Zurich trams

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A Cobra Tram in VBZ's corporate colours
Tram at Waldgarten "U-Bahn" station between Milchbuck and Schwamendingen

Trams make an important contribution to public transport in the city of Zurich in Switzerland. The tram network serves most city neighbourhoods, and is the backbone of public transport within the city, albeit supplemented by the inner sections of the Zurich S-Bahn, along with urban trolleybus and bus routes as well as two funicular railways and one rack railway.

Most trams within the city are operated by the Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ), which operates the city's urban network, but the city's tram tracks are also used by two other operations. The VBZ also operates the Glattalbahn tram services to the Glattal area to the north of the city, although in this case it does so as a sub-contractor to the Verkehrsbetriebe Glattal (VBG). The independent Forchbahn (FB) operates light railway services on a line to the east of the city that use the city's tram lines to reach their city terminus. Whilst the Glattalbahn services use similar vehicles to the city trams and are essentially operated as extensions to the city's network, the Forchbahn services are considered to be part of the S-Bahn and only serve selected stops within the city.

Zurich's tram network is built to metre gauge and is mostly street based, with significant sections where trams run in unrestricted traffic lanes. In the city centre the tram tracks run through largely pedestrianised streets, and in one place in the suburbs the trams use a tunnel originally constructed for a never completed U-Bahn system. Outside the city limits, the Glattalbahn and Forchbahn use largely segregated routes.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Private companies

Various projects to introduce trams to Zurich were proposed from the 1860s onwards. It was not until 1882, however, that the first tram operated in the city. In the early years, trams were operated by private companies. These were acquired by the municipal tramway operator, StStZ, between 1896 and 1931 and integrated into a single network. These companies are summarised in the table below. StStZ also added many lines.

The table also includes companies whose lines lie entirely outside the current city boundaries and which were never absorbed by StStZ, but which do or did at some point have physical connections to the city system. These are shown in italic type.

Tram companies which are still operating as such are shown in bold type.

Company Abbreviation From Until Absorbed by Notes
Zürcher Strassenbahn Gesellschaft ZStG 1882 1896 StStZ horse trams, standard gauge
Elektrische Strassenbahn Zürich EStZ 1894 1896 StStZ
Zentrale Zürichbergbahn Zürich ZZB 1895 1905 StStZ
Städtische Strassenbahn Zürich StStZ 1896 renamed VBZ in 1950 owned by city of Zürich
Strassenbahn Zürich-Oerlikon-Seebach ZOeS 1897 1931 StStZ
Industriequartier-Strassenbahn Zürich ISZ 1898 1902 StStZ
Strassenbahn Zürich-Höngg StZH 1898 1923 StStZ
Dolder tram 1899 1930 (closed) served Dolder Grand Hotel, no track connection to other lines ever existed. see also Dolderbahn
Limmattal-Strassenbahn LSB 1900 1931 StStZ
Bremgarten Dietikon BD 1902 2000 BDWM The section between Bremgarten West and Wohlen was originally a standard gauge railway. It was converted to mixed gauge and taken over by BD in 1912
Albisgütli-Bahn AGB 1907 1925 StStZ
Wetzikon-Meilen-Bahn WMB 1909 1950 (closed)
Uster-Oetwil-Bahn UOeB 1909 1949 (closed)
Forchbahn FB 1912
Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich VBZ 1950 renamed from StStZ in 1950, owned by city of Zürich
Bremgarten Dietikon Wohlen Meisterschwanden BDWM 2000 created by amalgamation of BD with the bus operator WM

[edit] StStZ

By the mid 1930s, the city operator, StStZ, had a dense network of tramlines serving most city neighbourhoods.

Modernisation began in the late 1930s with the introduction of the Swiss Standard Tram.

At various points, the tram system was threatened by plans to partly replace it with trolleybuses, a pre-metro and a full scale underground. The tram system survived these threats.

[edit] Lines closed

Zürich's tram network has seen relatively few line closures. Besides some very short sections and realignments, the lines closed are:

  • The Schlieren - Dietikon line of the LSB company was closed in 1928. The Schlieren - Weinigen line of the same company followed when this company was taken over by the city in 1931. As part of the Stadtbahn Limmattal project in the Region Limmattal, there are today long-term plans to return trams to this area.
  • The Oerlikon - Schwamendingen and Seebach - Glattbrugg lines of the ZOS company were converted to bus when this company was taken over by the city in 1931. Trams returned to Schwamendingen in 1986 (however, a different alignment is followed). The Stadtbahn Glattal project which is currently being realised will return trams to Glattbrugg, again by a different alignment.
  • Two temporary lines existed in 1939 to serve the National Exhibition or Landesausstellung.
  • Wetzikon - Meilen, operated by the WMB company, was closed in 1950.
  • Tram route 1, converted to bus in 1954 and trolleybus in 1956. This together with Farbhof - Schlieren is the only tram line to have been replaced by a trolleybus. The sections of track that were rendered redundant and dismantled as a result are: Kreuzplatz - Kunsthaus and Kaserne - Bäckeranlage (modern names).
  • Farbhof - Schlieren (part of route 2) was converted to bus in 1956 and trolleybus in 1958.
  • Wipkingerplatz - Bhf. Wipkingen, abandoned 1967.

[edit] A model system

From the 1980s onwards, the system was increasingly acclaimed for its success in maintaining a high share of the modal split. The key to success came to be known as the Zürich model and other cities attempted to emulate it. In this way, Zürich is considered to have played an instrumental part in bringing about a worldwide tram renaissance.

[edit] Tram Zürich West

An extension named Tram Zürich West, from Escher-Wyss-Platz to Bahnhof Altstetten Nord, was opened in December 2011. The resulting reorganisation of routes resulted in a the creation of a new route 17 from Hauptbahnhof to Werdhölzli via Escher-Wyss-Platz, and the diversion of route 4, which had previously served Werdhölzli, to Altstetten.

[edit] History preserved

The Zurich Tram Museum, located at the former tram depot at Burgwies on tram route 11, preserves many examples of Zurich's former tramcar fleet, along with other related exhibits.

[edit] Routes operated today

[edit] Urban and Glattalbahn tram routes

The Zürich tram network

The following tram routes make up the urban and Glattalbahn route network:

  • 14 (light blue): Seebach - Sternen Oerlikon - Milchbuck - Schaffhauserplatz - Hauptbahnhof - Stauffacher - Heuried - Triemli
  • 15 (red): Klusplatz - Römerhof - Kreuzplatz - Bhf.Stadelhofen - Bellevue - Central - Schaffhauserplatz - Bucheggplatz
  • 17 (purple): Hauptbahnhof - Escher-Wyss-Platz - Werdhölzli

With the exception of routes 10, 11 and 12, these routes are all operated by the VBZ on its own behalf and over its own tracks.

Route 10 is operated by the VBZ on behalf of the VBG, using VBZ owned tracks as far as Oerlikon and VBG owned tracks thereafter. Route 11 is operated by the VBZ on its own behalf, using VBZ owned tracks as far as Oerlikon and VBG owned tracks thereafter. Route 12 is operated by the VBZ on behalf of the VBG, using VBG owned tracks throughout. In normal circumstances, trams painted in the distinctive white VBG colour scheme are used on routes 10 and 12, whilst 11 uses trams in Zurich's traditional blue and white scheme.

[edit] Interurban tram/light-rail routes

[edit] Funiculars

[edit] Rack railway

[edit] Tram types used today

  • Passenger service
    • Be 4/6 "Tram 2000" #2001 - 2098
    • Be 4/6 "Tram 2000" #2301 - 2315 [cabless]
    • Be 2/4 "Tram 2000" #2401 - 2435 [cabless] also known as "Pony"
    • Be 4/8 "Tram 2000 Sänfte" #2099 - 21.. [rebuilt from Be 4/6 of the same car-number with additional midsection]
    • Be 5/6 "Cobra" #3001 ff
  • Recently put out of service
    • Be 4/4 "Karpfen" [withdrawn from service in late 2006]
    • Be 4/6 "Mirage" #1601 - 1690 and #1691 - 17.. "Blinde Kuh" [cabless]
    • B4 (bogie trailers) - various types in use with Be 4/4 and Be 4/6 1601 ff
  • Other

[edit] Future expansion

In the Limmattal, between Bahnhof Altstetten and Bahnhof Killwangen-Spreitenbach, a new light rail service (compatible to the Zürich Tram Network and therefore meter gauge) named Limmattalbahn is in planning and should be partially opened by 2020. Since this line will stretch out to the Kanton Aargau, there is the possibility of two referendums against the project.

Furthermore, there are plans for numerous other extensions to be built up to 2025, notably over the Hardbrücke between Hardplatz and the new Tram Zürich West branch at Schiffbau.

[edit] See also

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[edit] External links

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