Counterclockwise ring line Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 0.jpg
0P Dw. Nadodrze (Odertor train station) ↔ Dw. Główny (main train station) ↔ Dw. Nadodrze (Odertor train station) 9.8 km 39 min 24 Ring line clockwise
1 Biskupin (Bischofswalde) ↔ Poświętne (Lilienthal) 10.1 km 32 min 22nd Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 1.jpg
2 Biskupin (Bischofswalde) ↔ Krzyki (Krieter) 11.1 km 37 min 24 Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 2.jpg
3 Leśnica (Lissa) ↔ Księże Małe (Klein Tschansch) 12.8 km 39 min 25th Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 3.jpg
4th Biskupin (Bischofswalde) ↔ Oporów (Opperau) 11.6 km 38 min 24/25 Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 4.jpg
5 Oporów (Opperau) ↔ Księże Małe (Klein Tschansch) 11.7 km 38 min 24 Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 5.jpg
6th Kowale (Cawallen) ↔ Krzyki (Krieter) 12.2 km 43 min 25/28 Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 6.jpg
7th Poświętne (Lilienthal) ↔ Krzyki (Krieter) 10.4 km 37 min 21/24 Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 7.jpg
8th Zawalna (Am Oderdeich) ↔ Tarnogaj (Dürrgoy) 9.2 km 36 min 26/24 Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 8.jpg
9 Sępolno (Zimpel) ↔ Park Południowy (South Park) 10.7 km 36 min 27/25 Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 9.jpg
10 Leśnica (Lissa) ↔ Biskupin (Bischofswalde) 19.2 km 54 min 34 Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 10.jpg
11 Kromera (Heinrich-von-Korn-Strasse) ↔ Grabiszyńska - Cmentarz (Gräbschenerstrasse - cemetery) 9.9 km 35 min 24 Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 11.jpg
14th Osobowice (Oswitz) ↔ FAT ↔ Osobowice (Oswitz) 16.4 km 36 min 22/21 Ring line clockwise Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 24.jpg
15th Poświętne (Lilienthal) ↔ Park Południowy (South Park) 10.8 km 36 min 21/22 Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 15.jpg
17th Sępolno (Zimpel) ↔ Klecina (Klettendorf) 12.2 km 44 min 31/31 Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 17.jpg
20th Leśnica (Lissa) ↔ Oporów (Opperau) 20.6 km 59 min 35/36 currently the longest tram line Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 20.jpg
23 Kromera (Heinrich-von-Korn-Strasse) ↔ Wrocławski Park Przemysłowy 7.9 km 26 min 18th currently the shortest tram line Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 23.jpg
24 Osobowice (Oswitz) ↔ FAT ↔ Osobowice (Oswitz) 16.4 km 38 min 21/22 Counterclockwise ring line Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 24.jpg
31 Stadium Wrocław (Królewiecka) ↔ Gaj (Herdain) 12.9 km 41 min 26th Tramwaj PLUS Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 31PLUS.jpg
32 Kozanów (Dokerska) (Cosel) ↔ Gaj (Herdain) 12.7 km 40 min 26th Tramwaj PLUS Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 32PLUS.jpg
33 Pilczyce (Pilsnitz) ↔ Stadion Olimpijski (Olympiastadion) 12.0 km 37 min 23 Tramwaj PLUS Wrocławska linia tramwajowa 33PLUS.jpg
Double articulated railcar with a low-floor middle section, type Protram 205WrAs
Škoda 16T one-way car in the depot

Rolling stock

The first carriages for the horse tram were built by Herbrand in Cologne. Later series were built by Linke-Hofmann . The first electric tram cars came from Herbrand. This affected a series of 40 powered rail vehicles and 25 sidecars. Since Linke-Hofmann was the local wagon builder, it was obvious that all tram cars were bought from this manufacturer. The first mass production of welded steel trams happened in Wroclaw. The series included 232 Railcar, called LH Standard . After the Second World War, the types N, then 102N, 102Na and 102e (the latter was only used in Wroclaw) were put into service.

In 2015, the Wroclaw tram had five types of cars:

  • Konstal 105N - 180 four-axle railcars and 90 sidecars (not modernized)
  • Konstal Protram 105NaWr - 172 four-axle modernized multiple units and 86 Konstal 105N trailer cars
  • Protram 204WrAs - 12 four-axle powered rail cars and 6 sidecars
  • Protram 205WrAs - 26 double articulated trolleys with a low-floor middle section
  • Škoda 16T - 17 five-part low-floor cars with a 65% low-floor share
  • Škoda 19T - 31 five-part bidirectional cars, 65% low-floor
  • Pesa Twist - 8 three-part, one-way low-floor cars with 100% low-floor space

Museum car

Hans and Gretel Berolina car
Museum tramway car 1209 type LH Standard from 1929; the pantograph is not original

The historic vehicle fleet includes:

  • a replica horse tram (Lorca)
  • a two-axle railcar and a two-axle sidecar from the years 1901–1902, type Berolina (No. 1 "Hans" and No. 2 "Gretel"). These cars were built by LHW / Trelenberg.
  • ten LH standard railcars from the years 1925–1929 (including no. 1209, "Baba Jaga", in red livery and no. 1217, "Juliusz", cream-colored)
  • a ' Maximum ' LH railcar from the interwar period; this car is in very poor condition
  • nine Konstal N-cars from 1950/1951 (including No. 1332 "Benny" with sidecar "Lolek")
  • two railcars of the type Konstal 102N from 1969 (including no. 2002 "Strachotek", formerly no. 2110)

literature

  • Siegfried Bufe: Trams in Silesia . Stuttgart 1976, ISBN 3-87943-424-7 .
  • Hans Lenhart, Claude Jeanmaire: Tram companies in Eastern Europe I. Verlag Eisenbahn, Villigen, 1975 and 1977. Part I: Tramways in the GDR and Poland, ISBN 3-85649-025-6 .

Robert Schwandl: Tram Atlas Poland Poland . 1st edition. Robert Schwandl Verlag, Berlin 2017, ISBN 978-3-936573-50-3 , pp. 134–143 , Wrocław chapter (German, English).

Web links

Commons : Tram transport in Wroclaw  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files