Trams in Brno

Brno tramway network
Brněnská tramvajová síť

KT8D5
Operation
Locale Brno, Czech Republic
Open 1869 (1869) (horse tram)[1]
1884 (1884) (steam tram)[1]
1900 (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 70.4 km (43.7 mi)[2]
Passengers (2012) 196.513 million (2013)[2]
Overview
Website DPMB — How to travel
Trams in Brno, one of the oldest permanently used networks in the world
Trams in Brno, Historical steam tramway - annual tram June parade in Brno
Trams in Brno, Historical horse tramway - annual tram June parade in Brno

The Brno tramway network (Czech: Tramvajová doprava v Brně, simple Tramvaje v Brně) was the first network of its kind to be put into operation in the nowadays Czech Republic, its horse tram lines dating back to 1869.[1] Today, Brno is the second largest city after Prague in the Czech Republic and its tram network is also the second largest in the country.

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 70.4 kilometres (43.7 mi).[2] The lines not only service the urban area, but also lead to the neighboring city 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).

In the Brno dialect of the Czech language, the word for tram is ‘šalina’. The origins of this word can be traced to the German expression ‘Elektrische Linie’ (electric lines).

History

The first horse tram

Brno was the third largest city of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and is today part of the Czech Republic. It was 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 passenger carriages.[1] There was an interruption in horse-drawn tram service between 1875 and 1877.[1]

The second horse tram

The company known today as Brno Tramway was launched in June 1876, with its first route running from the main station (Hauptbahnhof/Hlavní nádraží) to Pisárky. 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 1884, under the name Steam Tramway Brno. In the 1900s, the conversion from steam to electrical power began, but steam locomotives were still used, until 1914, to transport 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-effective to keep the technology unchanged. Cities with less established tram systems were considerably faster in terms of moving to electric power, including Prague and a number of other smaller towns such as Teplice, Liberec, and Olomouc.

Within the first year of operation several new lines were constructed, and soon a total of five lines were offered as part of the system. In 1914, Company Brno began to experience 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 brněnských elektrických pouličních pouličních drah (Society of Brno trams) was established. The Society's first task was to renovate the cars and tracks that had dilapidated during the war. 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 for far-lane routes.

By 1938, a total of eight routes were in operation. In 1942, the Lokalbahn Brünn-Lösch/Brno-Líšeň, a classic train, was transferred and transformed into a train capable of traveling by a streetcar track.

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "History". Dopravní podnik města Brna, A.S. (DPMB). Retrieved 2013-09-22.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Figures and Data". Dopravní podnik města Brna, A.S. (DPMB). Retrieved 2013-09-22.

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] (in German). Dresden: Verlag für Verkehrsliteratur Bauer. ISBN 3980430308. 

External links

Media related to Trams in Brno at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, December 30, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.