Trams in Frankfurt am Main
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 Frankfurt am Main type R tram no. 021 at Ernst-May-Platz, Bornheim, 2007. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Locale | Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Frankfurt am Main tramway network is a network of tramways forming a major part of the public transport system in Frankfurt am Main, a city in the federal state of Hesse, Germany.
As of 2012, there were 10 tram lines,[1] along with two special lines and one heritage tourist tramline.[2][3] The network was also heavily integrated into the Frankfurt U-Bahn, with the systems sharing both street running and reserved track. In 2012, the network had 136 stations,[1] and a total route length of 67.25 kilometres (41.79 mi).[1] In the same year, the network carried 49.9 million passengers,[1] about 30% of total public transport ridership in Frankfurt.
History
The network is the oldest light rail system in the city, the first horse tram lines having started operations in 1872.[4] It includes one of the first electric tramways in the world, with the first electrified tram line starting in 1884.[4]
For many decades in the mid-20th century, it was the firm policy that Frankfurt's trams would eventually be phased out and replaced by buses and extensions of the U-Bahn. But since the beginning of the 1990s, the direction of Frankfurt's urban traffic policy has changed and its tramways have been renovated and expanded, with a new route, Line 18, opening in 2011.[5] Although the various lines were founded by a number of private and public operators, all trams are now operated by Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt (VGF, English: Frankfurt Transport Company), and the system is part of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV, English: Rhine-Main transport network).
Current network
As of 2014 there were eleven tram lines,[1] among them eight main lines, two rush hour reinforcement lines and one special line in Frankfurt:
| Number. | Main destinations |
|---|---|
| 11 |  Höchst Zuckschwerdtstraße Mainzer Landstraße – Bahnhofsviertel–/Altstadtstrecke – Hanauer Landstraße und Fechenheim Fechenheim Schießhüttenstraße |
| 12 | Schwanheim Rheinlandstraße Waldbahn – Bahnhofsviertel-/Altstadtstrecke – Kurt-Schumacher-Straße – Bornheim – Hanauer Landstraße Hugo-Junkers-Straße |
| 14 | Louisa Bahnhof Sachsenhausen – Wittelsbacherallee Bornheim Ernst-May-Platz |
| 15 | Niederrad Haardtwaldplatz Niederrad – Sachsenhausen – Offenbacher Landstraße Offenbach Stadtgrenze (city limits) |
| 16 | Ginnheim Ginnheim – Bockenheim – Sachsenhausen – Offenbacher Landstraße Offenbach Stadtgrenze (city limits) |
| 17 | Rebstockbad Rebstockstrecke – Hauptbahnhof – Waldbahn Neu-Isenburg Stadtgrenze (city limits) |
| 18 | Preungesheim Konstablerwache Lokalbahnhof |
| 19 | Schwanheim Rheinlandstraße Waldbahn – Niederrad – Sachsenhausen Südbahnhof |
| 20 | Hauptbahnhof Niederrad Stadion |
| 21 | Nied Kirche (peak times) / Gallus Mönchhofstraße Mainzer Landstraße – Abzweig Kleyerstraße – Niederrad Stadion |
| EE |  Sightseeing circular Ebbelwei-Expreß |
Low-floor trams are being used since April 2007 on all regular lines. The Flexity Classic from Bombardier is the latest addition to the fleet.
The special lines Ebbelwei express and Lieschen are occupied exclusively with older high-floor K-Wagen.
The Stadtbahn line U5 corresponds to a large extent to that of a conventional tram, however it is officially designated as an underground line. The conversion into a low-floor tramline is at present in planning.
Ebbelwei-Expreß
This special line was started in 1977 on the occasion of the forthcoming decommission of the last four-axle trams and should have actually operated only for a short time. Owing to its enormous success, it remains in service to the present day.[2][3]
Frankfurt Transport Museum
The Frankfurt Transport Museum in Schwanheim shows the eventful history of Frankfurt's public transit. At least one of each type of streetcar (exept types "E" and "G" and the ones that are still in operation) is preserved. In addition to that there is a small bus exhibition, showing two historic diesel-busses and one trolley-bus from Offenbach.
The "Historische Straßenbahn Frankfurt e.V." (Historic tramway organization) runs the museum on behalf of the Tranport Company "VGF" and organizes shuttle services with old streetcars on special occasions.
See also
References
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 "ZAHLENSPIEGEL 2012" [STATISTICS 2012] (PDF) (in German). vgF. December 31, 2012. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "City tour with the Ebbelwei-Express". vgF. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "VGF Ebbelwei-Expreß". vgF. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "History - The history of local public passenger transport in Frankfurt". vgF. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
- ↑ "New underground and tram lines". Retrieved 2012-02-07.
Bibliography
- Höltge, Dieter; Köhler, Günter H. (1992). Straßen- und Stadtbahnen in Deutschland [Tramways and Stadtbahnen in Germany]. Band 1: Hessen [Volume 1: Hesse] (2nd., enlarged ed.). Freiburg i. B., Germany: EK-Verlag. ISBN 3882553359. (German)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trams in Frankfurt am Main. |
- Verkehrsgesellschaft (vgF) Frankfurt - official site (German)
- Trampage Frankfurt (German)
- Frankfurt am Main database / photo gallery and Frankfurt am Main tram list at Urban Electric Transit – in various languages, including English.
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