Amsterdam tram

Amsterdam tram
Tram in downtown Amsterdam
Basic information
Country	Netherlands
city	Amsterdam
opening	June 3, 1875
operator	GVB
Infrastructure
Route length	95 km
Track length	200 km
Gauge	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system	600 V DC overhead line
business
Lines	14th
vehicles	200
Current route network (as of spring 2019)

The Amsterdam tram is part of the local public transport system in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam . It is operated by the transport company GVB (until 2002 Gemeentevervoerbedrijf, German: "Städtischer Verkehrsbetrieb"), which also operates the metro, the city bus network and the ferry lines.

The track width of the tram is 1435 millimeters ( standard gauge ) and the overhead line voltage is 600 volts. Are suitable page turns, so with almost all end stations means vehicles can be driven. The only exception is Amstelveen Binnenhof, the terminus of line 5, which is why bidirectional vehicles run here .

A network of a total of 200 kilometers of track is used with 14 lines, with some sections only being used for operational trips. 200 vehicles are used on this, 24 of which are suitable for bidirectional operation on line 5 (as of 2016).

history

At the end of the 19th century, the Dam was the center of the horse-drawn trams.

On June 3, 1875, a tram vehicle operated for the first time in the city of Amsterdam. The horse-drawn tram opened by the Amsterdamsche Omnibus Maatschappij (AOM for short, “Amsterdamer Omnibus-Betriebe”) connected the Leidseplein with the Plantage district. In the 25 years that followed, 15 lines were opened, opening up the entire city center and the then new districts outside. A rarity was the track width of 1422 millimeters used by the AOM.

The Amsterdam Tram 2009, Line 13 at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal

Community tram

Car pulled by the bus to Sloten in Jacob Marisstraat, 1922

On January 1, 1900, the city took over the tram service. The name changed to Gemeentetram Amsterdam (GTA, "Amsterdam local tram"). A total of 242 vehicles, 758 horses and 15 buildings were taken over. At the same time, the electrification of the network began. By 1906, all lines except one with overhead lines were electrified and the track width was adjusted to 1,435 millimeters. 1906 operated twelve electric lines (1-11 and 13), for which 229 new electric railcars had been procured; the old horse-drawn carriages were used as sidecars . The last horse tram, line 12, was electrified in 1916. In 1921 Amsterdam received a horse-drawn tram again through the incorporation of Sloten . This line was operated with horse-drawn trams until 1925, which was pulled by an omnibus, after which the switch to bus operation followed.

Further development until 1945

A two-axle vehicle (built in 1929); this tram type was in operation until 1968

Logo of the GVB Amsterdam

Between 1910 and 1930, the network grew along with the city. Numerous new lines were established by 1931 when the network was the largest with 25 lines. In 1930 there were 445 railcars and 350 sidecars, all two-axle vehicles. From 1922 onwards, all of the carriages on the lines that passed the main train station were fitted with mailboxes . At the main station, the mailboxes were emptied by a post officer and their contents were brought to the main post office.

During the economic crisis in the 1930s, the network was restricted: in 1932 five lines disappeared. In order to save personnel, two railcars were experimentally combined with an intermediate piece to form a so-called twin car . This now four-axle railcar with a three-part car body with a floating middle section had twice the engine power compared to a train with a railcar and a trailer and only needed one conductor. In 1935 another twin car was created from two railcars with a slightly longer intermediate part.
From 1939 new connections to the eastern parts of the city could be created after the railway lines there had been relocated to viaducts.

During the Second World War the number of passengers increased; At the same time, the inadequate supply made itself felt. In 1943 the Gemeentetram merged with the Gemeenteveren ("community ferries ") to form the Gemeentevervoerbedrijf (GVB). Due to a shortage of coal, tram operations were shut down in October 1944, and a fifth of the cars were taken east by the German occupation forces to replace cars damaged in the war.

post war period

Three-axle open seating car 533 + 987 on the Electrische Museumtramlijn Amsterdam , at the Haarlemmermeer station. This tram type was in operation from 1948 to 1983

Amsterdam articulated tram in the initial paint scheme (gray) and double articulated tram in the yellow paint scheme that was used from the 1970s

Articulated vehicle (year of construction 1959) on the Ceintuurbaan. The car has the blue and white paint scheme that has been in use since the late 1990s. These cars were retired by 2004 and some of them were sold to Poznan .

In June 1945 the first trams drove through Amsterdam again. To replace the oldest cars - the cars and onwards 1902 went still - 60 motor coaches and 50 sidecar were as from 1948 Großraumwagen in equipment layout procured. These three-axle vehicles were manufactured by Werkspoor in Utrecht . After the reconstruction, the idea prevailed in the 1950s that buses would be better suited for modern traffic. Trams were only retained in Leidsestraat and Utrechtsestraat because these two streets were too narrow for buses. For this purpose, one-way articulated multiple units were procured from 1955 . The six-axle cars delivered in 1957 were a great success; this ensured the existence of the Amsterdam tram. 160 articulated wagons were procured up to 1968; from 1959 there were eight-axle double articulated wagons. In 1968, the last pre-war two-axle vehicles could be retired.

The postal service ended in 1971. In 1972/1973 the simple six-axle articulated railcars acquired at the end of the 1950s were extended to eight-axle double articulated cars with an additional middle section. The last three-axle vehicles were retired in 1983 after 35 years - a rather short time for Amsterdam trams; they had never been popular with the staff.

expansion

Yellow Amsterdam LHB tram (series 725-779). This type was in operation from 1974 to 2003. The line identification color yellow of line 3 can be seen in the display.

Train on Sneltram line 51 ( class S1 ) between Amsterdam Zuid and Boelelaan / VU, 1991

1980s LHB articulated tram (Series 780–816) on Europaplein in Amsterdam-Zuid. This type was in operation from 1979 to 2015.

Interior of an Amsterdam combo with a conductor's seat

After the tram was accepted again, newly created suburbs in the west of Amsterdam were connected to the network. So the most distant parts of Amsterdam got a quick connection with the Amsterdam city center . For this purpose, two series (55 and 37) trams were commissioned from Linke-Hoffmann-Busch (LHB) in Salzgitter in the 1970s . In order to replace the oldest articulated wagons and for new lines, 45 wagons were procured from BN in Bruges ( Belgium ) in 1989 and 1990 , which for the first time had a low-floor section. In 1990 connections to the neighboring cities of Amstelveen and Diemen were also put into operation.

The last major expansion since 2005 is line 26 to IJburg, which was built entirely on its own track . Partly for this and as a replacement for the cars from the 1950s and 1960s, 155 Combinos have been put into operation by Siemens since 2001 . In terms of numbers, Amsterdam has the largest series of Combinos in the world.

Line 25 was discontinued on December 15, 2013 after 83 years (1930-2013), now the section Victorieplein - President Kennedylaan is no longer used . The tracks were partially preserved, however, as the tracks serve as access to the Lekstraat depot .

Since March 2019, the line to Amstelveen has been converted from mixed operation of trams and "Sneltram" to pure tram operation. This ended the mixed operation of tram line 5 and express tram 51. Both shared the section between the stations De Boelelaan / VU and Oranjebaan. The stations served by both systems each had, one behind the other, a 30 m long underground platform for the tram and a 65 m long elevated platform for the Sneltram. The high-floor systems will now be dismantled and the route will be fully integrated into the tram network. This change is related to the planned widening of the A10 motorway in the area of the Zuid train station, to which the connection between the metro and tram networks is falling victim.

Freight transport

In spring 2007 two trams converted for freight traffic drove through Amsterdam on a trial basis . According to CityCargo and the City of Amsterdam, the attempt was successful; however, it did not operate as planned.

Current vehicle fleet

Bi-directional vehicles of the 11G series (years of construction 1989–1990) in the Amstelveen Binnenhof stump terminal
One-way car of the 12G series (years of construction 1990–1991)
Combino (class 13G, years of construction 2002–2004) on the newest Amsterdam tram line 26 to IJburg
One of the four Combinos in a bidirectional design (series 14G, built in 2002) on line 5
Combino (class 13G, years of construction 2002-2004) as line 14 on Rembrandtplein at night

The "Red Crosser" 3001 (ex 767) (Rote-Kreuz-Tram; LHB-Wagen)

De Red Crosser

Under the name De Red Crosser (German: "Der Rote Kreuzer"), the Dutch Red Cross ( Nederlandse Rode Kruis ) operated an articulated multiple unit of the Amsterdam tram equipped with various technical aids, with the disabled and chronically ill people as well as the elderly, single or Other people in need of assistance have been given city tours and visits to sights. The 8G series car supplied by the German company Linke-Hofmann-Busch was wheelchair accessible and had a lift, air conditioning and a toilet suitable for the disabled. It offered space for 20–39 people and, if booked in advance, ran six days a week. The operation ended in 2016.

Current line network

The line network was completely redesigned with the opening of the inner city tunnel of metro line 52 in July 2018.

Amsterdam is the only city in the Netherlands that still uses line identification colors to supplement the line number.

01 Osdorp De Aker (Matterhorn) - Lelylaan train station - Surinameplein - Leidseplein - Weesperplein - Oosterpark - Amsterdam Muiderpoort train station0
02 Nieuw Sloten (Oudenaardeplantsoen) - Hoofddorpplein - Leidseplein - Centraal Station0

In addition, two historical lines operate on Sundays from April to October:

20 Vijzelgracht → Leidseplein → Haarlemmermeerstation → Olympiaplein → De Pijp → Vijzelgracht ↔ Frederiksplein → Weesperplein → Waterlooplein → Frederiksplein0
30 Haarlemmermeer station - Amstelveen station - Bovenkerk station0

Relationship between metro and tram

There are currently transfer relationships between the Amsterdam Metro and the tram at 17 stations. There are many transfer options to metro line 50, which as a half-ring line intersects many tram routes on the main traffic axes. At some stations there is also the possibility to switch to the train. On the network map (at the top) you can also see the metro lines and transfer stations with the tram.

literature

HJA Duparc, JW Sluiter: Lijnen van gisteren. 100 jaar Amsterdams openbaar vervoer in foto's 1875–1975 . EJ Brill, Leiden 1975, ISBN 90-04-04192-3

WJM Leideritz: Van Paardentram naar Dubbelgelede . De Alk, Alkmaar 1979, ISBN 90-6013-904-6

Gerard Stoer: Spoor en tram materieel in Nederland . De Alk, Alkmaar 1982, ISBN 90-6013-916-X

Herman van't Hoogerhuijs: Trammaterieel in Nederland en België . De Alk, Alkmaar 1996, ISBN 90-6013-948-8

HJA Duparc: Lijnenloop Openbaar Vervoer Amsterdam 1839–1989 . Gemeentevervoerbedrijf, Amsterdam 1989, ISBN 90-901395-7-5

HJA Duparc: De Amsterdamse paardentrams . ( Series of books by the Nederlandse Vereniging van Belangstellenden in het Spoor en tramwegwezen (NVBS) , No. 29). Schuyt & Co, Haarlem 1997, ISBN 90-6097-455-7

B. Korthal's old things: Onze tram in Amsterdam . (Book series by the Nederlandse Vereniging van Belangstellenden in het Spoor en tramwegwezen (NVBS) , No. 33). Canaletto / Repro Holland, Alphen aan den Rijn 1999, ISBN 90-6469-744-2

HJA Duparc: Een Eeuw Electric Exploitatie van de tram in Amsterdam. HJA Duparc, Delft 2000, ISBN 90-901395-7-5

Web links

GVB Amsterdam
Geheugen van de Amsterdamse Tram (Dutch)
De Amsterdamse Tram (Dutch)
Electric Museumtramlijn Amsterdam (Haarlemmermeerstation) (Dutch and English)
Line colors (Dutch and English)
Photo's Amsterdamse Tram on Beeldbank Amsterdam by Stadsarchief Amsterdam
Photos of the tram in Amsterdam on public-transport.net

Individual evidence

↑ HJA Duparc, JW Sluiter: Lijnen van gisteren. 100 jaar Amsterdams openbaar vervoer in foto's 1875–1975 . EJ Brill, Leiden 1975, ISBN 90-04-04192-3 , pp. 106/107
^ Website on the history of the Amsterdam tram (Dutch), accessed December 7, 2010
↑ For more detailed descriptions see schomakers.net ( Memento of July 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (Dutch)

[1] HJA Duparc, JW Sluiter: Lijnen van gisteren. 100 jaar Amsterdams openbaar vervoer in foto's 1875–1975 . EJ Brill, Leiden 1975, ISBN 90-04-04192-3 , pp. 106/107

[2] Website on the history of the Amsterdam tram (Dutch), accessed December 7, 2010

[3] For more detailed descriptions see schomakers.net ( Memento of July 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (Dutch)