Tram Gera

Tram Gera
Tram line 1 at the orangery
Basic information
Country	Germany
city	Gera
opening	February 22, 1892
electrification	since opening
operator	GVB Verkehrs- und Betriebsgesellschaft Gera mbH
Transport network	VMT
Infrastructure
Route length	18.5 km
Gauge	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Power system	600 V DC overhead line
Operating mode	Furnishing operation
Stops	40
Depots	1
business
Lines	3
Clock in the peak hours	5 min (Li. 3) to 30 min (Li. 2)
vehicles	28 KT4D , 6 KTNF8, 12 NGT8G
statistics
Residents in the catchment area	107 thousand
Lines of the Gera tram (as of 2019)

The Gera tram is the tram of the East Thuringian city of Gera . The operator is GVB Verkehrs- und Betriebsgesellschaft Gera mbH . It is the second oldest electric tram in Germany after the Halle tram . It was opened on February 22, 1892 and has a track width of 1,000 mm. The GVB markets the tram as a light rail , especially the youngest line 1. The Pro Bahn passenger association awarded the GVB the 2008 Passenger Prize for the excellent connection of the tram at three stations / stops and the 2014 Passenger Prize for the exemplary design of the usability of the Public transport as well as the efficient organization of vehicle maintenance.

history

Development until 1971

Bogenhard stop in Johannisgasse 1893

After the opening on February 22nd, 1892 by the Localbahn-Bau und Betriebs-Gesellschaft Wilhelm Hostmann & Co. from Hanover as the second electric tram in Germany, the operations management was initially incumbent on the Eisenbahn-Bau und Betriebs-Gesellschaft Vering & Waechter from Berlin as the owner. On December 31, 1905, ownership and management were transferred to Geraer Elektrizitätswerk und Straßenbahn AG.

The first two tram lines, together 8.6 km long, ran from Tinz to Debschwitz (Südfriedhof) and from Untermhaus (Mühlgrabenbrücke) to Lindenthal (at today's Wintergarten stop). A year later, on April 1, 1893, the third line followed from today's main train station to Pöppeln. The lines met in Heinrichstraße (then Roßplatz), which has remained the central transfer point for Gera local transport to this day.

The Lindenthal route was extended to Pforten station on November 8, 1901, where the narrow-gauge railway to Meuselwitz was opened four days later . The tram got a siding on this line, over which from now on rail freight cars were transported to the Gera industrial enterprises. On November 19, 1925, a route to Zwötzen was added, which branched off from the Pfortener route at the winter garden and led over the Ochsenbrücke. The Debschwitzer line was extended in 1935 by one stop to Schenkendorfstrasse. In the meantime, on August 17, 1930, the network was closed for the first time, affecting the short section from Wilhelmplatz (today Friedrich-Naumann-Platz) to Mühlgrabenbrücke in Untermhaus.

In 1945 the line to Pöppeln, which had only been operated on weekends since the opening of the trolleybus service to Leumnitz in 1939, had to be closed because of the war damage. The branch from Puschkinplatz to the main train station also fell victim to the chaos of war. In the 1950s, the network was initially expanded to the south (1956 from Debschwitz to Lusan (Zoitzbergstrasse) and in 1959 the connection to the existing line in Zwötzen, creating the so-called Südring ), but in the 1960s the GDR government planned to cease trams in all cities with fewer than 200,000 inhabitants. Therefore, the line from the city center to Untermhaus was discontinued on June 16, 1968; the section city center – winter garden – Zwötzen followed on November 14, 1971. This meant that there was only one tram line in the city that ran from Tinz through the center and via Debschwitz to Zwötzen, Wendeschleife (at Wehrstraße). A turning loop was built in Tinz in the 1960s too, so that one-way trains could now also be used.

Until the end of the 1990s

Street of the Republic (Heinrichstrasse) 1968

New tramway through-house on Johannisstrasse, June 1984

KT4D triple traction, 1993

From 1972, the Lusan development area was built in the southwest of the city, which later became the largest development area in the Gera district with 45,000 inhabitants . It was to be developed with a new tram line between the turning loops Tinz and Lusan-Brüte, the first section of which up to the turning loop Zeulenrodaer Strasse (now Lusan-Brüte) was opened on October 5th, 1977. The first of the new KT4D railcars were purchased for this purpose. The line was extended to Lusan-Zeulsdorf on October 27 and 28, 1979, but the Lusan-Brüte terminus - originally only planned as a temporary measure - is still in operation today.

On June 1, 1984 , the last single-track section of the route network was closed on the Sorge , the city's main pedestrian zone. The railway was given a new track in the street Hinter der Mauer , which runs parallel to Sorge, and which has been completely redesigned and temporarily renamed Am Leumnitzer Tor to avoid political associations . For this purpose, the route was passed under an apartment building, which was unique in the GDR at the time. It should not be forgotten that - also for the 1984 Workers' Festival in Gera - a track was laid for a turning loop around the bus station at the main train station, which was never connected to the tram network. Most recently (before the last redesign of the station square) a tram car, which was still set up there as a snack, testified to this plan to reconnect the train station / bus station to the tram network.

From 1986 the construction of the new development area Bieblach Ost followed in the northeast of the city, which was opened up by an extension of the Lusan - Tinz line by tram. The line is still operated in this form today. As in Lusan, the railway in Bieblach Ost was built and opened in several stages. Initially, this line was put into operation on December 18, 1986 to the Roschütz stop (today Heidecksburgstrasse); on April 24, 1989 then to today's end point Bieblach Ost. In contrast to Lusan, the temporary Roschütz reversing loop has been dismantled. Behind the turning loop in Bieblach / Ost, a new depot was to be built (next to the one that was already planned in the south of the city at the time), and accordingly the loop has already been built for an extension. However, the turning point stopped many plans, not all of the planned sections were built on in the new development area, and the depot was canceled. Today only the unused parallel track in the turning loop announces this project.

After the reunification, a rapid modernization of the tram operation began. From October 26, 1990, no two-axle wagons ( Gothawagen series ET57 to 62 or Tatra T2D ) were used in regular service . Some of these vehicles originated from the 1950s.

The tram depot was relocated from De-Smit-Straße in the city center to the southern outskirts. With the construction of the Gera-Arcaden shopping center , the central transfer point at Heinrichstrasse was completely redesigned and handed over at the end of 1998.

Light rail program and joining the VMT

Light rail program level I

In the period from 2002 to 2008, the first stage to expand the tram network was implemented. During the period, 92 million euros were built, of which 64 million euros were subsidies.

Construction of line 1

Newly built line 1 in the Elsteraue

Between 2002 and 2006 the “Stadtbahnlinie” 1 was built from Untermhaus via the main station / theater and Heinrichstraße to Zwötzen . The project was largely driven by the then GVB managing director and later (2006-12) mayor Norbert Vornehm . Due to omissions in the planning of a railway bridge at gates, it was not possible to close a ring with the old line 2. The new, six-kilometer-long route is designed for top speeds of up to 70 km / h and is 80 percent separate from road traffic. The central transfer point can be reached from both terminus within ten minutes, and eight minutes after the traffic lights have been optimized. The line opened on November 3, 2006, six months before the original date. Scheduled traffic began on November 5, 2006. The project was related to the organization of the Federal Garden Show 2007 in Gera and Ronneburg . A separate underpass was built for the tram at the main train station, where the stop is located directly under the platforms, making it easier to change from trams to trains.

Conversion of line 2

A new turning loop for line 2 was built at Zwötzener Bahnhof and opened in 2004. Since then, buses and trains have stopped at the same platform as the trains to Saalfeld, Hof and Leipzig and, since 2016, to Greiz, Plauen and Erfurt. The old turning loop in Zwötzener Straße was abandoned and line 2 was shortened accordingly.

Expansion of line 3

In the city center, a turning loop was built, the tracks of which are now part of the route of the tram line 1. This was followed by the expansion of Berliner Straße to its own track structure as well as in Heinrichstraße at the Park der Jugend and on Heinrichbrücke. The platform systems of the Südbahnhof were moved north to the Park der Jugend tram stop (today Südbahnhof) so that a link was created between Line 3 and the railway, as is the case with Line 1 at the Hauptbahnhof. A grass track was laid along Tinzer Strasse, the turning loop there dismantled and a new transfer point between city buses, regional buses and trams was built at the Cooperative State University. Plans from the period after the reunification to make the Tinzer Wendeschleife passable on both sides in the event of an accident were therefore obsolete.

Level II light rail program

In July 2007 the city council decided to continue the light rail program developed by the transport company. Originally planned for 2009, but only a year later due to difficulties in obtaining funding, the second stage was started. 50 million euros are to be invested by 2015, including 32 million euros in funding.

In July 2012, the funding process was suspended for the time being. Although the federal government has put its share of 30 million euros in the budget and also given the state the green light, the approval hoped for in May 2012 after a final review by the Thuringian Ministry of Transport had not yet taken place. The suspension came at the urging of the new mayor of Gera. The transport company was asked to recalculate the calculations for the now 5 year old program and to work out possible alternatives. The construction of line 4, the maintenance of the route between the Duale Hochschule and Bieblach / Ost stops and the scope of the expansion of Wiesestrasse were all up for discussion. In August 2012, a new profitability audit, commissioned by the mayor, took place, which confirmed the figures of the transport company and the profitability. Construction of the three projects should start in January 2013. With the exception of the completed expansion of the route between the Duale Hochschule and Bieblach / Ost stops, it is currently (as of October 2018) whether the projects will actually be tackled after the preparatory measures have been carried out.

Expansion of line 3

From 2010, the route in the area behind the wall was converted to grass track, with a redesign of the stop areas continued.

The renovation of the line from the Cooperative State University to Bieblach / Ost with expansion to the level of the tram was carried out in 2013.

In August 2019, the first section of the three-phase renovation of Wiesestrasse began, through which the traffic conditions will be reorganized. This affects the northern part of the street, whereby the parking lot situation will be adapted and an intersection will be completely rebuilt. In the southern section, the tram will later run on its own grass track. Originally, the complete renovation was to take place between 2013 and 2015. Tree felling work was carried out here as early as 2013, and accompanying cable work from October 2018.

Furthermore, the route between Gleisdreieck Lusan and Brüte, including the turning loop there, was to be expanded and rebuilt. The start of construction for this was also planned for 2012. Due to financing problems, this project has been put on hold for the time being.

Construction of line 4

Taking into account the demographic development in the north of Gera, a new 3-kilometer-long tram line to Langenberg is planned, in the course of which four new stops would be built. Coming from Lusan, the trains in the north of the city will then alternately run as line 3 to Bieblach-Ost and as line 4 to Langenberg, whereby, according to initial planning, a 10-minute cycle was provided on both outer branches.

A track triangle is to be created behind the Duale Hochschule stop . The new line that begins here crosses the intersection of Tinzer and Thüringer Strasse and then runs along the western edge of Tinzer Strasse on its own track in the direction of Langenberg. Behind the district army replacement office , Siemensstrasse ( Bundesstrasse 7 ) is to be crossed and the stop of the same name on the northeastern edge of the Möbel Rieger parking lot is to be reached. The route is to run on its own track body west of the access road through the industrial park and cross under the motorway. After crossing the junction with Ferdinand-Porsche-Straße, the planned route follows on the edge of the B7 to the boundary of the district.

Buses still run between Langenberg and the Cooperative State University. In the area of ​​the green area next to the church, the turning loop of line 4 is to be created.

In Langenberg, the confluence with Max-Bögl-Straße is to be crossed and the stop of the same name reached, in whose catchment area a park-and-ride area is to be created in the immediate vicinity of the motorway. Branching off the main road to the northwest, the planned route runs west of the allotment gardens through a green corridor. The residential street Zu den Wiesen is to be crossed to the west of the two large terraced house complexes, with the stop of the same name planned directly in the transition area. Immediately behind it, the route runs in an arc between the existing residential buildings to the east. Langenberger Strasse (Bundesstrasse 7) would be reached and crossed at the Zeitzer Strasse junction.

The clockwise turning loop with the Langenberg terminus is to be built on the open space south of Zeitzer Straße between the church and the grocery store. Separate exit and entry stops as well as a siding are planned. In the interior of the track loop, a transfer station, also designed as a turning area, with several bays is to be built for city bus routes 27 ( Wernsdorf ), 28 ( Großaga ) and 29 ( Hermsdorf ) as well as for regional bus routes 203 and 204. Buses would go to the terminus in an anti-clockwise direction, so that two combined platforms with the tram would be created. The exit and boarding areas for buses and trains would be directly opposite each other, which would enable the means of transport to be changed quickly .

The original start of construction was planned for 2011, the construction time should be three years. In April 2013, construction began on line 4 with the construction of a temporary turning loop and the planned track triangle at the Cooperative State University. Problems with financing in the course of the insolvency of the Geraer Verkehrsbetriebs led to the ongoing stagnation of the construction. It is currently (as of October 2018) not sure whether the plans will actually be carried out by the Gera transport and operating company in the future . A decision scheduled for September 26, 2018 was postponed.

Gera in the transport association

On December 12, 2010, the Geraer Verkehrsbetrieb joined the Verkehrsverbund Mittelthüringen (VMT) and thus the VMT tariff. The city tariff of tariff zone 40 (Gera) applies to buses and trams operated by GVB, as do regional trains operated by DB Regio , the Erfurt Railway and the Vogtland Railway . Since the transport companies of the district of Greiz , which completely surrounds Gera within the state borders, have not joined the association, a tariff zone 881 was created in the district of Greiz as a connection to the rest of the association area, in which the association tariff applies only to regional trains of the DB Regio and the Erfurt Railway . Only the Bad Köstritz and Kraftsdorf train stations belong to this zone . In addition, the VMT tariff is recognized within the Gera city zone in the OVS line 810 between the bus station and Weißig and the RVG / PRG lines 27 and 28 between the bus station and Röppisch .

Bankruptcy and realignment

On July 3, 2014, the management of GVB GmbH submitted an application to the Gera district court to open insolvency proceedings. The reasons were the lack of funds from the parent company Stadtwerke Gera AG. When the company was founded, the intention was to put the Stadtwerke's profits from energy sales as part of the loss compensation into the already deficit local transport and thus to spare the public budget. Due to the liberalization of the energy market, however, the profits of Stadtwerke Gera collapsed, making it no longer possible to compensate for losses. The budget of the city of Gera was also in a tense situation, so that the city of Gera could not compensate for losses. A short-term financial relief through the sale of urban apartments was also not approved by the city council. Until then, the Stadtwerke Gera AG, the city administration of Gera and the GVB had managed to raise the wages of the employees themselves. However, the state administration office in Weimar then no longer agreed to a new borrowing by the city of Gera to prevent the bankruptcy of municipal utilities and GVB.

The insolvency proceedings were carried out at the district court of Gera under the file number 8 IN 359/14, the provisional insolvency administrator was Dr. jur. Michael Jaffé from Munich ordered. Contrary to many insolvencies, however, there was no prohibition of disposal, only the obligation was imposed that dispositions of the debtor only become effective with the approval of the insolvency administrator.

Initially, it was agreed not to thin out any clocks and to continue the clocking published in the timetable. For the timetable change on September 1st, the GVB implemented realizable specifications from the local transport plan decided in February. On October 6, a thinned-out timetable came into effect, on which the responsible municipal service and the provisional insolvency administrator had agreed. Insolvency proceedings were opened on October 1st and 31 employees were given notice.

On October 1, 2016, a newly established municipal operating company for local public transport started operations. This took over the operationally necessary assets (buses and trams) as well as the employees of the insolvent GVB.

Line network

Transfer stop Heinrichstraße

Tram line 1 in front of the theater

Line 2 in Lusan (stop pedestrian bridge)

Line 3 in Bieblach-Ost (Ernst-Abbe-Straße stop)

Today's lines

The following three lines of the Gera tram are currently in operation:

line	route	Length (km)	Travel time (min)	Stations
1	Untermhaus - Friedrich-Naumann-Platz - Central Station / Theater - Heinrichstrasse - Winter Garden - Zwötzen	6.1	20th	13
2	Lusan-Zeulsdorf - Lusan-Laune - GVB depot - Zwötzen station	3.5	10	9
3	Lusan-Zeulsdorf - Lusan-Laune - An der Spielwiese - Heinrichstrasse - Bergmanns Strasse - Tinz - Dual University - Bieblach-Ost	11.6	37	25th

With the timetable change on October 6, 2014, the lines will operate as follows:

• Line 1: Every 15 minutes during rush hour, every 30 minutes during off-peak hours
• Line 2: Mon-Fri every 30 minutes during the day, replaced by bus line 15 from Lusan / Laune to Zwötzen station on weekends. This also runs every 30 minutes.
• Line 3: Mon-Fri during the day every 7.5 minutes (morning / afternoon every 5 minutes during school hours), Saturday every 10 minutes, Mon-Sat in the outskirts of the day and Sunday every 15 minutes, every 30 minutes during off-peak hours, every 70 at night Minutes

In August 2017, the newly founded municipal transport company changed its first timetable, replacing the emergency timetable that was introduced with the 2014 insolvency. During the week, lines 1 and 3 run every 15 minutes from the start of operations. Line 3 will then be compressed to 7.5-minute intervals between 6 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. On school days between 7:00 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. and between 2:00 p.m. and 4:15 p.m., the text is compressed to 5-minute intervals. After 8:45 p.m., off-peak hours apply, on Saturday after 7.15 p.m. and on Sunday after 6.45 p.m. On Saturdays, line 3 breaks between 9.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. with the basic 15-minute cycle (all inner-city local transport lines meet at the central transfer point every 15 minutes) and runs every 10 minutes. The turning loop in Lusan an der Brüte is only approached every 5 minutes and then every second train. For major events in the Hofwiesenpark, such as the Hofwiesenparkfest, an amplifier line 5 also runs from Lusan-Brüte via Heinrichstraße to Untermhaus, which is offset by 15 minutes to lines 1 and 3 and runs at this time between Lusan, the most populous district of Geras, and Lower house condensed to 15 minutes. In addition, since the timetable change in June 2012, line 5 has also been used in part on Sundays when shopping is open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in order to enable a 7½-minute cycle between Lusan and the city center and Untermhaus.

History of the route names

During the time of reunification there were sometimes confusing route names. Since many publications about Gera were not updated for years after 1991/92, there were sometimes incorrect line names in travel guides until the end of the 1990s. Most of the GVB's own documents are not affected.

• Line 1 was a tram from Tinz via Lusan-Brüte to Lusan-Zeulsdorf
• Line 1E was a tram from Tinz only to Lusan-Brüte
• Line 2 ran from Tinz to Zwötzen
• Line 3 was the route Bieblach-Ost - Tinz - Lusan-Brute - Lusan-Zeulsdorf.

Today only the trams of line 3 run on this route, but at times every 5 minutes. There was only a shorter variant from Lusan-Zeulsdorf to Tinz. This was called line 3E and was only used for amplifier trips. In the last few years there was only one amplifier trip a day between Lusan-Brute and Tinz. This only ran on school days and was added to the normal timetable as line 3. In February 2008 the dismantling of the Wendeschleife Tinz began, so that there is only line 3 on this route. With changes to the timetable in 2013, the last reinforcement course was no longer available.

The route of line 2 was changed several times in the 1990s. Originally, line 2 from Tinz via Gleisdreieck Lusan was identical to line 3, and then on its own route to Zwötzen. It was then shortened to the Heinrichstraße - Gleisdreieck Lusan - Zwötzen route. After the route was completely changed for the timetable change on June 2, 1996 and line 2 ran between Lusan-Brüte and Zwötzen, the route was shortened again in 2004 with the construction of the new terminus at Bahnhof Zwötzen. With the timetable change on June 10, 2012, the line to Lusan-Zeulsdorf was extended with the changeover from 20 to 30 minutes.

Further expansion plans

There are currently no concrete expansion plans after the current light rail program has been completed. However, the Gera 2020 zoning plan describes three long-term development goals for the urban and tram network:

• Extension of the route in Bieblach-Ost along Gottlieb-Daimler-Straße to the Dornaer Straße roundabout (length about 1.1 kilometers, 2 stops): Although the turning loop built at the end of the 1980s is already planned for an extension, this should be done Track that has never been used will be removed as part of the second light rail program. In the plan, the implementation of this project is linked to a corresponding development of the special building areas at the height of the roundabout.
• Establishment of an east-west axis from the clinic via Heinrichstrasse to Leumnitz: There is no route for the western branch, which is why it is only mentioned. The plan is to keep the route clear for the approximately 4.2 kilometer long eastern branch. This should branch off to the east at Zschochernplatz, lead up Altenburger Strasse to Strasse des Bergmanns, then swing south through Leumnitz towards the airfield, at the same level take the federal road over to the industrial park and then in a P + R facility east of Globus end up. In the plan, the implementation of this project is linked to a corresponding commercial and industrial development of the “Airport Area”.
• Linking lines 1 and 2 in Zwötzen: The aim is to close the gap between the Zwötzen train station on Lange Straße and the tram line 1 via a triangle at the level of the medical center. The aim is to reduce bus traffic and increase operational safety.

Freight transport

Between 1892 and 1963 and between 1982 and 1985 goods traffic was carried out on the Gera tram network.

Shortly after the opening of tram operations, the freight yard of the Prussian railway station (now the main train station) was connected via a freight track in August 1892. The wagons were hoisted on trestles and then driven by electric locomotives over the tram network to the factories near the track. In the beginning, the wagons of the Saxon Railway were also handled here. When this was no longer desired by the responsible Prussian Railway, the freight yard of the Saxon train station (today Südbahnhof) was also connected around 1896.

When the station of the narrow-gauge Gera-Meuselwitz-Wuitzer Railway was built around 1900/1901 in the south of the city near Pforten , the tracks were extended from the nearby Lindenthal depot (at today's Wintergarten) to the new Pfortener train station, where coal from now on , which was dismantled in the region around Meuselwitz, was handed over and then distributed to the factories in the urban area with electric locomotives.

As early as 1931, the connection to the Prussian freight yard was no longer necessary, and was shut down and partially dismantled. Further factories were continuously connected to the tram network until the 1950s. As the intensive tram traffic became more and more an obstacle to car traffic and in 1963 the last remaining locomotive had to be parked defective, it was decided to stop freight traffic. The rest was then a severe storm that completely destroyed the tracks in the Pfortener train station in 1969. The station was not rebuilt. The remaining connection at the southern freight yard was only used for loading trams onto freight trains.

In the early 1980s, the cut in oil imports from the Soviet Union prompted the WEMA works, on the orders of the GDR government, to organize transport between two sub-plants in the urban area by tram. For this purpose, a special operating track was laid in the Heinrichsbrücke area. Another operating track existed near the Zwötzen train station near today's depot. Freight traffic could only take place in the off-peak times after 9 p.m., but this was not compatible with the production processes in the plant. Traffic was only irregular and in 1985 it was completely stopped.

vehicles

Two KT4D double units, 1993

Tatra car KT4D on line 3 at the Südbahnhof

NGT8G in Leibnitzstrasse

An overview of the vehicles of the Gera tram (as of November 2006):

Vehicles in regular service

KT4D

( K urzgelenk- T railcars 4 -achsig D erm)

Between 1979 and 1990 Tatra multiple units of the type KT4D were procured, which by 1990 replaced all old multiple units of the types Lowa and Gotha. Some of these cars were from the 1950s. There were also numerous innovations in the second half of the 1990s. Between 1990 and 1998 only modernized KT4D cars were used for regular service, of which the GVB owned a total of 64 units from the years 1978 to 1990. In 2009, GVB owned 28 modernized KT4Ds, 24 of which are equipped with a chopper control . Another 6 KT4D were converted to KTNF8, one KT4D was returned to its original condition as a historic railway. Most of the rest were sold to Tallinn and Lemberg , some vehicles were also scrapped after accidents. KT4D with 4 × 40 kW are usually used in Gera in traction by two cars. The KT4D are integrated in the vehicle fleet under the numbers 3xx. Since April 2009 all KT4D / KTNF8 have ticket machines. Previously, the tickets always had to be purchased at stationary machines or in the sales outlets.

KTNF8

( K urzgelenk- T railcars N ieder f lur 8 -achsig)

In 1999, 2001 and 2003 six cars with road numbers 348 to 353 were converted to KTNF8 . These vehicles are longer and have a central section in low-floor construction, more powerful engines (4 × 54 kW) and a wheelchair ramp, as well as numerous technical changes. KTNF8 are used in Gera in traction with KT4DMC.

NGT8G

( N iederflur- G élénk t railcars 8 -achsig G era)

In 2006, parallel to the opening of tram line 1, six new NGT8G low-floor trams from Alstom were put into service, whereby after an optimization of the timetable on line 1, only five trams are required instead of six at the beginning, the sixth tram has been running mostly on line 2 since then which only needs one lane. Another six railways followed in a second delivery from December 2007 to April 2008. These cars generally run individually in Gera. With the arrival of the first car of the second delivery, it was decided to give the car names of personalities from the city. The first car was named Otto Dix in December 2007. Railways 201–203 were subsequently christened at the open house on July 10, 2010. The new cars are to replace old, not modernized KT4D on line 3 and increase the low-floor portion on the line. However, they cannot fully replace the KT4D traction, as the limited space in the new trams often reaches its limits at peak times. The NGT8G are integrated in the vehicle fleet under the numbers 2xx.

• 201 Berta Schäfer
• 202 Werner Simsohn
• 203 Auguste Zabel
• 206 Eduard Amthor
• 207 Otto Dix
• 208 Heinrich Posthumus
• 209 Otto Lummer
• 210 Clemens Weisker
• 211 Aenne Biermann
• 212 Thilo Schoder

Special vehicles

Historic railcars

Tram No. 29

Tram No. 12

Lowa railcar no.16 and Gotha sidecar no.248

GVB offers the following historical special vehicles:

• Historic railcar Gotha ET54 from 1958 No. 16 (ex 118 Zwickau)
• Historic MAN T2 railcar from 1928 No. 12
• Historic railcar MAN T2 from 1905 No. 29 (ex 25 Plauen)
• Historic sidecar Gotha B57 from 1959 No. 248 (ex 159 Jena)
• Historic railcar KT4D from 1983 No. 320

A set of railcars type Gotha T57 (built in 1960, No. 106 Ex Jena 106 Ex Gera 150) and sidecars type Gotha B57 (built in 1959 No. 159 Ex Jena 159 Ex Gera 248) were brought back to Gera from Jena. This type drove, usually with two sidecars, on the Gera route network until 1990.

These wagons do not run on scheduled services. They can be rented for private tours, take part in PR campaigns and sometimes go for a special “Hop on and off” price.

Party track

After a KT4D (ex B 4591 and before conversion 9366) with a special conversion was taken over from Berlin in 2002 (this car has a bar, disco technology, guest tables, small kitchen, toilet and offers 32 passengers space, the train could be booked for events), this mission ended in autumn 2012 due to a lack of support from the party track. On December 19, 2012 the vehicle was loaded with the destination Thuringian Forest Railway.

Sparrow Railway

In 2003, on the occasion of the international children's film festival Goldener Spatz, a KT4D (347II ex 304I) was converted into the Geraer Spatzenbahn . The Spatzenbahn has non-standard benches, tables, distorting mirrors, children's toys and an original driver's desk in the passenger area, which behaves according to the actual operation of the train. The Spatzenbahn runs on weekdays on line 3 and can be rented for private events.

Since July 2008, the 355 car has been converted into the new Spatzenbahn. Like its predecessor, it has various children's toys and a modernized driver's desk in the passenger area (with a display in the middle, as is usual with the KT4DMC). No distorting mirrors were used. In order to prevent vandalism, the car has a video surveillance system. This is indicated by pictograms on the doors. The 355 was initially used behind a KTNF8 in regular service and can still be rented for private events. Later other tractions were also used with the Spatzenbahn.

Work vehicles

The GVB owns the following work vehicles:

• Auxiliary equipment vehicles 339 and 340 are no longer used and were sold to Lemberg on May 19, 2008
• Snow plow car 151 (ex Stralsund 12)
• Rail grinding car 104 (T4D, ex Dresden 224 212, ex 224 038, ex 222 484)
• Auxiliary equipment vehicle 106 (T4D, ex Dresden 222 168 - converted into a bidirectional multiple unit for Gera in Prague by the local transport companies), recently used as a towing vehicle
• Tank truck 152 (B4D, ex Dresden 274 065, ex 272 819)

The tank truck 152 is regularly attached to the track maintenance car and irrigates the grass tracks of the new tram line 1. It was specially taken over from Dresden and converted for this purpose. The GVB also owned the driving school car 105 ex 311 (converted KT4D). This was sold in 2004 together with the old rail grinding car 104 (T4D, ex Dresden) to Liberec in the Czech Republic.

Future

The procurement of two NGT12G- (in the investment plan for local transportation from 2008 to 2012 for the years 2010 and 2011. Originally, N iederflur- G élénk t rubbed dare 12 -achsig G era) laid down vehicles. In the meantime, however, there are plans to gradually replace all Tatra trams with new low-floor vehicles from 2014, so that no further vehicles will be procured for the time being. It is also still unclear whether there will be more three-part traction vehicles with a sidecar or larger multi-part individual vehicles. The new vehicles must be designed for at least 200 people. In October 2009, for test purposes, an NGT8D and a sidecar, borrowed from Darmstadt, were used on line 3 to test sidecar operation under autumnal weather, as the route to Bieblach Ost with its 6% gradient is quite demanding.

In 2019, a Europe-wide tender was finally issued for the procurement of a total of twelve low-floor trams with a length of 30 meters, with the aim of phasing out the old Tatra vehicles of the type KT4D. In order to reduce the development costs for the individually manufactured low-floor trams, it is planned to commission the low-floor trams together with Thüringerwaldbahn and Straßenbahn Gotha GmbH. The investment volume per train is between 2.5 and 3.0 million euros. The first six low-floor trams should be delivered in Gera in 2021 and a further six low-floor trams in 2024. According to the current status, at least 6 new lifts are to be purchased by 2024.

See also

• Gera trolleybus

literature

• Author collective: Tram archive volume 4. Room Erfurt / Gera - Halle (Saale) / Dessau. Transpress VEB publishing house for transport, Berlin 1984, reprint 2006.
• Gerhard Bauer, Norbert Kuschinski: The trams in East Germany. Volume 2: Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia. Schweers + Wall publishing house, Aachen 1994.

Web links

Commons : Geraer Straßenbahn  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Website of the GVB Verkehrs- und Betriebsgesellschaft Gera mbH
• Information on GVB construction projects
• Former light rail program of the GVB ( Memento from March 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ PRO BAHN press release , March 3, 2008
2. ↑ GVB press release , April 2, 2014
3. ↑ Flyer Die Linie 4 ( Memento from March 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 3.6 MB) on the GVB Gera website (accessed on May 8, 2013)
4. ↑ Construction plans for tram line 4 to Langenberg on the GVB website (accessed on May 8, 2013)
5. ↑ http://www.jaffe-rae.de/index.php/home/
6. ↑ OTZ online report from October 5, 2016, accessed on October 9, 2016
7. ↑ http://www.drehscheibe-foren.de/foren/read.php?5,6200568
8. ↑ https://www.gera.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=224229&_lang=de