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Wuppertal tramway network | |
---|---|
Operation | |
Locale | Wuppertal, Germany |
Open | 1873 |
Close | 1987 |
Operator(s) | Wuppertaler Stadtwerke AG |
Infrastructure | |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Statistics | |
Route length | 1948: 175 km (109 mi) |
The Wuppertal tramway network served Wuppertal, Germany for 114 years until its closure in 1987.
The first horse-drawn tram line opened between what were then the twin cities of Barmen and Elberfeld in 1873. The network was expanded and electrified with overhead wires starting in 1896. The tram network was operated by a number of companies and starting in 1901 had to compete with the Wuppertal Suspension Railway for passengers travelling east-west through the region. In 1925 Barmen and Elberfeld merged to form the city of Wuppertal and in 1940 the numerous tram operators were consolidated into a single system. By 1948, Wuppertal's tram network was the 6th most extensive in all of Germany and had a total route length of 175 km (109 mi). [1]
After the introduction of public buses, tram lines in Wuppertal were gradually discontinued until the entire system was closed on 30 May 1987. [2]
In its last decade in operation, the Wuppertal tram network consisted of 5 tram lines as outlined below. [1]
Line | Route | Length |
---|---|---|
601 | Wieden – Lenneper Straße | 15.3 km (9.5 mi) |
602 | Barmen Clinic – Weiherstrasse | 5.9 km (3.7 mi) |
606 | Elberfeld Railway Station – Weiherstrasse | 7.0 km (4.3 mi) |
608 | Barmen Clinic – Dieselstraße | 8.1 km (5.0 mi) |
611 | Gabelpunkt – Dieselstraße | 13.6 km (8.5 mi) |
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of 355,000. Wuppertal is the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and 17th-largest in Germany. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of Elberfeld, Barmen, Ronsdorf, Cronenberg and Vohwinkel, and was initially called "Barmen-Elberfeld" before adopting its present name in 1930. It is the capital and largest city of the Bergisches Land.
Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929.
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Barmen is a former industrial metropolis of the region of Bergisches Land, Germany, which merged with four other towns in 1929 to form the city of Wuppertal.
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Wuppertal-Unterbarmen station is located in the German city of Wuppertal in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is on the Düsseldorf–Elberfeld line and is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 4 station.
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Media related to Tram transport in Wuppertal at Wikimedia Commons