Zürich trams
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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.
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[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 |
See also List of railway companies in Switzerland and List of town tramway (urban tramway, streetcar) systems - Europe
[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, 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 mainatining 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] Routes operated today
(without buses and trolleybuses)
[edit] Urban tram routes
(all operated by VBZ)
- 2 (red): Tiefenbrunnen - Bellevue - Bürkliplatz - Paradeplatz - Stauffacher - Farbhof
- 3 (green): Klusplatz - Römerhof - Kunsthaus - Central - Hauptbahnhof - Stauffacher - Albsirieden
- 4 (purple): Tiefenbrunnen - Bellevue - Central - Hauptbahnhof - Escher-Wyss-Platz - Werdhölzli
- 5 (brown): (Laubegg -) Bhf.-Enge - Bürkliplatz - Bellevue - Kunsthaus - Kirche-Fluntern (- Zoo)
- 6 (light brown): (Bhf.Enge - Stockerstr. - Paradeplatz -) Hauptbahnhof - Central - ETH/Universitätsspital - Kirche Fluntern - Zoo
- 7 (black): Bhf.Stettbach - Schwamendingerplatz - Milchbuck - Schaffhauserplatz - Central - Hauptbahnhof - Paradeplatz - Stockerstr. - Bhf.Enge - Wollishofen
- 8 (pale green): Hardplatz - Stauffacher - Stockerstr. - Paradeplatz - Bürkliplatz - Bellevue (- Kunsthaus - Römerhof - Klusplatz)
- 9 (purple): Hirzenbach - Schwamendingerplatz - Milchbuck - Irchel - Seilbahn Rigiblick - ETH/Universitätsspital - Kunsthaus - Bellevue - Bürkliplatz - Paradeplatz - Stauffacher - Heuried
- 10 (pink): Hauptbahnhof - Central - ETH/Universitätsspital - Seilbahn Rigiblick - Irchel - Milchbuck (- Sternen Oerlikon - Bhf.Oerlikon)
- 11 (green): Rehalp - Kreuzplatz - Bhf.Stadelhofen - Bellevue - Bürkliplatz - Paradeplatz - Hauptbahnhof - Schaffhauserplatz - Bucheggplatz - Bhf.Oerlikon - Sternen Oerlikon - Hallenstadion - Leutschenbach - Auzelg
- 13 (yellow): Albisgütli - Bhf.Enge - Stockerstr. - Paradeplatz - Hauptbahnhof - Escher-Wyss-Platz - Wipkingerplatz - Frankental
- 14 (light blue): Seebach - Sternen Oerlikon - Milchbuck - Schaffhauserplatz - Hauptbahnhof - Stauffacher - Heuried - Triemli
- 15 (red): Klusplatz - Römerhof - Kreuzplatz - Bhf. Stadelhofen - Bellevue - Central - Schaffhauserplatz - Bucheggplatz
[edit] Interurban tram/light-rail routes
- S17: Wohlen - Bremgarten - Dietikon (operated by BDWM, not connected to city network)
- S18: Esslingen - Egg - Forch - Zollikerberg - Rehalp - Kreuzplatz - Bhf.Stadelhofen (operated by Forchbahn, shares urban tracks between Rehalp and Bhf.Stadelhofen)
[edit] Funiculars
- 23 (Seilbahn Rigiblick): Rigiplatz [Seilbahn Rigiblick] - Rigiblick
- 24 (Polybahn): Central - Polyterrasse
[edit] Rack railway
- 25 (Dolderbahn): Römerhof - Grand Hotel Dolder
[edit] Tram types used today
- Passenger service
- Be 4/4 "Karpfen" [withdrawn from service in late 2006]
- Be 4/6 "Mirage" #1601 - 1690 and #1691 - 17.. "Blinde Kuh" [cabless]
- 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
- B4 (bogie trailers) - various types in use with Be 4/4 and Be 4/6 1601 ff
- various heritage trams
- Other
- various works trams
- cargo tram / E-Tram
[edit] Future expansion
Various plans for new lines exist. Currently a new three-line system called Stadtbahn Glattal is being built in the Glattal area (to the North of the city). The line Escher-Wyss-Platz - Bhf. Altstetten is also at an advanced stage of planning. In the more distant future numerous other extensions will be realised.
