Trams in Brno
| Brno tramway network | |||
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| KT8D5 | |||
| Operation | |||
| Locale | Brno, Czech Republic | ||
| Open | 1869 (horse tram)[1] 1900 (electric tram)[1] | ||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Routes | 13[2] | ||
| Operator(s) | Dopravní podnik města Brna | ||
| Infrastructure | |||
| Electrification | 600 V DC | ||
| Stock | 322 tram vehicles[2] | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Track length (single) | 139 km (86 mi)[2] | ||
| Route length | 70 km (43 mi)[2] | ||
| Passengers (2012) | 188.052 million[2] | ||
| |||
| Website | DPMB — How to travel | ||
The Brno tramway network was the first network of its kind to be put into operation in the Czech Republic. The first horse tram lines date to 1869.[1] Today, Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic and has the second largest tram network after Prague.
Currently, the Brno tram system comprises 13 lines,[2] with a total operational track length of 139 kilometres (86 mi)[2] and a total route length of 70 kilometres (43 mi).[2] The lines not only service the urban area, but also lead to the village of Modřice located south of Brno. Before construction began on the final leg of the extension in 2008, the entire network was made up of 69.7 km of track. The trams are operated by the City of Brno, Dopravní podnik města Brna (DPMB).
Brno dialect of Czech language uses word ‘šalina’ for trams. The word originates from the German expression ‘Elektrische Linie’ (electric lines), transformed and shortened by Czech speakers.
History
The First Horse Tram
Brno was the third largest city of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, and is now located in the present day Czech Republic. It was also the first to install a horse-drawn tram service, which began on August 17, 1869.[1] Its route ran to Lažanskýplatz (now called Moravské náměstí, or Moravian Square) in the north of the city center, which was still at the time an independent municipality known as Královo Pole. Its operator was the 'Brno Tramway Society' for passenger and cargo transportation. Initially there were only six cars available and gradually the company bought a total of 57 carriages for passengers.[1] There was an interruption in horse-drawn tram service between 1875 and 1877.[1]
The Second Horse Tram
The company known as Brno Tramway was launched in June 1876, with its first route running from the main station to Pisarky.[citation needed] A short while after that, a second route was launched. Both routes were operated only during the summer months.
The Steam Tram
Steam Trams began operation in the system in 1886, under the name Steam Tramway Brno. In the 1900s the conversion from steam to electrical power began, but steam locomotives were still being used until 1914 for the transportation of goods.[1]
The Beginning of the Electric Tram
The first of the electric rail lines in Brno were put into operation on 21 June 1900.[1] These new lines included 41 railcars and 41 trailers; the latter acquired as many as 12 vehicles from the existing steam trains. These electric lines were operated by the Company Brno. While many other areas transitioned to electric, Brno's steam-powered trams were very efficient and it was more cost-efficient to stick with steam. Cities with less established tram systems were considerably faster in this respect, notably Prague, as well as multiple smaller towns (e.g. Teplice, Liberec, and Olomouc).
Within the first year of operation several new lines were constructed, and soon a total of five lines were offered. In 1914 Company Brno began to experience the financial difficulties and was taken over by the Austrian electricity delivery group Aktiengesellschaft, from Vienna. During World War I further expansion was considered, resulting in the extension of one line to a hospital.
Prime of the Brno Tram
After the formation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, the Společnost took brněnských pouličních wiry (Society of Brno trams) was established, and their initial main task was to renovate the cars and tracks that had dilapidated. Beginning in 1924 new lines were built, and a few years later the Society of Brno Trams began to focus on the construction of a second track on far-lane routes.
By 1938 a total of eight routes were in operation. In 1942, the Lokalbahn Brno Fire, a classic train, was transferred and transformed into a train capable of traveling by a streetcar track.
See also
- History of Brno
- List of town tramway systems in the Czech Republic
- Transport in Brno
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Bauer, Gerhard (1995). Strassenbahnen in der Tschechischen und Slowakischen Republik: von der Pferdebahn zum Tatrawagen; die Geschichte der tschechischen und slowakischen Strassenbahnbetriebe von einst und jetzt in Wort und Bild [Trams in the Czech and Slovak Republic: from Horsecars to Tatras; the history of the Czech and Slovak tram operators then and now in words and pictures]. Dresden: Verlag für Verkehrsliteratur Bauer. ISBN 3980430308. (German)
External links
Media related to Trams in Brno at Wikimedia Commons
- Dopravní podnik města Brna, A.S. - Official Site (Czech) & (English)
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