Innsbruck tram
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| Basic information | |
| Country | Austria |
| city | innsbruck |
| opening | July 1, 1891 |
| electrification | July 15, 1905 |
| operator | IVB |
| Transport network | VVT |
| Infrastructure | |
| Route length | 26.6 km (+18.2 km STB ) |
| Track length | 50.6 km (+19.0 km STB ) |
| Gauge | 1000 mm ( meter gauge ) |
| Power system | 900 V = |
| Operating mode | Bidirectional operation |
| Stops | 62 (+18 STB ) |
| Depots | 1 |
| business | |
| Lines | 1 • 2 • 3 • 5 • 6 (+ STB ) |
| Line length | 38.7 km (+20.8 km STB ) |
| Clock in the peak hours | 1 10 min • 2 7.5 min • 3 10 min • 5 15 min • 6 no traffic ( STB 30 min) |
| Clock in the SVZ | 1 15 min • 2 10 min • 3 10 min • 5 20/30 min • 6 60 min or no traffic ( STB 30 min) |
| vehicles | 32 Bombardier Flexity Outlook (incl. STB ; +20 in delivery / acceptance), 7 work vehicles, 38 nostalgic vehicles (incl. TMB ) |
| Top speed | 50 km / h |
| statistics | |
| Reference year | 2018 |
| Passengers | 11.5 million per year (+1.2 million STB ) |
| Mileage | 0.89 million km per year (+0.41 million STB ) |
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The Innsbruck tram has five lines on a meter-gauge network with a length of 19.5 kilometers. Electrical operation began in 1905. The Stubaitalbahn uses the tram network from its former terminus to the main station . The Innsbruck tram operator is the Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe und Stubaitalbahn GmbH .
history
The Innsbruck Local Railways - pioneers of the urban tram (1891–1904)
The local railway Innsbruck – Hall in Tirol (1891–1899)
With the southern railway from Kufstein to Brenner , the first railway reached Innsbruck in 1858. Even then it connected the cities of Innsbruck and Hall in Tyrol , but only a few times a day. That is why projects soon emerged to connect the two cities in other ways with a local railway . But just under 40 years would pass before that would happen.
Unlike many other tram companies, the city of Innsbruck preferred the construction of a steam tram to a horse-drawn tram . On September 18, 1889, Louis Hirsch, August Riedinger , Anton Prantl and Hermann Ritter von Schwind received a concession to build and operate a "local train to be operated with steam or other motor power" from Innsbruck to Hall in Tyrol, which included the lower town square in Hall the Südbahnhof (today's main station) in Innsbruck. In addition, a branch line to Bergisel was planned. The coach house should have been built in the Saggen district , but due to the rapid growth of the city, the required space was no longer available there. That is why the plan to run the line to the Südbahnhof was abandoned. Instead, the Bergisel was chosen as the terminus, as there was still enough space available for Remisen. The single-track, 12.1 km long route was opened on June 1, 1891 after two years of construction despite resistance from the city's population. The train ran from the Bergisel train station through the village of Wilten to downtown Innsbruck, along the Inn and through the Saggen on to the Chain Bridge, where it crossed the Inn on its own bridge. From there the route followed Haller Strasse to Hall.
The management was incumbent on the Actien-Gesellschaft Localbahn Innsbruck – Hall in Tirol (LBIHiT) founded in 1893 . Four steam locomotives , nine passenger cars and two freight cars were procured for operation. Within two years, the fleet was expanded with two identical locomotives and 19 identical wagons. The vehicles were given the road numbers 1–6 (locomotives) and 1–23 (passenger cars, including five open summer cars). At first the trains ran every hour . In 1900 the half-hourly service was introduced, which is why two more locomotives (company numbers 7–8) and six passenger cars (company numbers 24–29) had to be purchased. In addition to the Remisen at Bergiselbahnhof, there was also a two-room engine shed in Hall, where the last train to Hall stayed overnight.
The Innsbrucker Mittelgebirgsbahn (1900–1903)
Since summer tourism began to flourish in the Innsbruck low mountain range at the turn of the century , it should be connected to the city by train. The towns of Lans , Sistrans , Igls , Vill and Aldrans in particular attracted foreigners. Therefore, a runway was planned here too early on. On January 15, 1900, the city of Innsbruck finally received a concession to build a steam-powered local railway on the plateau of the low mountain range. The single-track, 8.4 km long line was opened on June 27 of the same year. This local railway, the Innsbrucker Mittelgebirgsbahn (IMB), also started at Bergisel and connected Innsbruck with the towns of Aldrans, Lans, Sistrans and Igls. Due to gradients of up to 46 per thousand , powerful steam locomotives had to be procured: three three-coupler steam locomotives (1-3) and twelve passenger cars (101-112) were acquired. The sidecars were identical to the closed cars on the local railway to Hall, while the locomotives were larger and more powerful. The LBIHiT was responsible for the management
The Stubai Valley Railway (1904)
In the small village of Fulpmes , located at the entrance to the Stubai Valley, there were a few small iron processing companies. That is why better transport links to the Stubai Valley had to be established. Since the Sillkraftwerk near Innsbruck was opened in 1903, there was enough power available for an electrically operated railway line. There were also initial plans for a tram in Innsbruck. So it was decided to build a local railway that would run from the Südbahnhof to Bergisel and then along Brennerstraße through the villages of Natters , Mutters , Kreith and Telfes to Fulpmes. This would have connected the Südbahnhof to the tram network and laid the foundation stone for the city tram; on the other hand, Fulpmes would have been developed in terms of transport. Since the AEG Union wanted to test the technology of AC motors and wanted to participate financially in the construction of the railway, the choice of the power system fell on single-phase alternating current at 42.5 Hertz . The local trains should run on the overland route between the Stubai Valley station at the foot of the Bergisel to Fulpmes with 2500 volts and on the route from the Südbahnhof to the Stubaital station the same as the tram with 600 volts. The public limited company Stubaital Bahn (AGSt.B) was founded. In 1903 the construction of the overland section began and it was opened on July 31, 1904. The operation was incumbent on the LBIHiT. However, the electricity system turned out to be immature, which is why there were numerous operational disruptions. For this reason, an operating voltage of 500 volts DC was chosen for the city , which made the Stubaitalbahn less attractive because there was now no connection to the Südbahnhof. In the years that followed, there were repeated plans to run the railway on its own route to the Südbahnhof, but these failed because of the company's poor financial situation.
Expansion of the local railway and construction of the city railway (1905-1914)
The light rail and the Saggen line (1905–1908)
On July 15, 1905, the LBIHiT finally opened the first tram line in Innsbruck, which was operated with 500 volts DC. The line, known as the "Stadtbahn", was single-track and 2.3 kilometers long. It led from the Südbahnhof to the Staatsbahnhof (today's Westbahnhof). A branch line led from the state train station over an iron bridge over the Arlbergbahn to the Bergisel train station. In the beginning, the operating hours were limited to the period between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Work on an extension was already underway before the tram opened. The Saggen district, which is currently under construction, was to be connected to the tram. The 1.7 kilometer “Saggenlinie” was planned for this purpose and opened on November 18, 1905. The line branched off from the Stadtbahn in Museumstrasse, followed the Südbahn viaduct to the Federal Railway Directorate and from there continued to Adolf-Pichler-Strasse (today's Conradstrasse). After the opening of the Saggen line, the Südbahnhof was no longer served directly. The railcars drove from the state train station directly into the Saggen.
A railcar that shuttled between Museumstrasse and Südbahnhof then formed the connection to it. To operate the lines, seven more two-axle electric multiple units were purchased from the Grazer Waggonfabrik for the Stadtbahn and three more for the opening of the Saggen line. These were added to the inventory with the company numbers 36–42 and 43–45. Since the number of passengers increased rapidly, some sidecars of the LBIHiT were used to reinforce the light rail. A train could be reinforced with up to three sidecars. Since the local railway urgently needed its sidecars themselves, four sidecars had to be procured as early as 1906, which were added to the inventory with the road numbers 61-64. In addition, two of the little-needed summer sidecars of the Localbahn were adapted for electrical operation on the light rail and thus received electrical lighting, a solenoid brake, electrical heaters and plug-in grids on the platforms.
The Hungerburgbahn was opened in September 1906 ; the Saggen line should have been extended to the valley station of the railway, but this plan initially failed because the road there was not yet completed. In addition, the city senate did not want to have two tracks in the same street, since the local train was already running through there. In view of the further expansion of the tram to Amras , the local railway company tried to obtain a concession for a route from Andreas-Hofer-Strasse through Maximilianstrasse to the Südbahnhof. In 1908 a new line was opened here and merged with the line that commuted between Museumstrasse and Südbahnhof. As early as 1907, two more railcars (road numbers 46 + 47) were ordered, which were identical to those of the Stadtbahn, in order to be able to serve this line.
The electrification of the local railway to Hall (1909–1911)
In 1909 the time had finally come for electrification work on the local railway to Hall to begin. At the same time, the route of the railway in Saggen was changed so that the local railway no longer drove through Falkstrasse, but through Kaiserjägerstrasse to Rennweg . This also made it possible to extend the Saggen line to the valley station of the Hungerburgbahn. Another track was laid from Andreas-Hofer-Strasse through Franz-Fischer-Strasse to Wiltener Platzl, in order to be able to bypass the railroad gates in Leopoldstrasse. In addition, a new line was opened, which should serve the route of the local railway in the city between the local trains. This line ran between the state train station and the Dollinger inn at the Chain Bridge. With the opening of this line, line numbers were also assigned to the individual lines. The Saggen line was given number 1, the newly opened line number 2, the line that served the Südbahnhof was given number 3, and the local line to Hall was given number 4. For the electrification of line 4, or as it is popularly known was now increasingly called, the "Haller" , eight four-axle railcars were ordered from the Grazer Waggonfabrik , which were given the road numbers 1–8 instead of the steam locomotives. Another six city railcars were ordered for line 2, which were given the road numbers 48–54 and had more powerful, so-called high-speed engines.
At the beginning of 1910, the electrification work on line 4 was completed. The last steam train ran on January 6, 1910, from then on it was operated with 1000 volts DC voltage . The 29 sidecars of the steam tram were converted for electrical operation. Due to the steadily increasing number of passengers, three-car trains were often to be found on Line 1.
The development of Pradl (1911–1914)
In 1911 detailed planning for the extension of line 3 to Amras was commissioned. From Museumstrasse, it should be led over the gas works bridge, through Defreggerstrasse and Pradler Strasse, along Amraserstrasse to Amras. However, the roads had not yet been completed in time, so that only the stretch to Pradl could be built for the time being. Although the newly built gas works bridge was dimensioned extra large for the operation of a tram, it turned out that the requirements had been underestimated during the planning, which is why it could only be passed by empty railcars. That is why a shuttle service was set up between the gasworks bridge and the terminus in Pradl on one side and the gasworks bridge Landesgericht (Maximilianstrasse) on the other. The bridge had to be crossed on foot. Four more city railcars with the road numbers 32-35 were bought for the operation of line 3. This was to be the last major delivery of new vehicles for Innsbruck for the next 50 years.
In 1911 a new numbering scheme was introduced for the vehicles. The railcars kept their previous operating numbers. The sidecars were numbered starting with 101, the Igler sidecars kept their number, then the Haller sidecars and finally the city sidecars were given the numbers. The freight cars all had to be renumbered. They got numbers in the 200 range. The vehicles of the Stubaitalbahn kept their numbers.
In 1912 the LBIHiT had four single-track lines, 31 railcars, 33 sidecars, six freight cars and a snow bend were available for operation. The IMB had three steam locomotives, twelve sidecars and five freight cars, the AGSt.B. over four railcars, six sidecars and 17 freight cars. In 1913 a new bridge was planned over the Sill next to the gas works bridge, so that line 3 could travel to Pradl without interruption. The bridge was completed in 1914. In 1914, the first line sections in the city were expanded for double-track operation.
The World Wars and the Interwar Period (1914–1945)
The First World War (1914-1918)
Although the transport numbers rose rapidly in the first years of the First World War , LBIHiT had to contend with a lack of spare parts and personnel as well as increasing financial difficulties. In 1914, so many local railway employees were drafted that operations on lines 2 and 3 had to be suspended for two months. From 1915, female drivers were even used for the first time. In that year a siding track was built at the Südbahnhof so that the wounded could be reloaded onto the local railway and then taken to the hospital distribution facility in Amras (today Conradkaserne) - to which line 3 was also extended in 1916. Also this year two spacious sidecars were bought by the local railway Lana-Meran . The increasing number of passengers and the decreasing number of trained staff led to constant improvisations, as spare parts became scarce. In 1918 the LBIHiT bought four steam locomotives from the Geneva tram in order to get the electric railcars free for the inner-city transport of the wounded. However, apart from a few test drives to Hall, they were never used because the war had ended before that.
The interwar period (1919–1938)
In 1919, despite financial bottlenecks, the expansion of the tram was already being considered. Line 3 was extended to Pradler Friedhof and some parts of the line were expanded to double tracks. At the end of 1920, line 2 had to be closed due to a lack of spare parts. From 1921, line 3 no longer ran to the cemetery, but only to the old terminus at Lindenhof in Pradl. The LBIHiT opened as number 0 designated downtown circular line on June 27, 1923 as the city government called for a permanent connection to the main station to the city center. However, since this line did not prove itself, it was abandoned two months later and other alternatives were sought. On May 1, 1924, line 0 was served again because no agreement on a meaningful project could be reached. But shortly afterwards the line was stopped again. In this year the Saggenschleife, which still exists today, was opened, so that line 1 no longer had to move at the terminus, but could pass through. In mid-1925, service was resumed on line 0, but this time with line number 5. In 1926, line 2 went back into operation for half a year before it was discontinued again due to insufficient traffic. Also this year the terminus of line 3 was relocated from the regional court to Wiltener Platzl. In the following years line 5 was operated as required.
Since the IMB had big financial problems in 1927, the city considered discontinuing the local railway, whereupon the LBIHiT bought the local railway. A year later, the LBIHiT equipped two sidecars taken over in 1917 from the Meran - Lana Local Railway ("Meraner") for use on the IMB . In 1929 the terminus of line 4 was moved from Bergisel to Wiltener Platzl. In 1930, right-hand traffic was introduced in Innsbruck , which made numerous expensive adjustments to the tracks necessary. In order to no longer have to operate line 5 in the summer of 1930 and 1931 and still be able to serve the station, line 1 was split in two. From Bergisel, the railcars with the line designation 1B drove towards the station. There the railcar had a short stop and changed the line signal to 1H. Then he drove through the Saggen and back to the train station to continue from there as 1B towards Bergisel. The account of the global economic crisis being dependents tourists attended in 1932 for the abolition of the reinforcing lines 1B and 1H. Trains only ran sporadically on line 5.
Since there had been plans for a long time to electrify the low mountain range, a Haller railcar was equipped with four engines in 1933 and tested on the mountain route of the Stubaitalbahn to Mutters. Direct current was fed in from Innsbruck for the test drive. As the test drive went to full satisfaction, preparations for the electrification of the IMB began. In 1935 another railcar was equipped with four new, more powerful engines. On June 18, electrical operation with 1000 volts DC was finally started at the IMB and it was added to the municipal numbering scheme with line number 6. For electrical operation, the Igler sidecars were equipped with electrical lighting and heating. In contrast to the Haller sidecars, they also got a solenoid brake. The two former Merano sidecars were no longer used for operation on the mountain route after electrification.
The Second World War (1939-1945)
The new construction of the Mühlauer Brücke was completed during the National Socialist era , making Rennweg an important entry and exit road . That is why the rails of the local railway to Hall were removed there in 1939. From then on, line 4 used the rails of line 1 to get to Mühlauer Brücke. In 1940 another Haller railcar was equipped with four more powerful engines for service to Igls. The engines that were freed in this way were installed in two other railcars, so that a total of five four-engine vehicles were now available. The removed rails from Rennweg were used for the double-track expansion of line 3 and its extension in 1941 to Rudolf-Greinz-Straße, where a turning loop was created. Also this year the Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe was founded with the involvement of LBIHiT and some local bus companies. During the Second World War there was a sharp increase in the number of transports. In 1941 and 1942 the number of passengers doubled to 14.5 million. The planned new acquisition of vehicles could not be carried out because the companies gave arms contracts higher priority. However, some spare parts were still delivered so that two twin-engine railcars of the local railway to Hall could be equipped with two more powerful engines each. In 1944, a vehicle originally intended for the Belgrade tram was delivered to Innsbruck due to the war. The large-capacity multiple unit manufactured by Breda from Milan was added to the inventory as number 60 and was very popular with drivers and passengers due to its modern equipment. During the war, line 6 was severely damaged by aerial bombs several times. The tram fleet also suffered from a lack of spare parts towards the end of the war, and a city railcar was converted into a sidecar. However, the majority of the vehicles were spared from bomb hits.
The reconstruction (1945-1960)
After the war, the destroyed sections of the route were gradually rebuilt, so that by the end of August 1945 all routes were open again. However, the vehicle fleet could only be made operational again in a makeshift manner. In 1947, Winterthur - the twin town of Hall - gave Hall a railcar. This passed the car on to the IVB . In 1949 new railcars were to be procured, which was not possible due to the lack of financial resources. In 1950, seven railcars from the Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe were bought in order to relieve the strain on the overused vehicle fleet. Since money for paint was scarce at first, they continued to drive through Innsbruck in the green Basel paint scheme for the first two years. In 1952 the IVB got two more railcars and three sidecars from Basel. In 1953, several railcars and sidecars of the right bank Thunerseebahn were bought. However, these did not prove to be suitable for operation on Line 4, so that the sidecars came to the Stubaitalbahn and the railcars were only used as shunting vehicles. In 1955 another four railcars could be procured from the Zurich transport company . The new vehicles gradually replaced the city railcars. The vehicles that were added were modernized, received compact couplings and, in some cases, rail brakes. The city sidecars and former Merano sidecars were also used together with the new vehicles.
In 1956 the concert bridge was completed, which is why the iron viaduct over the Arlbergbahn could be removed. Since there was no longer a railroad crossing in Leopoldstrasse, the line through Franz-Fischer-Strasse became superfluous and removed.
The dismantling (1960–1975)
In the 1960s, the IVB continued to modernize the vehicle fleet. In 1960, six Lohner in Duewag - license built Großraumwagen commissioned and henceforth referred to as number 61-66. To be a turning area for mover carriage to allow the Bergisel, one was in June 1960 Gleisdreieck built. In October of the same year, the Gleisdreieck was replaced by a loop. The connection between Bergiselbahnhof and Wiltener Platzl through Leopoldstrasse, which was no longer required, was removed, and line 4 now ran via the main station as the final stop. In 1964, the line from Leopoldstrasse to Wiltener Platzl was completely demolished, and line 3 also ran via the main station. In 1965 the tram network was expanded for the last time for the next 30 years. Line 3 was extended to the current terminus in Amras. With the purchase of seven articulated cars - classified as numbers 71-77 - in 1966 and 1967, the last light rail cars could be retired.
With a view to the second Olympic Games in Innsbruck in 1976 , line 4 as a tram was questioned. The Reichenau Bridge (since 1980: Grenobler Bridge) was to be renewed and Haller Straße expanded to four lanes, which would also have resulted in a major renovation of the Haller track systems. It was therefore decided to continue running the local railway as a bus route with immediate effect. On June 6, 1974 the last train ran on line 4. Line 4 was switched to bus operation on June 7 . Until it was discontinued, the Haller line was operated with the original railcars built in 1909 and the steam tram sidecar adapted for electrical operation. Railcars 1, 5, 7 and 8 were withdrawn, the three other railcars 2, 3 and 4 were finally assigned to line 6. Railcar 6 had already been parked because one of the bogies was needed as a spare part for railcar 3.
The modernization (1976-1983)
In 1976 the tram was on the verge of being discontinued after the 1976 general transport plan was presented. Because of the high cost of adapting all the track systems to the newly planned routes, the city administration considered replacing the tram with articulated buses . Line 6 and the Stubai Valley Railway should be discontinued due to the expansion of the motorway, as the original route should be led exactly through the depots. Ultimately, the city administration decided to finance the construction work for the line changes and thus for the maintenance of the tram. The adaptations were made in the summer of 1976. From October 14, 1976, the lines operated as follows:
- Line 1: Bergisel - Hungerburgbahn
- Line 3: Amras - city center - Amras
- Line 3/1: Bergisel - Amras ( HVZ amplifier in the morning)
- Line 6: Igls - Bergisel
Since the old coach houses at Bergiselbahnhof were no longer up to date and a press center for the Olympic Games was to be built near Bergisel, it was decided to design the press center in such a way that the Innsbruck public transport company could move there afterwards . In 1977 the IVB took possession of the new premises and part of the old Bergisel station was demolished. In 1976, eight used two-way railcars were also bought by the Hagen tram . Initially used on Line 1, they were converted for use on Line 6 over the next few years. After the purchase of the former Hagener, the last wooden box wagons were parked on the city lines in 1977. Only the ex-Zurich railcars 21 and 19 and the former Merano sidecar 147 remained in the inventory as a rail grinding car or as a Christmas car set.
As early as 1980 a new traffic concept was decided, according to which the tram should be expanded again. One line was to be built in the Olympic village and one in Reichenau. Line 4 was also to be rebuilt on another, more contemporary route. For this transport concept, six- and eight-axle articulated multiple units were purchased from Bielefeld and a large new tram hall was built in the new depot. In 1981 the old wooden box motor coaches on the Igler finally had their day, and from now on the Iglerbahn was served by former Hagen motor coaches. The last part of the old depot has now also been demolished. It was decided to convert the Stubaitalbahn, whose fleet has never been renewed since the beginning, to direct current and operate it with former Hagen railcars.
In 1983 the time had come when the old Stubaitalbahn ran for the last time. After a few days of conversion work, direct current operation could be started. From then on, the trains of the Stubaitalbahn no longer ended at the Stubaitalbahnhof, but at the main station. At this time, the Tiroler MuseumsBahnen , which found their accommodation in the halls and remises of the old Stubai Valley station, were founded.
In 1984 IVB wanted to buy back more former Hagen railcars from Belgrade in order to be able to extend line 6 to the Hungerburgbahn. However, since this attempt failed, the line was converted to a set-up multiple unit in 1985. The former Bielefeld railcars were used for this. The stops were also adapted for the facility operation (platforms on both sides) and right-hand traffic was introduced. Due to the low number of passengers, line 6 also became the first conductorless line in Innsbruck. The railcars of line 6 were integrated into the circulation of line 1, and every half hour a railcar started as line 6 at the Hungerburgbahn valley station, while the car coming from Igls was again integrated as line 1 in its circulation to the Hungerburg .
Modernism (1983-1999)
In 1986 the new transport concept was overturned and the city government decided to set up two trolleybus routes instead of the tram to the east of Innsbruck . Some trams that had already been ordered and paid for were then scrapped. The short wages were also taken out of service. At the beginning of the 1990s, new vehicles should have been procured for the Stubaitalbahn. However, this turned out to be too expensive, which is why the former Hagen railcars received a renewal from Bombardier in order to be adapted to the traffic volume and the current legal situation. In 1995 new rails were laid in Innsbruck for the first time in a long time. The second track in Museumstrasse was reinstalled and a loop across the market square was reopened. In 1996 line 6 was about to be closed again. However, due to a signature campaign among the population, funds could be made available for the line. As an incentive for the line, from now on two nostalgic trains operated daily with the old Igler railcars.
At the end of the 1990s, the discussion about the suspension of the tram in Innsbruck came up again. The maintenance of three systems (bus, train, trolley bus ) was considered too costly in the long run. Therefore it was considered to shut down either the trolleybus or the tram. Ultimately, the tram prevailed and a new regional train concept was decided.
Expansion within the framework of the tram concept and regional train concept (1999-2018)
Since the municipal council's decision in 1999 to further expand the tram and not to discontinue it, construction work and renovations have been carried out on an ongoing basis. In the summer, this often requires rail replacement traffic , as numerous track works are required because the new wagons are wider and are subject to greater wear and tear. For the first time since 1911, extensive work is being done on expanding the tram. Parts of the depot have also been renewed and adapted to modern standards.
The city of Innsbruck decided on the tram concept on September 18, 2001, the regional train concept, which was expanded to include suburban rail lines, on November 17, 2004. In 2004, the renovation of the main station forecourt was completed, with the points for the direct Stubaitalbahn connection and the tracks for the regional train were placed in the area of the main train station. New work cars (one work car and two freight wagons) were also purchased to relieve the almost 100 year old Hall car 2 and 3. In 2005, the tracks in Andreas-Hofer-Strasse and Anichstrasse were adapted for the new tram cars, as the new cars are 20 cm wider (2.4 m in total) than the old ones (2.2 m). The first stops for the new low-floor vehicles have also been adapted so that passengers can board without a difference in level for the first time. At the end of 2005, 22 new tram sets were ordered from Bombardier. In 2006, further stop adaptations and sewer shaft renovations were carried out due to the higher axle pressure of the new cars. At the beginning of 2007 the trolleybus operation in Innsbruck was stopped due to the upcoming conversion of line O to a tram. In 2007, in preparation for the new vehicles, almost all points were equipped with radio switch control, previously they were switched via overhead contact lines. Most of the remaining stops in the city network were also adapted for the low-floor cars in 2007.
Introduction of the low-floor tram
The first low-floor tram was delivered on October 17, 2007. In November 2007, one of the oldest continuously used track sections in Innsbruck in the northern Maria-Theresien-Straße was shut down. At the end of 2007, the city and country decided to expand the tram and regional trains in their final form, and carried out at the beginning of January 2008. At the beginning of July 2008 the first old vehicle from Innsbruck, railcar 53, was transported to Bielefeld. Eleven more vehicles were brought to tram operation in Arad in 2008/2009 and four city vehicles and five former Hagen vehicles were transferred to Lodz , leaving four Duewag articulated multiple units in Innsbruck for the time being. On March 11, 2008, the first newly delivered low-floor multiple unit was registered for Innsbruck, and on March 27, 2008, scheduled operation on Line 1 began. The STB line has been compressed to Kreith every 30 minutes since spring 2008 and accelerated by traffic lights at all major level crossings. As far as Fulpmes, there are only drives every 60 minutes. All old cars have been parked permanently since July 2009, and only low-floor cars are running on all lines. At the same time the voltage on all lines was increased to 900 volts. To do this, it was necessary to replace the transformers in the substations on lines 1, 3 and 6. In addition, the tram overhead line in the city center was connected in parallel with parts of the former O-bus overhead line and switched in parallel in order to obtain a higher conductor cross-section.
In 2010 the "heart" of the tram was tackled and the tracks at the intersection of Brunecker Straße with Museumstraße and Ingenieur-Etzel-Straße were swapped. In addition, Brunecker Strasse received a second track again. From mid-2010, measures were also taken in Anichstrasse and along the Universitätsbrücke to strengthen the canals for the expansion. Since the voltage increase to 900 V means that the braking current can only be fed back into the catenary network to a limited extent, the manufacturer equipped the railcar 301 with double-layer capacitors on a trial basis at the beginning of September 2010 . These take up the braking current and supply the motor with electricity again when the car starts up. This should lead to a power saving.
Expansion of line 3 and new technology line - Olympic Village
The construction of the first new line towards Hötting West should have started in July 2008. However, the start of construction was repeatedly postponed. The order for ten more Bombardier trams for line O was carried out at the beginning of January 2008. Since the beginning of 2010, the first expansion stage of the tram has finally been tackled. For this purpose, the tracks at the intersection on Brunecker Straße were swapped and, after almost 50 years, the second track was relocated in Brunecker Straße.
The expansion of the first new section for the extension of the tram began in 2011. The tracks were laid from the Bürgerstraße junction in Anichstraße and Blasius-Hueber-Straße to the northern side of the university bridge. This is the first time since 1974 that there are tram tracks on the north side of the Inn. Since the clinic crossing could not be completely blocked and a special mass-spring system had to be installed in front of the clinic for low noise development, the expansion here took a particularly long time. The two points for the junction into the Innrain in the direction of the market square at the clinic intersection have already been laid. In 2012, the tracks were laid in the section between the University Bridge to the west of the Mittenwaldbahn underpass. At the western end there is a turning system, so that operations up to the fifth grammar school could already be started at the end of 2012. The route was officially opened on December 14, 2012. Line 3 will serve the western branch of the new line until the entire route between Technik and O-Dorf has been completed, so that there is no need to introduce a separate line on the trunk section. At the same time as the expansion to the west, the terminus of line 3 was relocated from Amraserstraße to Philippine-Welser-Straße, thus extending the line by around 300 m to the east. At the same time, the municipal council decided that IVB should order ten more tram sets for line O and 12 sets for regional trains.
In 2013, the expansion of the tram to the west continued. The public transport route to Fischerhäuslweg has been built on the old cycle path along Kranebitter Allee . In order to gain the necessary space for this, the main carriageway for private transport was relocated two meters to the north, with some properties having to be expropriated. The canal construction work required for this section of the route began in part in 2012 and was completed by December 2013 in parallel with the construction of the railway line. Since the route is not to run in the south of Kranebitter Allee between Fischerhäuslweg and Technikerstraße, as originally planned, the tracks were only laid to just before Fischerhäuslweg and not to Vögelebichl, contrary to the original plans.
The expansion of the tram to the east also began in 2013. For this purpose, the gasworks bridge was renewed in 2012, as the tram will now run over the bridge on the edge and the supporting structure was not designed for this. The renovation of the structure was completed in 2013. In addition, the section between the current Sillpark stop and Defreggerstraße was rebuilt. A three-track station was put into operation at Leipziger Platz in September 2013, in which line 3 and the tram to the Olympic Village will be separated or merged in the future. This was created on the north side of Leipziger Platz, so that private transport no longer has to cross the tram tracks in Defreggerstrasse. The route of line 3 will later be led directly over Amraser Straße from Leipziger Platz, with which the track in Pradler Straße will be dismantled. As mentioned above, the gasworks bridge is driven on on the north side in the peripheral position, and only then does the tram swivel back to the old central position. During the renovation, the Sillpark stop was also modernized and upgraded for 60 m long double traction.
In 2014, the track structure between the terminus Höttinger Au / West and Vögelebichl was completed, and the canal works in Technikerstraße and Defreggerstraße, which were completed in 2015, have already started. In the same year the tracks were laid in Defreggerstraße between Pradler Straße and Langstraße, and in Technikerstraße between Kranebitter Allee and Viktor-Franz-Hess-Straße. The tracks in Luis-Zuegg-Strasse in the direction of the Peerhofsiedlung were also laid. The new state road between the airport and the old Kranebitter Allee was completed, so that construction work on the old Kranebitter Allee for the track structure could begin. Canal construction work was also carried out in Pembaurstrasse, Langstrasse and Reichenauer Strasse. On December 16, 2015, 20 new sets for the tram extension were ordered from Bombardier, with an option for a further 10 trams.
In June 2016, the track section on the Innrain was finally used for the first time. By the end of the year, the upgraded route in the west was completed all the way to the Peerhofsiedlung, so that the first test drive could take place in November. A few meters of track from the junction into Technikerstraße have already been laid so that the intersection with Viktor-Franz-Hess-Straße is no longer impaired for traffic for further construction work. In the east, the route between the Defreggerstrasse / Pradler Strasse intersection via Langstrasse and Pembaurstrasse to Reichenauer Strasse was completed. In the meantime, preparatory canal construction work took place in Reichenauer Strasse. The construction of the tram bridge parallel to the Grenobler Bridge began at the end of October in order to take advantage of the low water of the Inn. In the meantime work began on demolishing an old warehouse on Duilestrasse and building the new tram hall there. On the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Innsbruck tram, the Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe organized an open day together with the Tiroler MuseumsBahnen , during which around 2000 passengers could be transported in historical trains. After a seven-year break, the Christkindlbahn ran again on the Advent weekends, this time on behalf of the city of Innsbruck.
After preparatory sewer rehabilitation work had already been carried out in Reichenauer Strasse in 2016, the tracks were relocated from Pembaurstrasse to Radetzkystrasse, as well as the terminus in Josef-Kerschbaumer-Strasse, and the tracks from this to Schützenstrasse. The low water period of the Inn in the winter of 2016/2017 was used for the construction of the new tram bridge over the Inn along the Grenobler Bridge, so that the bridge in the lower part of the bridge could be opened for pedestrians and cyclists in the summer of 2017. The construction of the new tram hall on Duilestrasse began at the beginning of February, and it was officially put into operation with the Christmas party of the public transport company in December 2017. The siding of the hall was built from mid-April to the end of September. With the timetable change on December 10, 2017, line 3 was extended to Technik West / Peerhofsiedlung.
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The last construction phase of the tram expansion began with the closure of the section of line 3 through Pradler Strasse on March 5, 2018. On March 23, the route from Leipziger Platz through Amraserstrasse was opened. At the same time, the canal construction work began in the western Defreggerstrasse so that the last link to the new route could then be inserted. The construction work on the east branch was completed by the end of 2018. In order to be able to change the timetable with the opening of the route, this took place on January 26, 2019. The opening of the new branch was the day before. Lines 1 and 3 were converted to rail replacement services for track renovations. Despite a delay in delivery of the new vehicles (instead of 20, only 6 were delivered), lines 2 and 5 could be operated with rail vehicles. Until the completion of line 5, this should turn in the provisional terminus at the technology and in the Schützenstraße.
Expansion within the framework of the regional rail concept (2018-2022)
With the completion of the construction of tram line 2, the planning for the construction of tram line 5 began. A large part of this route no longer runs in Innsbruck city area. The planning in Rum envisages leading the train from the provisional terminus of line 5 along Schützenstrasse to Haller Strasse, crossing the street there and reaching the terminus at Rum station. In the direction of Völs, the railway is initially to be double-tracked from its current terminus near the technology, through the still-to-be-built settlement below Kranebitten to the main road. As of 2018, the decision to cross the federal road has not yet been finalized. To the south-east of the main road, the train is to be routed to Völs station with a switch.
Current developments and plans
Originally, further line branches to Allerheiligen and into the Peerhofsiedlung were to be built in 2018 and 2016, but due to local protests the branch to All Saints' Day was postponed in mid-2013 and in November 2013 a planning and construction stop for the branch in the Peerhofsiedlung was decided in the municipal council. Another line to Rum and Völs is to be completed in 2021 and 2023, which will connect the tram network to the local S-Bahn stations. This line is to be extended from Rum to Hall after 2022. Also after 2022, line 3 in Hötting is to be extended from Layrstraße via Fischnalerstraße and Mitterweg to the university sports facilities. Line 3 will then no longer serve the routes between Layrstraße and West Shopping Center.
Lines
Existing lines
The following section describes the existing tram lines, see also the IVB network map.
Line overview
| line | route | Hold | Cycle ( HVZ ) | length | Travel time | Outlet | ||
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| 1 | Bergisel - Market Square - Ing.-Etzel-Straße - Mühlauer Bridge | 18th | 10 min | 4.9 km | 20 min | 6 vehicles | ||
| 2 | J.-Kerschbaumer-Strasse - Leipziger Platz - Maria-Theresien-Strasse - Höttinger Au - technology | - Peerhofsiedlung | 29 | alternately
5/10 min |
15 minutes | 9.9 km | 34 min | 20 vehicles with line 5 |
| - Technology West | 27 | 15 minutes | 9.6 km | 32 min | ||||
| 3 | Amras - Leipziger Platz - Central Station - Market Square - Maria-Theresien-Straße - Leipziger Platz - Amras | 12 | 10 min | 4.8 km | 16 min | 5 vehicles | ||
| 5 | Schützenstraße - Leipziger Platz - Central Station - Höttinger Au - Technik West | 25th | 15 minutes | 11.2 km | 35 min | 20 vehicles with line 2 | ||
| 6th | Bergisel - Tantegert - Igls train station | 10 | no traffic | 8.4 km | 19/22 min | 1 vehicle | ||
| STB | Fulpmes , Telfes , Kreith , Mutters , Natters , market square, main station, Anichstr. | 32 | 30 min | 21.8 / 21.2 km | 63/ 61 min | 5 vehicles | ||
Line 1 - Bergisel to Mühlauer Brücke
Line 1 (formerly Stadtbahn or Saggenlinie) is the oldest line of the Innsbruck tram. It was opened electrified in 1905 and operated by the Innsbruck - Hall in Tirol local railway .
The line runs Monday to Saturday every 10 minutes and in the off-peak times and on Sundays and public holidays every 15 minutes, then with three courses with a cycle time of 45 minutes.
Routing
To mark the opening of the Stadtbahn, the route ran from the Südbahnhof stop (now the main train station), where there was also a platform to move, through Bahnstrasse (now Brunecker Strasse), through Museumstrasse to the siding in front of the museum. We continued through the moat into Maria-Theresien-Straße, where there was a three-track siding, as the local railway to Hall was also used here. We went through Anichstrasse and Bürgerstrasse past the regional court into Andreas-Hofer-Strasse. Shortly before the Staatsbahnhof stop (today Westbahnhof), which was also the final stop in the south of Andreas-Hofer-Straße, there was another switch point.
The Saggenlinie branched off at the crossing Bahnstraße / Museumstraße into Viaduktstraße (today Ing.-Etzel-Straße). She followed this to Klaudiastrasse (today Claudiastrasse), into which she turned. Via Klaudiaplatz (today Claudiaplatz ) she reached the final stop in Adolf-Pichler-Straße (today Conradstraße), where there was also a platform for moving. There was a pass in the Kapuzinergasse stop .
In the same year, the light rail was built around a connecting line from the state train station to the Bergisel train station. Starting from Bergisel, the railway followed Pastorstraße, from where the connecting track to the Stubaitalbahn and the loading track to the state train station branched off. Then the tram crossed the Arlbergbahn on a steel viaduct, before following Egger-Lienz-Straße into Andreas-Hofer-Straße.
These lines have been retained until today, apart from a few minor changes. The branch to the main train station was given up as early as 1905 and the train ran from Bergisel train station or the state train station to Saggen. In 1909, the route was extended from Conradstrasse to Falkstrasse. In 1914 Museumstrasse, Ing.-Etzel-Strasse and Anichstrasse were expanded to two tracks, and in 1919 Andreas-Hofer-Strasse and Bürgerstrasse were also expanded. In 1924, Claudiastraße was expanded to two tracks and a loop was built in Saggen, so that the railway now came back from Falkstraße through Erzherzog-Eugen-Straße and Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Straße to Claudiaplatz. In 1930, with the introduction of right-hand traffic, this loop was used in the opposite direction. In the summer of 1930/1931, line 1 was briefly divided into lines 1H (Saggen - Bahnhof) and 1B (Bahnhof - Bergisel), which served the station. In 1953 the iron viaduct over the Westbahn was dismantled, since from 1956 the tram ran over the newly built concert bridge.
In 1976 the line was roughly laid for the first time. The track for the westbound railways was removed from Museumstrasse. Therefore, the inner city ring had to be used from line 1. Driving from the Bergisel to the Saggen, the lines remained unchanged. Coming from Saggen, the train turned into Brunecker Strasse, drove over the main station, through Salurner Strasse and Maria-Theresien-Strasse to Anichstrasse, in order to follow its old route from there.
In 1995 a second track was laid in Museumstrasse and two tracks across the Marktgraben and Marktplatz in Bürgerstrasse. As a result, the route changed in both directions as follows: The train no longer turns off Bürgerstrasse into Anichstrasse, but continues along Bürgerstrasse to the market square. The route leads through the Marktgraben over the Burggraben into Museumstrasse, from where it turns into Ing.-Etzel-Strasse.
Line 3 - Amras to Anichstraße (Rathausgalerien)
The foundation stone for this line was laid in 1908, when the connection between the regional court and the southern train station was built. Line 3 was finally opened in 1911 to establish a connection to the Pradl district . Their final stop has been relocated again and again and so the line has been gradually extended to Amras . In November 2007, the track on the northern Maria-Theresien-Straße was closed and line 3 now runs across the market square. On October 26, 2012, the line was finally extended again by approx. 300 m in the direction of Amraser Dorferkern. On December 14, 2012, the extension of line 3 in the west to the grammar school in der Au was opened.
Line 3 has a minimum frequency of ten minutes. On Sundays and public holidays as well as during the off-peak times, the line runs every 15 minutes with a circulation time of 45 minutes and three vehicles.
Routing
In order to better connect the station to the Stadtbahn, a track was laid from the Südbahnhof in 1908 through Salurner Strasse and Maximilianstrasse, with the switch at the station being dismantled and a new switch built at the Adamgasse stop. In front of the regional court, the train ran on the north side of the street, while it then switched to the south side of Maximilianstrasse to make way for the stagecoaches in front of the main post office.
In 1911 it was finally decided to extend the railway to Amras. From Bahnstrasse she crossed under the Südbahnviadukt, followed the Rhombergpassage over the gas works bridge to Leipziger Platz. The line led through Defreggerstrasse and Pradler Strasse to the terminus in front of the Lindenhof, where there was also a track for moving. Due to the lack of a road, construction could not go further than Pradl.
From 1914, the tram no longer drove over the gas works bridge, as it was insufficiently dimensioned, but over a tram bridge north of the gas works bridge. In 1916 the route from Lindenhof through Pradler Strasse was provisionally extended to the hospital distribution facility (today Conrad barracks), and in 1919 even to the Pradler cemetery. The Italian occupiers approved the use of the existing route, but prohibited getting on or off the sick bay. However, the Lindengasse became the regular terminus again in 1921 and the remaining route to the cemetery was removed. In 1926 a new switch was installed at the Triumphpforte, so that one could turn from Salurner Strasse into Leopoldstrasse, which had been double-tracked since 1914. So the last stop of line 3 was moved from the regional court to Wiltener Platzl. In 1941, line 3 in Amras was expanded to double tracks and extended to Rudolf-Greinz-Straße, where a loop was built.
On December 31, 1964, the line in Leopoldgasse was closed. Therefore, from January 1, 1965, line 3, coming from Pradl, ran through Museumstrasse over the moat into Maria-Theresien-Strasse and from there through Salurner Strasse to the main station, from which it led back to Pradl through Brunecker Strasse . In mid-1965, the extension of the line to Amras was built, where the terminus is still today.
With the removal of the westward track in Museumstrasse in 1976, line 3 traveled the loop across the station in the opposite direction. The line has kept this route to this day.
Only during the new construction of the main station between 2002 and 2004 was line 3 coming from Amras through Museumstrasse (in which a westward track has been laid in the meantime) over Burggraben, Marktgraben and Marktplatz into Bürgerstrasse, and from there through Anichstraße back to Maria-Theresien-Straße, from where it followed the normal route again.
Since November 5, 2007, the line no longer runs through the northern Maria-Theresien-Strasse, it turns first into the Anichstrasse and then runs through the Bürgerstrasse to the market square and drives through the Marktgraben, from where it follows its traditional route. The track in the northern Maria-Theresien-Straße was closed. The points were bolted and the overhead line was dismantled. In mid-November 2007, the tracks were paved in until the end of the European Football Championship in 2008 , and no construction sites were wanted in the city center during the major event. Then the tracks were finally removed in the course of the road redesign.
In mid-2008, the construction of an extension of line 3 from Anichstraße by about 5 kilometers to the north-west of Hötting began. Until the completion of a new tram line, which is to replace the bus line O, line 3 will serve its western part, and after completion of the first construction phase and again after the entire route has gone into operation, it will already be at the “Höttinger Au” stop near the train station Hötting will end. A later extension to the south-west of Hötting as a replacement for the western branch of bus route R is being considered, but has not yet been politically decided.
In the summer of 2012, the turning loop in Amras was dismantled and the terminus was relocated to Philippine-Welser-Straße, where the line ends in a stump end stop while extending the route. The extension went into operation on October 26, 2012. On December 14, 2012, the extension of line 3 to Höttinger Au was officially opened. Since December 15, 2012, line 3 has been running on schedule over Anichstrasse, Universitätsbrücke and Höttinger Au to Kranebitter Allee, where it turns when it passes under the Mittenwaldbahn and takes the same route back. Instead of the previous line, line 3 is no longer coming from Anichstraße via Bürgerstraße, Marktplatz and Museumsstraße back to Amras, but via Maria-Theresien-Straße, Salurnerstraße and the main train station, which eliminates the loop through the city center.
Since December 10, 2017, line 3 no longer ends in the Höttinger Au, but serves the two future stops of line 2 Peerhofsiedlung and Technik West. The route leads from the Höttinger Au, south of the Kranebitter Allee to Fischerhäuslweg, where the track changes to the former main road north of the new Kranebitter Allee. Viktor-Franz-Hess-Straße is reached via Technikerstraße. One line branch follows Technikerstraße to Technik West, while the other leads through Viktor-Franz-Hess-Straße, Karl-Innerebner-Straße and Peerhofstraße to the Peerhofsiedlung. In the evening, every second train turns counterclockwise via the inner city ring Museumstraße – Bürgerstraße – Anichstraße – Hauptbahnhof, as line O will run in parallel until the end of 2018.
On March 23, 2018, the stretch between Leipziger Platz and Roseggerstrasse through Amraserstrasse was opened, making the "Scharfe Eck" a thing of the past after 107 years. The route on line 3 will be shortened by around 150 meters. The Defreggerstraße and Roseggerstraße stops have been closed, but a new stop has been opened at Sonnpark. With the opening of lines 2 and 5, the extension of line 3 to the west was withdrawn. Since then it has only been going into the city center, just as it did between October and December 2012.
Line 6 - Bergisel to Igls
Line 6 (Innsbrucker Mittelgebirgsbahn) was built in 1900 by the city of Innsbruck. LBIHiT was responsible for operational management . In 1936 the steam-powered line was electrified. In the 1920s, the local railway Innsbruck - Hall in Tirol took over the company.
Starting at the terminus of line 1 Bergisel , the line meanders through the woods above Innsbruck to the low mountain range and on to the Innsbruck district of Igls.
Line STB - Hauptbahnhof to Fulpmes
The Stubaitalbahn was built in 1904 as a local railway by the corporation of the same name (AGStB). The LBIHiT was responsible for the management. It was operated with single-phase alternating current from the beginning until 1983, making it the first railway worldwide to operate with this electricity system. In 1983 the railway was switched to direct current and has since used the routes of lines 1 and 3 in the city to reach the new terminus at the main station. The IVB and Stubaitalbahn AG merged in 1997 to public transportation services and Stubaitalbahn GmbH , with which the Stubtaitalbahn was finally an integral part of the transport services.
Starting from the Stubai Valley station at the foot of the Bergisel, the railway meanders to the plateau of the western low mountain range, from where it leads to the main town of the Stubai Valley - Fulpmes . In contrast to line 6, which now has the status of a regional tram, the Stubaitalbahn is still operated as a branch line. Built to primarily take over the transport of goods to the small iron industry in Fulpmes, today the railway is only used for passenger transport, and here to a large extent for tourist purposes.
Former lines
Line 2 - State train station to Mühlau
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Line 2 Wilten - Mühlau |
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| opening | 5th November 1909 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The local railway to Hall was electrified in two sections from 1909 to 1910. The first section concerned the inner-city part from Bergiselbahnhof via Leopoldstrasse, Maria-Theresien-Strasse and Marktgraben, along the Inn to the Dollinger Inn in Mühlau. This area was also operated with 500 V DC, while the overland route was operated with 1000 V DC. Since the inner-city area was also much more dense, they wanted to set up a 7½-minute cycle from Wiltener Platzl to Gasthof Dollinger. Line 2 was therefore introduced with city railcars between the trains of the Localbahn - which ran every 30 minutes. Line 2 was opened on November 5, 1909.
With the outbreak of World War I, however, line 2 had to be temporarily closed on August 1, 1914 due to a lack of staff. It was soon reopened, but had to be closed again in 1917 due to the lack of spare parts and the resulting railcar shortage. The line was reopened in 1919, only to be discontinued a year later because too few passengers were using the service. At the urging of the owner of Schloss Büchsenhausen , who was a shareholder of the Localbahn, the line was reopened on March 1, 1926. However, the railcar always followed the local train, which is why it was never particularly busy. Therefore the line was stopped again on May 5th, but this time for good.
Routing
The terminus of line 2 was at the state train station, where the terminus of line 1 was also located. Via Andreas-Hofer-Strasse and Franz-Fischer-Strasse, the train then reached Wiltener Platzl, from where line 2 shared the LBIHiT tracks . The Marktgraben was reached through Leopoldstrasse and Maria-Theresien-Strasse, from where the line went over Herzog-Otto-Ufer and Rennweg into Karl-Kapferer-Strasse and Siebererstrasse. The line finally reached the Gasthof Dollinger through Falkstraße and over the local railway bridge over the Inn.
After the Saggenschleife was built in 1924, line 2 turned from Falkstrasse into Kaiserjägerstrasse and continued over Rennweg to the Mühlauer Brücke.
Line 4 - Innsbruck to Hall i. T.
The local train Innsbruck – Hall i. Tyrol was the cornerstone for the tram in Innsbruck. It was opened in 1891 and ran from Wilten, through Innsbruck, Mühlau , Arzl , Rum and Thaur to Hall in Tirol. It was operated by the company of the same name, which later also operated the Innsbruck tram network. In 1941 the Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe emerged from this company and some bus operators. On June 8, 1974, the track was abandoned starting at the Mühlauer Bridge and the line has been operated since then in the rail replacement service on a slightly changed route.
Line 0 / Line 5 - inner city ring
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Line 0 / Line 5 inner city ring |
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| opening | June 1923 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Both the local train to Hall and the inner-city tram lines connected the main station to the city center only very poorly in the early 1920s. That is why the city demanded that a permanent tram connection should be opened between Maria-Theresien-Straße and the main train station. That is why the LBIHiT opened the round line 0 (zero) in 1923 . However, the line was discontinued on August 15th due to insufficient demand.
A solution was sought to connect the station with a new line that would also open up the districts that were not yet connected. However, no agreement was reached here, so line 0 was reopened on May 1, 1924, but was only served over the summer season. In the following year, line 0 was operated as line 5 between May 29 and September 20, as well as during the autumn fair. In the following years line 5 was operated as required. In order to connect the station all year round, it was decided in 1929 to operate line 5 as a circular line from the beginning of May to the end of October and to set up a shuttle service only between the main station and Maria-Theresien-Straße during the winter months. In August of the same year the line was even extended to the Westbahnhof. From September, however, the line was back to normal. In mid-September, operations were limited on the route between the main train station and Museumstrasse. In the years 1930 and 1931, line 5 was not run in the summer, but instead lines 1H and 1B (see line 1 ). Line 5 was then suspended.
Routing
Starting from the main station, the line 0 railcars drove through Salurner Strasse, past the Triumphpforte through Maximilianstrasse to the regional court. There they turned into Bürgerstraße, from where they got to Maria-Theresien-Straße via Anichstraße. From there, the line continued along the moat into Museumstrasse and from there through Brunecker Strasse back to the main station.
In August 1929, line 5 was extended to the Westbahnhof. To do this, she turned into Andreas-Hofer-Strasse at the regional court and followed it to the end, where the Westbahnhof is located. From there she drove back down Andreas-Hofer-Strasse to get to Bürgerstrasse, from where she continued to follow the usual route.
Vehicle fleet
32 line vehicles are available to operate the route. Furthermore, the Innsbruck tram has 7 work vehicles (including two-way vehicles) and 38 nostalgic vehicles (including the vehicles of the Tiroler MuseumsBahnen and vehicles that have been parked inoperable and decommissioned). The Stubaitalbahn is a certain exception, as it is a railway and not a tram on the overland route, but it uses the Innsbruck tram network to get to the main station. That is why the vehicles used on the Stubaitalbahn differ slightly from the pure city trains. The vehicles, which mainly travel on the low mountain range, are adapted to the needs of the overland route (e.g. pneumatic horn instead of normal horn).
Unrealized projects
In 1908 the villages of Mühlau, Arzl, Rum, Thaur and Absam considered whether they should also build a local railway from St. Nikolaus via the villages to Hall. Since the LBIHiT saw competition for their local railway here, they tried to obtain a pre-license, which they also received, with which the project was never realized. The LBIHiT received 1909 the permit for preliminary work of a web should serve Maria Hilf and St. Nicholas, starting from the stop Innbrücke.
In 1914 there was a plan to build a branch track up to the Landestheater, starting from the track on Rennweg, in order to spare the theater guests the trip to Museumstrasse in the evening. At that time, thought was also given to better connecting the Innrain and Mentlberg to the tram network. The line was supposed to run from the Südbahnhof, through Landhausstrasse (today's Meraner Strasse), on through Maria-Theresien-Strasse and through Anichstrasse, over Höttingerstrasse and Völser Strasse (now Innrain), to Peterbrünnlschranken.
At the beginning of the 1980s, the Innsbruck city government wanted to rebuild the local railway to Hall, which was discontinued in 1974, and to add a line to the tram network to the Olympic Village and Reichenau. However, in 1986 this project was canceled, whereupon the lines were initially operated with trolleybuses.
There have always been plans for the Stubaitalbahn to run it directly from the main train station to the Stubaitalbahnhof in order to save passengers from the city having to change trains or later to save them the detour through the center. As early as 1929, it was planned to run the railway along the route of the Federal Railroad. However, this was thwarted by the stock market crash. When the Bundesbahn was to be relocated at the beginning of the 1950s, the Stubai Valley Railway should have been run on the old railway line to the main station. However, until 1956 the number of passengers sank so much that this project was abandoned. In the course of the regional railway expansion at the beginning of the 2000s, the railway was again to be led directly along the concert curve to the main station. During the renovation of the main station, the necessary switches were even installed. However, this project has been postponed for the time being due to resistance from the neighbors.
In the course of the regional railway project and in view of the European Football Championship in 2008, Line 1 should have been extended from Bergiselbahnhof to the Tivoli Stadium. However, this project was dropped before the contract was signed.
Passenger numbers
After opening, the tram in Innsbruck was quickly adopted by the population. New vehicles had to be ordered after just one year in order to cope with the transport volume, and in the first year vehicles were borrowed from LBIHiT . This trend lasted until the beginning of the First World War.
If the number of passengers fell at the beginning of the First World War due to a lack of staff, they rose again soon afterwards, as women provided the staff and public transport was the cheapest means of transport in times of scarcity of raw materials. In addition, the wounded had to be transported by train. Even after the World War, the train was the most important means of transport in Innsbruck. It was not until the mid-1920s that the bus companies expanded their lines significantly. As a result, the local and trams also lost passengers. The IMB was threatened with recruitment for the first time in 1927 and was sold by the city to the LBIHiT .
In the mid-1930s, the number of passengers dropped enormously due to the recent global economic crisis and the thousand-mark block . It was only after Austria was annexed to Germany in 1938 that passenger numbers rose rapidly again. Innsbruck was a popular recreational area, and the towns around Innsbruck were well-known health resorts (for example the climatic health resort Igls and the salt bath Hall). In 1940 new vehicles were ordered for the tram, but could not be delivered because of the shortage of materials. Nevertheless, in the first years of the war there was a rapid increase in passenger numbers. Towards the end of the war, the bombing raids on Innsbruck and the lack of spare parts made themselves felt, so that passenger traffic could only be maintained to a limited extent.
After the Second World War, the number of passengers stayed low for the time being, as motorized individual transport became more and more important; The vehicle fleet in Innsbruck was also not particularly inviting, as most of the vehicles were now 50 to 70 years old. It was only the modernization of the tram from 1976 that led to a rethink in Innsbruck, so that passenger numbers rose again.
At the beginning of the 1990s, the number of tram passengers fell steadily, as many destinations in Innsbruck can be reached by car and the resulting traffic obstructions reduce the attractiveness of public transport. With a new transport concept at the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, the passenger numbers of the transport companies could be increased again, but the number of parallel routes of buses and trains continued to reduce the number of passengers on the tram, as the route of the tram had hardly changed since its inception they often lead more slowly to their destination than the parallel bus routes or drive to areas that are now less populated.
Rates
A route-independent flat rate currently applies to all lines of the Innsbruck tram. It is 2.40 euros in advance and 3.00 euros when buying a ticket in the vehicle. Reduced tickets (children, young people, pensioners) are 60 cents cheaper. Eight-trip, 24-hour, weekly, monthly and annual tickets are also available. The exception to this is the Stubaitalbahn, which leaves the city's tariff zone from Sonnenburgerhof. Until then, however, tickets for the city center can be used. Although line 6 leaves the core zone (i.e. the inner-city Innsbruck tariff zone), the core zone tariff applies to the entire line, as the terminus is again in the (administrative) urban area.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d OpenStreetMap openstreetmap.org , as of January 25, 2018
- ↑ a b IVB line timetables , as of January 25, 2019
- ↑ IVB: General Report Tram / Bus . 2018 ( ivb.at [PDF]).
- ^ IVB: Annual Report . 2018 ( ivb.at [PDF]).
- ^ Walter Krobot, Josef Otto Slezak, Hans Sternhart: Schmalspurig durch Österreich. Verlag Josef Otto Slezak, Vienna 1975, p. 57.
- ^ Wolfgang Kaiser: Trams in Austria. Geramond Verlag, Landsberg 2004, pp. 172-174.
- ↑ Leo Woerl : Illustrated guide through the provincial capital Innsbruck and the surrounding area (Stubai Valley, Igls, Hall etc.) as well as for the Brenner Railway from Innsbruck to Sterzing along with the most rewarding excursions into the Oetztal, Stubai and Zillertal Alps. (= Woerl's travel manuals). 14th edition. Woerl, Leipzig 1910, supplement
- ^ Kaiser, pp. 174/175.
- ↑ Licensed buildings with a short head. In: Tram magazine . March 2019, p. 48.
- ^ Kaiser, p. 184.
- ↑ Kaiser, S. 184/185.
- ^ IVB line 3: Big celebration for the inauguration. (No longer available online.) Innsbruck Informed, archived from the original on February 2, 2014 ; accessed on February 2, 2014 .
- ↑ Kranebitter Allee: New state road finished earlier. In: Tiroler Tageszeitung Online - News from now! October 5, 2015, accessed March 19, 2020 .
- ↑ Trams and regional trains ordered. In: Land Tirol. December 16, 2015, accessed September 26, 2016 .
- ↑ Project description line 3 ( Memento from October 16, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Route network map IVB 2019 (PDF; 2.5 MB)
- ^ Walter Kreutz: Trams, buses and cable cars from Innsbruck. 2nd Edition. Steiger-Verlag, Innsbruck 1991, ISBN 3-85423-008-7 , p. 298 f.
- ↑ Overview of tickets. Retrieved July 6, 2019 .
literature
- W. Duschk, W. Pramstaller and others: Local and trams in old Tyrol . Self-published by Tiroler MuseumsBahnen , Innsbruck 2008, DNB 106754755X .
- Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe AG (ed.), Bernhard Mazegger, Eduard Ehringer: 100 years of trams in Innsbruck 1891 - 1991; 50 years of Innsbruck's public transport company 1941 - 1991 . Self-published by IVB, Innsbruck 1991.
- Wolfgang Kaiser: Trams in Austria . Geramond Verlag, Landsberg 2004, ISBN 3-7654-7198-4 .
- Walter Kreutz: Trams, buses and cable cars from Innsbruck . Haymon-Verlag, Innsbruck 2011, ISBN 978-3-85218-649-8 .
- Walter Kreutz, W. Pramstaller, W. Duschk: 100 Years of Electrical in Innsbruck . Self-published by Tiroler MuseumsBahnen, Innsbruck 2005.
- Walter Kreutz: Trams, buses and cable cars from Innsbruck. 2nd Edition. Steiger-Verlag, Innsbruck 1991, ISBN 3-85423-008-7 .
- Walter Krobot, Josef Otto Slezak, Hans Sternhart: Narrow gauge through Austria. 4th edition. Verlag Josef Otto Slezak, Vienna 1991, ISBN 3-85416-095-X .
Web links
- Innsbruck transport company
- Tyrolean Museum Railways
- List of vehicles received
- Public transport in Austria - network maps of the Innsbruck tram
- Further network plans for the Innsbruck tram, planning details for regional trains
- Announcement, Innsbrucker Nachrichten (from July 15, 1905)
- From town and country - Die Elektro, Innsbrucker Nachrichten (from July 17, 1905)
Railways (standard gauge), in operation: Kufstein – Innsbruck | Innsbruck – Verona | Innsbruck – Bludenz | Innsbruck – Garmisch-Partenkirchen | Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Reutte – Kempten | Innsbruck bypass | not carried out: Landeck – Mals | under construction / planning: Grafing – Innsbruck (HLS) | Brenner base tunnel
Railways (narrow gauge), in operation: Innsbruck – Fulpmes | Innsbruck – Igls (today part of the Innsbruck tram) | Jenbach – Mayrhofen (Zillertal Railway) | Kiefersfelden – Wachtl | set: Kufstein – Schwoich
Trams, in operation: Innsbruck tram | (Narrow gauge), discontinued: Innsbruck – Hall iT
Cogwheel and funicular railways: Jenbach – Seespitz | Hungerburgbahn | Old Hungerburgbahn | Kaiser Maximilian Panorama Railway | Olympic track
| Active tram companies | ||
| Former tram companies |
Baden • Dornbirn-Lustenau • Ebelsberg – St. Florian • Klagenfurt • Salzburg • St. Pölten • Unterach – See • Ybbs |
|
| Subway |
