Nuremberg tram

This article deals with today's Nuremberg tram and its development since 1981. For the history before 1981 see Nuremberg-Fürther tram .

Nuremberg tram
Tram of the type GT8N as line 8 towards Erlenstegen at the main station (2012)
Basic information
Country	Germany
city	Nuremberg
opening	August 25, 1881 ( horse-drawn tram ) May 2, 1896 ( electric )
operator	Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg
Transport network	Transport association for the greater Nuremberg area
Infrastructure
Route length	38.4 km
Formerly the largest route	73 km
Gauge	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system	600 V DC voltage via single-arm pantograph
Stops	78
Depots	1
business
Lines	5
Clock in the peak hours	10 min, 5 min (line 4)
Clock in the SVZ	20 min
vehicles	14 GT6N 26 GT8N 8 GTV6
Top speed	60 km / h
statistics
Passengers	39,125,000 (as of 2008)
Geographic network map

The Nuremberg tram is operated by the Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg (VAG) and is the third rail-based local transport in Nuremberg , alongside the S-Bahn and the U-Bahn . In 2008 it carried 39.152 million passengers on a route network of 38 kilometers with six lines.

Until June 20, 1981, the tram operation was also responsible for the network in the neighboring city of Fürth and operated under the name “ Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn ” until that time .

Line network

and display information about the image

Tram line in Nuremberg

	line	route	Stops	Length in km	Travel time in min	Average speed in km / h	Cycle in min
							Mon to Fri							Sat			So
							05 00 - 06 00	06 00 - 06 30	06 30 - 09 00	09 00 - 12 00	12 00 - 18 30	18 30 - 20 30	20 30 - 00 30	05 00 - 08 00	08 00 - 20 00	20 00 - 00 30	05 00 - 09 00	09 00 - 00 30
		Gibitzenhof - Am Wegfeld	19th	8.3	28	17.8	10	7½	5	10	5	10	20th	20th	10	20th	20th	20th
		Gibitzenhof -Dianaplatz-Alemannenstraße-Brehmstraße- Landgrabenstraße - Steinbühl -Kohlenhof- Plärrer -Obere Turnstraße- Hallertor - Tiergärtnertor - Friedrich-Ebert-Platz -Juvenellstraße-Bucher Straße / Nordring - Thon -Cuxhavener Straße-Schleswiger Straße-Bamberger Straße- Am Wegfeld
		Tiergarten - Worzeldorfer Strasse	26th	11.7	30th	23.4	10	10	10	10	10	10	20th	20th	10	20th	20th	20th
		Tiergarten -Siedlerstraße-Balthasar-Neumann-Straße- Mögeldorf -Lechnerstraße- Business Tower -Marthastraße-Norikerstraße- Dürrenhof - Marientunnel - Central Station -Celtisplatz- Aufseßplatz - Christ Church -Humboldtstraße-Schuckertstraße-Siemensstraße-Lothringer Straße- Frankenstraße -Trafowerk- Am Rangierbahnhof - Finken - Südfriedhof -Saarbrückener Strasse- Worzeldorfer Strasse
		Documentation Center - Westfriedhof	22nd	8.3	30th	16.6	10	10	10	10	10	10	20th	20th	10	20th	20th	20th
		Doku-Center - Dutzendteich -aviator road-Immelmann road-Scharrerstraße- Peter Church -Harsdörfferplatz- Schweiggerstraße -Hummelsteiner way- Aufseßplatz - Christ Church -Heyne Street - Country grave road - Steinbühl -Kohlenhof- Plärrer -Upper Turnstraße- Hallertor -Hallerstraße- St. John's Cemetery -July Street- West Cemetery
		Central station - Tristanstrasse	6th	2.8	8th	21st	20th	20th	20th	20th	20th	20th	30th	-	20th	30th	-	30th
		Main station - Marientunnel -Scheurlstraße- Schweiggerstraße - Wodanstraße - Tristanstraße
		Documentation center - Erlenstegen	21st	7.5	27	16.8	10	10	10	10	10	10	20th	20th	10	20th	20th	20th
		Documentation Center - Luitpoldhain - Meistersingerhalle -Place of the Victims of Fascism-Holzgartenstrasse- Wodanstrasse - Schweiggerstrasse -Scheurlstrasse- Marientunnel - Central Station -Marientor- Wöhrder Wiese - Rathenauplatz -Stresemannplatz-Deichslerstrasse-Tauroggenstrasse-Tafelhalle- Ostbahnhof -Thumenberger Erlenstegen -Platnersberg-

Note: the stations shown in bold in the line mark the final stops and transfer stations to other tram lines

Gibitzenhof - Am Wegfeld

Line 4 starts at the Gibitzenhof stop between Heistersteg and Löffelholzstraße. From there it passes over the Diana- and Gibitzenhofstraße to the junction with the grave road and where it meets the line 6. Together with it, it performs the Steinbühler tunnel to stop Steinbühl (with connections to the train-lines S1 and S2 ) and then through Steinbühler Straße to Plärrer . From the island of stops in the middle of the Plärrer, where you can change to the subway, you go via Dennerstraße and Spittlertor- and Westtorgraben to the Hallertor stop , after which line 6 branches off towards Westfriedhof. Line 4 runs along Neutorgraben and Bucher Straße to the Friedrich-Ebert-Platz stop , crosses Ringstraße ( B 4 R ) and reaches the Thon stop in the middle of Erlanger Straße ( B 4 ) . This is located southwest of the confluence with Forchheimer Straße. The route then continues in the middle of Erlanger Straße, crosses Erlanger Straße and reaches the final stop at Am Wegfeld . This has a bus station with the bus routes to Knoblauchsland, to the airport and to Erlangen .

Junction Pillenreuther Strasse / Wölckernstrasse

Tiergarten - Worzeldorfer Strasse

From the turning loop in Tiergarten , line 5 first runs through the forest to the west and from the confluence with Falterstraße on Schmausenbuckstraße. After crossing under the Nuremberg – Schwandorf railway line , the line reaches Mögeldorfer Plärrer and the Mögeldorf stop , where you can change to the S1 to Hartmannshof . You continue on Ostendstrasse past the Nürnberger Versicherung business tower and Lake Wöhrder with the Norikus . Via Kressengartenstrasse and Dürrenhofstrasse, line 5 reaches the Dürrenhof stop , where you can change to the S1 to Lauf and the S2 to Altdorf . Via Bahnhofstrasse, line 5 reaches the Marientunnel stop , where it meets line 8 and takes it to the station square. At the Hauptbahnhof stop there , you can change to the U, S and R trains. Then it runs through the new line on the northern Pillenreuther Straße past Celtisplatz to Aufseßplatz . Then it leads over Christ Church and Frankenstrasse past the depot and the south cemetery to the final stop at Worzeldorfer Strasse.

Aufseßplatz stop (2008)

Documentation Center - Westfriedhof

Line 6 starts at the Doku-Zentrum stop after the line change with line 8 from Erlenstegen . It initially runs along Bayernstraße, crosses it and reaches the Dutzendteich stop , where you can change to the S2 to Altdorf . Through Dutzendteichstrasse and further on Regensburger Strasse, the line leads past the Federal Employment Agency and the St. Peter historic tram depot and reaches the Schweiggerstrasse stop through Harsdörfferstrasse and Schweiggerstrasse . This is located at the intersection of Allersberger Strasse, Schweiggerstrasse and Wölckernstrasse. Line 6 continues through Wölckernstrasse to the Aufseßplatz stop , where you can change to the subway and line 6 meets line 5, and to the Christuskirche stop , where the two lines separate again. Via Landgrabenstraße 6 reaches the stop with the same name at the junction with Gibitzenhofstraße and meets line 4, with which it has the same route via the stops Steinbühl and Plärrer to Hallertor . After the Hallertor stop , line 6 turns west and runs through Johannisstrasse to the Westfriedhof terminus .

Central station - Tristanstrasse

Central station stop

Starting from the Wendeschleife Hauptbahnhof , via Marientunnel and Scheurlstraße, you will reach the Schweiggerstraße stop. Continue on Allersberger Straße, via Wodanstraße you will reach the final stop Tristanstraße. The operating route to Bayernstraße may not be operated for safety reasons.

Documentation center - Erlenstegen

After the line change from line 6 to line 8 at the documentation center via the Nazi party rally grounds , line 8 runs along the street “An der Ehrenhalle” and on Schultheißallee and Wodanstraße to Allersberger Straße and meets line 7 there the Schweiggerstraße stop, where you can change to line 6. First continue through Allersberger Straße, then line 8 turns right into Scheurlstraße, then leads through the Marientunnel to Bahnhofstraße and together with line 5 to the Hauptbahnhof stop , where you can change to the R-, S- and U-Bahn. Via Königstor-, Marientor- and Laufertorgraben, line 8 reaches Rathenauplatz and runs through Sulzbacher Straße and Äußere Sulzbacher Straße ( B 14 ) to the final stop Erlenstegen .

Three GT8N trams on the way to the Heinrich-Alfes-Straße depot (2004)

Trips to the depot

Since the timetable change on December 9, 2018 all the rides that as a goal to be depot Heinrich-Alfes-Straße have, and thus at the station Frankenstraße end, as a line D , respectively. Previously, the journeys were made under the line number corresponding to the starting point.

Vehicle fleet

The Nuremberg tram uses tracks with a gauge of 1435 mm and receives its driving voltage of 600 V direct current via pantographs from an overhead line . All vehicles are located in the Heinrich-Alfes-Straße depot.

Type N8

Vehicle data N8
	Manufacturer	DUEWAG , MAN , Siemens
	length	26.08 m
	width	2.3 m
	height	3.23 m
	Empty weight	35.3 t
	power	250 kW
	Sitting / standing room	50/96
	Company numbers	361-372

The tram cars of type N8S-Nf (originally N6S) have been retired since 2011. Except for the museum car 363 that remained in Nuremberg , they were handed over to Krakow , where they are still in use in a modernized form.

They were appointed in 1975 together with Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahnen AG , Essener Verkehrs-AG and the companies of the city of Mülheim an der Ruhr . It was actually planned to shut down the tram network by the year 2000, which is why the articulated trains of the type GT6 (300 series) procured up to 1966 should be the last newly procured vehicles. However, the subway construction was delayed, so that the planned schedule could not be adhered to and the 300 series would have had to be retired before the subway would have made it dispensable. The delays freed up funds for unneeded underground trains that were used to purchase the N6S trams.

The delivery of the twelve trains took place on October 25, 1975 with the delivery of car 361, commissioning was completed on July 29, 1977 with car 372. Although the Nuremberg tram network had had reversing loops at all terminals since the 1970s, bidirectional vehicles were procured with the type N6S, as the VAG was considering creating stump terminals next to a newly opened subway section and the new cars there would be an advantage would be. The plans were ultimately not pursued any further.

Between October 1985 and January 1986, two trains were 363 and 365 for Munich on loan, as there in 1984 in the City Council a change of government had taken place. The new city leaders spoke out in favor of keeping the tram and wanted to present the population with a contemporary tram.

Over the years, various modifications have been made to the vehicles, the most noticeable today are the covering of the steps on the left-hand side in the direction of travel (1986) and the extension to three-part units (N8S-Nf) by installing a low-floor middle section (1992 ).

Because the wagons were over 30 years old and the drive and control technology was further developed, the procurement of spare parts was only possible, if at all, at great expense. Therefore, VAG decided to replace the vehicles with the Stadler Variobahn . The N8 cars were not scrapped, but given to the local transport company as part of the city partnership with Krakow . Of the ten cars originally available, cars 364, 366 and 367 were handed over in 2006, car 368 in 2008, car 362, 365, 369 and 371 in 2009 and cars 361, 370 and 372 in 2011. Railcar 363 has remained in Nuremberg as a museum vehicle.

Type GT6N

Vehicle data GT6N
	Manufacturer	Adtranz , Siemens
	length	27.39 m
	width	2.3 m
	height	3.29 m
	Empty weight	29.5 t
	power	360 kW
	Sitting / standing room	61/96
	Company numbers	1001-1014

With the decision to maintain and expand the tram network as well as the renewal of the vehicle fleet, VAG ordered 14 three-part GT6N trams from Adtranz (previously MAN-GHH) in 1994 . This marked the first real generation change in the history of the transport company after 1929, as they were the first 100% low-floor vehicles in series.

The delivery of the vehicles called “CityBahn” began on September 3, 1995 with car 1001, which was put into operation on October 25 of the same year. All cars were in passenger service until mid-1996.

For the successor to the GT6N, the GT8N2, a new type of double-joint construction with kink protection between the second and third parts of the vehicle was developed, which should be tested before the vehicles are constructed. For this purpose, GT6N car 1010 was transferred to the Adtranz factory in Nuremberg on March 4, 1997, in order to exchange the middle section for the test vehicle (two middle sections with double joints). The return of the "Erlkönig" to the Nuremberg route network took place on July 16, 1997, where it was tested until the beginning of November. The prototype was then transferred to Munich, as the Munich municipal utilities also wanted to order the GT8N2, and tested in the local network from November 18, 1997 to December 11, 1997. After the train was returned to Nuremberg, it was subjected to another series of tests and in the summer of 1998 it was restored to its three-part original state. To increase passenger safety, all cars are to be equipped with video surveillance and for passenger information with a TFT monitor.

All vehicles are to undergo a fundamental redesign between 2016 and 2022 at Iftec, a joint venture between Siemens AG and Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe, and Vosslohe Kiepe . Except for the paintwork that is planned in Munich, the work is to be carried out in Leipzig.

Type GT8N

Vehicle data GT8N
	Manufacturer	Adtranz, Siemens
	length	36.58 m
	width	2.3 m
	height	3.31 m
	Empty weight	40.4 t
	power	480 kW
	Sitting / standing room	73/145
	Company numbers	1101-1126

After the GT6N vehicles delivered in 1995 had insufficient capacity for some sections of the route, it made sense to purchase the GT8N type extended by an intermediate car (as used by the Bremen tram ) together with the Munich transport company .

Since there are track combinations in both the Nuremberg and Munich networks that a normal GT8N cannot safely travel through due to its design, the vehicle was completely redesigned based on the GT6N and named GT8N2. The double joint with anti-kink protection between the second and third car parts developed for this purpose was tested in 1997 in the converted GT6N car 1010 of the VAG. After successfully testing the components, VAG ordered 26 vehicles from Adtranz, which differ from their predecessors in terms of the joint design and the use of new materials for the vehicle body and a modified interior layout with more legroom for passengers.

After the first wagons were delivered in March 1999, the “CityBahnen” have been in regular service since July 26, 1999. Contrary to their series designation GT8N2, the vehicles are referred to in Nuremberg as GT8N analogous to the GT6N. Like the GT6N, the GT8N are currently being retrofitted with cameras and a passenger information system.

In the streetcar Munich the GT8N2 be as Series R 3.3 used.

All vehicles are to undergo a fundamental redesign between 2016 and 2022 at Iftec, a joint venture between Siemens AG and Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe, and Vosslohe Kiepe . Except for the paintwork that is planned in Munich, the work is to be carried out in Leipzig.

Type GTV6

Vehicle data GTV6
	Manufacturer	ABB , Stadler Rail
	length	33.94 m
	width	2.3 m
	height	3.35 m
	Empty weight	40.2 t
	power	360 kW
	Sitting / standing room	75/147
	Company numbers	1201-1208

After the N8 light rail cars are now over 30 years old and both maintenance and the procurement of spare parts are associated with high financial outlay, VAG endeavored to replace the vehicles from 2004 onwards. Since a new edition of the existing GT8N trains would not have been economical even with a joint order with Stadtwerke München , the two transport companies decided to buy the Variobahn from Stadler . In the summer of 2005, VAG placed an order for six vehicles with an option for five more. In order to test the suitability of the vehicles ordered on the Nuremberg route network, the identical Variobahn was loaned from Duisburger Verkehrs AG between October 18 and November 17, 2005 . In April 2006 the delivery of six - by two vehicles from the option - was increased to eight for the future tram network. By the notation GTV6 ( G élénk t railcars V ariobahn with six axes). The articulated vehicles are made up of five parts, of which the first, third and fifth wagon parts accommodate the chassis and the second and fourth wagon parts are designed as sedan chairs. It is driven by water-cooled wheel hub motors on the first and last chassis. The vehicle shell and the roof consist of GRP parts, which are glued to the car body made of stainless steel sheet parts . The vehicle interior corresponds to the floor, the seating and the handrails that of the types GT6N and GT8N and differs only in the light gray interior walls. A TFT monitor for passenger information and eight video cameras for interior monitoring are installed in the vehicle as standard.

The first Variobahn was delivered on October 26, 2007 and presented to the public a month later; the remaining seven vehicles were to follow on a monthly basis by summer 2008. After defects in the braking systems of cars 1201 and 1202 had been found and these faults had already been rectified at the factory in the following vehicles, their delivery was delayed. All eight Variobahns ordered have now been delivered, one of which is being repaired by Stadler. On November 26, 2008, the new trams began to be used in passenger traffic. On July 19, 2010, the vehicles were temporarily withdrawn from passenger service due to registration problems; since December 12, 2010, they have been registered again for passenger traffic on Line 8, shortly afterwards the vehicles were put on the network after encounter bans had been set up, Approved for the entire rail network.

Special vehicles

A16 rail grinding car in the Heinrich-Alfes-Straße depot

The Nuremberg tram has several work cars that are not used for passenger transport, but z. B. serve the maintenance of the track systems. These vehicles include the following:

• Rail grinding car A16
• A17 rail grinding car (loan from Hanover, ÜSTRA TW 808)
• 1 rail cleaning vehicle
• 1 emergency vehicle
• 1 Unimog
• 2 tower cars

Some of these work vehicles can travel both by rail and by road, so they are road-rail vehicles .

In addition, a “party tram” with the car number TW 334 is in operation. It was used in Krakow from 2012–2015 and was rebuilt in Nuremberg. It is open to the general public and for individual private and company celebrations under the heading “Extra Tour” and is advertised as the “largest party limousine in town”.

Infrastructure

Line and track network

Today the network of the Nuremberg tram is 38.6 km long. Of these, 17.37 km (45%) have their own railway structure and 21.13 km (55%) are flush with the road . With the exception of the Doku-Zentrum stop , where vehicles change between lines 6 and 8, all end points are designed as turning loops . The route section Rathenauplatz - Stadtpark (formerly Messehalle) / Friedrich-Ebert-Platz (formerly Archivstraße) as well as the loops Christ Church, Dutzendteich, Mögeldorf, Plärrer, Trafowerk and Scharrerstraße (Peterskirche) are not (anymore) used in normal regular service. The route from the main train station through the Allersberg tunnel to the junction with Scheurlstrasse cannot be used until around 2020 due to construction work.

The track width of the track is today throughout the network 1435. Until the 1990s, the track width was only 1432 mm. The standard gauge was only set by the city council's resolution to maintain and modernize the vehicle fleet . The track spacing for the open- plan cars ( T4 and GT6 ) has been at least 2.7 m since the conversion . The superstructure consists of covered grooved rails in the subgrade in stone pavement or mastic asphalt , on the sections with their own track body there are the variants gravel or grass track . The types of Vignole rails R 6 and grooved rails Ri 60 are used as rails.

Stops

In the Nuremberg tram network there are 78 stops or 156 directional stops that are served in regular service. Of these, 38 are designed as an island in the middle of the lane, 29 as a dynamic stop , 9 on the side of the road and 80 as completely separated from individual traffic . Between 1999 and 2008, as far as possible, all stop islands were rebuilt to be barrier-free . H. the platform was raised to a maximum of 25 cm above the top of the rails and provided with guide strips for the blind. At key interchanges one since 2006 Dynamic Passenger Information System (DFIS) installed.

Depots

The depots Fürther Straße , Muggenhof , Nordost and Schweinau , which were still in operation in 1981 and have since been closed , are described in the article Nuremberg-Fürth Tram ; Today's tram museum under the historic tram depot Nuremberg .

Heinrich-Alfes-Strasse depot

The Heinrich-Alfes-Straße depot is the most modern and now the only depot of the Nuremberg tram. Considerations for its construction began at the end of the 1990s after the continued existence of the network was secured by the city council resolution of October 12, 1994. In addition, the previous locations, some of which were almost 100 years old, Maximilianstrasse, Muggenhof and Nordost were no longer optimally equipped for the low-floor vehicles that had been purchased since 1995 and, due to the partly historical building fabric, could only have been converted accordingly with a high financial outlay. Therefore, a new location was sought which, on the one hand, should be large enough for the desired concentration of all operating facilities relevant to the tram and, on the other hand, should be close to the existing route network. Finally, a 68,200 m² site on the site of the former Trafo-Union on Katzwanger Strasse was selected, which met the specified criteria and, thanks to its favorable location on the south branch of line 5 (Christ Church - Worzeldorfer Strasse), with a short operating distance to the existing network could be connected.

The planning for the 17,000 m² and 50.5 million  euro expensive first construction phase, which included the main workshop (main and operations workshop), car hall, administration building and track systems (connection to the route network and depot bypass) began in October 1998. The construction work itself took place between April 2001 and July 2003, the depot was opened on July 7, 2003. In the south of the area is the 16-track wagon hall, in which a maximum of 52 trains and the special rail vehicles can be parked. As a special feature, a 90 kW photovoltaic system is installed on the roof of the car hall . There is a connection via a stump track to the advertising workshop to the east of the depot, which is responsible for putting advertising on the trams. To the north of the wagon hall is the entry building for the driving staff, in between there is an open area to expand the wagon hall by another four tracks. In the west of the area, the main workshop was built, which is divided into a company workshop, main workshop and an administration building. The workshop has a total of four continuous tracks, three of which are designed for overhaul and repair and one as a washing track for the vehicles used in operation. This is followed by the three-story administration building with workshops (locksmith's shop, butcher shop, etc.) on the ground floor, a warehouse in the basement and social rooms for employees on the upper floors. To the west of this is the six-track main workshop, where major repairs such as accident damage and vehicle renewals as well as the mandatory inspections are carried out. A total of three tracks in the east of the hall are available for deadline work and inspections of the vehicles, two of which are equipped with work pits and roof work stands and one with a lifting system. Two further tracks are used to repair accident damage to the vehicles; these are structurally separated to avoid a reaction when machining steel or aluminum and in turn are divided into a locksmith and a painting area. The work station with an underfloor profiling machine is located in the western part of the hall. In order to optimize the operational processes within the depot, a “depot management system” (BMS) has been installed, which is responsible for coordinating the use of vehicles.

On the as yet undeveloped 15,000 m² open space within the depot bypass, a new location was created for the "Fahrweg" center (track and contact line construction), which until then had been located in the former Maximilianstrasse track construction site. Work for this began in February 2009 and resulted in construction costs of around 8.2 million euros. A vehicle hall with a siding for the special vehicles was built north of the existing wagon hall. The machine hall for the track construction was built to the east of the workshop, followed by the track construction site with a siding in the north. To the west and south-east of this is the main building with workshops, warehouse and social rooms. A carport is available southeast of the main building for road transport vehicles . The inauguration took place on March 15, 2010.

Maximilianstrasse track construction site

In 1920, a track construction workshop was set up within the Fürther Strasse auxiliary plant east of the wagon hall so that the necessary work in the track network could be carried out on one's own. The location was relocated to a site north of the auxiliary plant in 1927, a new track construction site was created, which was expanded again and again in the following years. It was completely destroyed by the air raid on February 21, 1945 and rebuilt between 1953 and 1956 in connection with the renovation of the Fürther Straße auxiliary plant . After the meantime as a depot Maximilianstrasse called secondary work Fürther Straße was abandoned May 19, 2004, sections of track were in the former Wagenhallen.

On March 24, 2010, the division, now known as Center Fahrweg, moved to the premises of the Heinrich-Alfes-Straße depot. The old location was abandoned, the halls demolished and the floor renovated. Since 2016, the new criminal justice center has been built here as an extension of the Palace of Justice and the new building of fire station 1 . Both construction projects should be completed by the end of 2019.

Control center

The tram control center is located together with the subway and bus control center in the VAG building complex on Fürther Straße . In it, the train operation is monitored and the organization of replacement traffic in the event of operational disruptions is organized and the passenger information for the DFIS is controlled.

history

This section deals with the history of tram operations from the time the routes to and in Fürth were closed in 1981. For the history before this point in time, see also:

→ Main article : Nuremberg-Fürth tram

Network thinning through the construction of the subway

Tram network 1981

After the network of the Nuremberg-Fürth tram had been gradually dismantled with the underground construction that began in 1967, what was probably the most drastic shutdown followed on June 20, 1981. With the opening of the underground line to Eberhardshof , tram operation from Plärrer through Fürther Straße to Fürth and in Fürth a few weeks before the 100th tram anniversary was discontinued, so that from then on tram operation was restricted to the urban area of ​​Nuremberg extended. The next major shutdown took place one day after the opening of the second Nuremberg subway line on January 29, 1984, when tram traffic on the lines from Plärrer to Gustav-Adolf-Strasse and to Schweinau ceased and the Schweinau ancillary plant for the tram was shut down has been. Just two years later, on February 16, 1986, the routes along the Ring from Plärrer to the main train station , from the opera house through Tafelfeldstrasse to Christ Church and from Zeltnerstrasse to Kohlenhof had to give way to the construction work that began on the northern part of the U2. The last route was the connection from Rennweg via the north-east station to Ziegelstein on January 28, 1996 with the opening of the U2 to Herrnhütte , the operating route to the north-east depot remained in place until March 5, 2001. The stretch to the Wendeschleife at the city park remained, however.

All of the line closures were initially accepted indifferently by the population, the only exception being the protest against the planned cessation of tram traffic in the garden city in the early 1970s. It was not until the end of the 1980s that initial resistance arose, as the two underground lines planned to date in the Nuremberg city area were nearing completion and it was time to decide on the construction of the third planned line.

Intraplan - the future of the tram

Tram network 1992

The Nuremberg city council was aware of this dilemma and in the early 1990s commissioned the “Integrated Public Transport Planning Nuremberg” report from the engineering office Intraplan to answer the questions

• further underground railway expansion and shutdown of the tram,
• further underground railway expansion and maintenance / expansion of the tram network or
• no further underground expansion and maintenance / expansion of the tram network

to find an answer. The expert opinion advocated the second option, and so the Nuremberg City Council decided on October 12, 1994 to maintain and expand the tram network in its current form, to renew the rolling stock and track systems and to accelerate tram operation by giving priority to traffic lights and by marking the lane. The first steps towards this were taken in 1992 with the installation of a low-floor section in the N6S light rail vehicles and, from 1995, with the procurement of the GT6N and GT8N2 low-floor vehicles and the barrier-free conversion of the bus stop systems. The following network extensions were planned at that time:

• Light rail to Erlangen and to Kornburg
• Connection main station - Pillenreuther Straße - Wölckernstraße
• Connection Gibitzenhof - Minervastraße - Finkenbrunn

Tram network 2007

After the continued existence of the tram was assured, planning began in the late 1990s for a new main workshop on the site of the former Trafo-Union in Katzwanger Strasse. Construction work began on May 3, 2001, and the new Heinrich-Alfes-Strasse depot opened on July 7, 2003. The existing locations Muggenhof (main workshop), Maximilian Street (track construction, parking area) and Northeast (parking area) were so unnecessary and were decommissioned in 2004 and already 2,001th

In April 1999, the Working Group Attractive Local Transport (AAN) proposed to connect the Documentation Center , which was being built at the time, to the Nazi Party Rally Grounds by connecting the two terminus Dutzendteich and Luitpoldhain to the tram. The city council passed a resolution on December 7, 2000 and after a two-year planning phase, the nine-month construction work began in spring 2002. With the commissioning of the new Dutzendteich - Doku-Zentrum - Luitpoldhain line on December 12, 2002, the Nuremberg tram network was first extended since June 18, 1974 (from Bucher Strasse to Thon ). Since the opening, the route has not only been used by visitors to the documentation center, but also by folk festival and stadium visitors .

In December 2010, the Tristanstraße - Bayernstraße route, which had the last regularly operated tram tunnel, had to be downgraded to the operating route due to safety deficiencies.

After a long discussion and despite the resolution of the Nuremberg City Council in 1994, the new line through the northern Pillenreuther Straße was only opened in December 2011. At the same time, however, the tram route through Pirckheimerstrasse was downgraded to the operating route because of the U3 extension.

Since 1988 there have been concrete plans for the city-surrounding railway, but the construction of the subway has been given higher priority. After the city-suburban railway was classified as uneconomical in 2002, but the Thon - Am Wegfeld route nevertheless had a cost-benefit factor of 2.43, it was decided to extend it. Construction began in 2013, so that on December 10, 2016, the new 2.5 km line was opened; at the same time the bus network was reorganized.

Planning

Track plan of trams and subway 2012

In continuation of the "General Transport Plan Nuremberg Public Transport" from 1972 and the "Integrated Public Transport Planning Nuremberg" from 1993, the Transport Committee of the Nuremberg City Council decided on February 28, 2002 to create a local transport plan. This was divided into the two individual projects Local Transport Plan (NVP) with a time horizon up to 2010 and Local Transport Development Plan (NVEP) with a time horizon up to 2025.

Measures of the NVEP

The NVEP is to summarize all the projects that affect local transport in Nuremberg up to 2025. For this purpose, DIVAN (database for intermodal traffic investigation and evaluation in the greater Nuremberg area) is to be created to record the impact of new construction measures in the area of ​​public transport on commuter flows and the relationship between individual traffic and public transport. On the basis of DIVAN, the NVEP should also be drawn up through a Europe-wide tender. However, the engineering office SSP-Consult, which was involved in the development of DIVAN, could not meet the deadline set for June 7, 2006 at the latest due to the complexity of the project, which meant that the award procedure for the NVEP had to be terminated.

In the meantime, according to the city council resolution, the NVEP has been decoupled from DIVAN in order not to delay the establishment of the NVEP any further. Since the DIVAN data for the city of Nuremberg are now available, the award procedure is to be resumed so that the NVEP can be approved by the city council by the beginning of 2008.

The measures listed below originate from the Intraplan report from 1993 and will probably also be part of the NVEP.

Nuremberg-Lichtenreuth

With the current plans to build a university on the Brunecker Strasse industrial estate (in future: Nürnberg- Lichtenreuth ), it has also been decided to extend the tram into the area. From the existing Tristanstraße stop, the tram will cross Frankenstraße at ground level, run between Z-Bau and Bamf in the direction of Ingolstädter Straße and end in the south at the Bauernfeindstraße underground station.

City train to Erlangen

→ Main article : Stadt-Umland-Bahn Nürnberg – Erlangen – Herzogenaurach

The plans to connect the two neighboring cities of Nuremberg and Erlangen by means of a tram route through the Knoblauchsland have existed since 1907, with the beginning of the First World War the plans were interrupted and then not resumed. Only with the “Integrated Public Transport Planning Nuremberg” did the project return to the focus of traffic planners in the early 1990s. The standardized assessment in the context of a city-surrounding-railway system for Erlangen by the engineering office Obermeyer resulted in a cost-benefit factor of 1.48, nevertheless the project was rejected in 1997 by the government of Central Franconia for financial reasons.

Predicted line course (pink) and links between the StUB project and other public transport lines - After the referendum in the Erlangen-Höchstadt district, the east branch is no longer part of the planning for the time being

On January 17, 2002, the Nuremberg City Council commissioned the engineering office Intraplan to assess the section from Nuremberg Thon to Erlangen Hauptpost. Two planned cases were examined, one with and one without parallel bus lines in Erlangen, which only achieved a cost-benefit factor of 0.19 and 0.30 with construction costs of approx. 80 million euros. The reasons for this were, among other things, stricter legal framework conditions, the use of current population and job forecasts and the route only to the main post office and not to the Erlangen train station.

In June 2006, after the framework conditions had changed since the last investigation, the local authorities concerned agreed to prepare a new report. This was commissioned at the beginning of 2008 by the ZVGN, the cities of Nuremberg and Erlangen and the districts of Erlangen-Höchstadt and Forchheim and, unlike the report from 2004, is to examine the entire network ("T-Netz"). After a referendum in the Erlangen-Höchstadt district against the Stadt-Umland Bahn failed, the city of Herzogenaurach (where over 70% voted for the StUB) announced that it was now working with the city of Erlangen to create a so-called L-network (T-network minus Ost-Ast) want to realize. For this purpose, the city had the appropriate tasks assigned to it by the district. As a result, there was also a referendum against the StUB in Erlangen, but 40% to 60% of this went out for the StUB, so that Erlangen joined the association for the planning and construction of the city-surrounding railway in March 2016. According to current (2019) planning, a new line of a good 25 km in length would be necessary for the city-surrounding railway, which would not only result in the largest network extension in terms of length since the end of the war, but also an increase in the track network by over 60%.

East-west crossing through the old town or through Pirckheimerstrasse

The construction of a tram line through Nuremberg's old town is repeatedly discussed. Like the former line 16, which was not completely restored after the Second World War, this line would have its connecting points to the existing network at the Rathenauplatz and Hallertor stops . The route over Laufer Schlagturm - Rathaus - Hauptmarkt - Maxplatz would correspond to that of the current bus route 36. When this route will actually be tackled is questionable, as the majority of politicians are still opposed to the project. This attitude is justified on the one hand with the financial situation of Nuremberg, on the other hand urban planning aspects are also cited as an obstacle. One aspect that has been debated repeatedly is the use of overhead lines. The latest order for new vehicles therefore explicitly provides for the ability to retrofit the overhead contact line technology.

The much discussed resumption of line operations through Pirckheimerstrasse would be in competition. The section has been used for operational trips since the subway that ran parallel to it went into operation. The line operation is required by the Vorstadtverein Nord, as a draft horse of the local shop owners and many politicians of the city council factions, but would be "detrimental to the U3" for 25 years. However, it would take place on existing rails and could be integrated as a university line into the planned Nuremberg – Erlangen – Herzogenaurach city-suburban railway after the subsidy was phased out. So far, however, the section has just as little political significance as a crossing of the old town.

Garden city

The Heinrich-Alfes-Straße depot can currently only be reached via the Christ Church - Worzeldorfer Straße tram route and would be cut off from the rest of the network in the event of an accident between the Christ Church and Frankenstraße stops . It was therefore planned to build a connection between the Finkenbrunn and Gibitzenhof stops through Minervastraße as a second exit route. However, there was disagreement about the execution: single-track route without regular service, single-track route with regular service or double-track route with regular service. In the meantime, VAG has withdrawn from the project “second exit route as a purely operational route” for cost reasons, so this route is only likely to be realized together with the Stadtbahn to Kornburg.

Light rail to Kornburg

A route to Kornburg was also planned in the 1990s and was actually prioritized by the "Intraplan report" of 1993. After the dispute over the route was settled, the project was postponed indefinitely. After it became known in 2017 that there was no appropriate cost-benefit factor for this route under the meanwhile changed assessment criteria, the project was put on file by the city; However, according to a cross-party consensus in the city council, the route should be kept free and a further study should be commissioned at a later point in time under possibly changed framework conditions.

Additional information

See also

• Nuremberg-Fürth tram
• Historic tram depot in Nuremberg

literature

• Jürgen Heussner (Ed.): Local traffic in Nuremberg and Fürth from 1982 to 2008 . 1st edition. Nuremberg 2009.
• VAG Nürnberg (Ed.): 125 years of local transport in Nuremberg . 1st edition. VAG press and public relations office, Nuremberg 2006, ISBN 978-3-00-018689-9 .
• Friends of the Nürnberg-Fürther Tram e. V. (Hrsg.): The Nuremberg-Fürth tram through the ages . 3. Edition. Nuremberg 2005.
• Robert Binder et al. a .: City traffic in Nuremberg and Fürth from 1881 to 1981 . VAG press and public relations office, Nuremberg 1986.

Web links

Commons : Straßenbahn Nürnberg  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

• The homepage of the friends of the Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn e. V.
• Nuremberg local traffic chronicle from 1881 to today
• Website of the Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg
• Car fleet of the Nuremberg tram on local transport Franconia (private)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ vag.de ( Memento of the original from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Technical details of the VAG railcars . 
2. ↑ ^{a b} VAG Nürnberg (Ed.): Annual Report 2008. ( Memento of the original dated February 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 3.7 MB) p. 92. 
3. ↑ Statistical Yearbook of the City of Nuremberg 2009. ( Memento of the original from February 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 739 kB) p. 192. 
4. ↑ 2018/2019 timetable change on vag.de, December 5, 2018, accessed on December 30, 2018
5. ↑ Data sheet type N8 from VAG. ( Memento of the original from February 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ Stadtbahnwagen N8 parked . In: The Straßaboh . No. 2 , 2011, p. 18 .
7. ↑ Changes in the rolling stock . In: The Straßaboh . No. 3 , 2011, p. 18 .
8. ^ VAG Nürnberg (ed.): N8 trams are gradually being phased out. ( Memento of the original from February 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Press release from February 8, 2011. 
9. ↑ Data sheet type GT6N from VAG. ( Memento of the original from February 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
10. ↑ ^{a b} Tuning for the tram: VAG invests 24 million. nordbayern.de, September 1, 2016, accessed on September 9, 2016 . 
11. ↑ Data sheet type GT8N from VAG. ( Memento of the original from February 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
12. ↑ Data sheet type GTV6 from VAG. ( Memento of the original from February 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
13. ↑ Nürnberger Zeitung: Lots of light, space and the latest technology. Article dated October 13, 2007.
14. ↑ Nürnberger Nachrichten: Variobahnen: Manufacturer Stadler has to make improvements. Article of May 13, 2009.
15. ^ VAG Nürnberg (ed.): Variobahn temporarily not in use.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Press release from July 22, 2010.  
16. ^ VAG Nuremberg (ed.): Variobahns in use again.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Press release from December 13, 2010.  
17. ↑ Extratour on event.vag.de, accessed on August 19, 2018
18. ↑ VAG Nürnberg (ed.): New track construction: future location in the tram depot Heinrich-Alfes-Straße brings considerable synergy effects.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Press release from February 9, 2009.  
19. ^ VAG Nürnberg (ed.): On- time move into the new building for the track division in the Heinrich-Alfes-Straße depot.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Press release from March 16, 2010.  
20. ^ VAG bundles the areas , Nürnberger Stadtanzeiger of October 22, 2008
21. ^ Dignified new building: Visit to the criminal justice center , Nürnberger Nachrichten of November 14, 2017
22. ↑ New building of fire station 1 Nuremberg , website of the building authority of the city of Nuremberg
23. ↑ ^{a b} City of Nuremberg / Committee on Transport: DIVAN. ( Memento of the original from April 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Report of April 26, 2007. 
24. ↑ New university in Lichtenreuth gets tram connection Nürnberger Nachrichten , April 12, 2019
25. ↑ ^{a b} City of Nuremberg / Committee for Transport: Stadtbahn Erlangen. ( Memento of the original from April 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Decision of June 23, 2005. 
26. ↑ Results and consequences of tram / suburban railway planning between Nuremberg and Erlangen. Press release of April 28, 2005 .
27. ↑ Erlanger Nachrichten: A new StUB report. ( Memento of the original from January 13, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Article dated February 2, 2008. 
28. ↑ City of Nuremberg / Committee for Transport: Stadtbahn Nürnberg-Erlangen and Stadt-Umland-Bahn Erlangen. ( Memento of the original from April 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Report as of January 31, 2008. 
29. ↑ http://www.br.de/nachrichten/mittelfranken/inhalt/stadtumlandbahn-erlangen-herzogaurach-l-loesung-100.html ( Memento from October 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
30. ↑ nordbayern.de
31. ↑ nordbayern.de
32. ↑ Jo Seuss: Is the tram experiencing a renaissance in the north of Nuremberg? nordbayern.de, January 8, 2020
33. ↑ Nürnberger rediscover "Straßaboh". Donaukurier, September 11, 2019