Jump to content

Trams in Zurich

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Karol1995 (talk | contribs) at 10:42, 15 April 2011. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Trams make an important contribution to public transport in the city of Zürich in Switzerland. The tram network serves most city neighbourhoods. It is supplemented by trolleybus and bus routes as well as two funicular railways and one rack railway. The city trams are operated by VBZ.

"Cobra Tram"
Tram at Waldgarten "U-Bahn" station between Milchbuck and Schwamendingen

History

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

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.

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.

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.

Routes operated today

(Excluding buses and trolleybuses)

Urban tram routes

The Zürich tram network

(all operated by VBZ)

  • 4 (purple): Tiefenbrunnen - Bellevue - Central - Hauptbahnhof - Escher-Wyss-Platz - Werdhölzli
  • 10 (pink): Hauptbahnhof - Central - ETH/Universitätsspital - Seilbahn Rigiblick - Irchel - Milchbuck - Sternen Oerlikon - Zürich Flughafen (cooperated by the VBG as Glattalbahn)
  • 12 (light blue): Zürich Flughafen - Glatt - Auzelg - Wallisellen - Dübendorf - Bhf.Stettbach (cooperated by the VBG as Glattalbahn)
  • 14 (light blue): Seebach - Sternen Oerlikon - Milchbuck - Schaffhauserplatz - Hauptbahnhof - Stauffacher - Heuried - Triemli
  • 15 (red): Klusplatz - Römerhof - Kreuzplatz - Bhf. Stadelhofen - Bellevue - Central - Schaffhauserplatz - Bucheggplatz

Interurban tram/light-rail routes

Funiculars

Rack railway

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

Future expansion

An extension named Tram Zürich West, from Escher-Wyss-Platz to Bahnhof Altstetten Nord, is under construction and will open in December 2011. 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.

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.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trams in Zürich.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trams_in_Zurich&oldid=424179068"