Pyongyang tram system
The tram Pyongyang is an electric tram in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.
Therefore, the tram has a key role, because there is virtually no private cars in North Korea. Trams complement the public transport network and open up those parts of the city that are not accessible by subway and trolley bus.
History
The beginnings of the tram network in Pyongyang back to the time when Korea was a colony of Japan. In September 1905, the company was founded, which built a double track line from the station to the city. The 24 cars for every four people were pushed by people ( Kuli -Bahn ). The passenger numbers were about 90,000 people in 1911, with about 80,000 people in 1912 and about 75,000 people in 1913. In 1914 there was a 2 km long route from the station to the city with a track width of 610 mm.
In 1922 the first electric tram was put in place of the hand-operated tram used previously in operation. The first double-track line, starting from the train station, was built in April to 12 July 1922. A further expansion took place in 1925 and 1927.
After the Korean War the tram operation was abandoned. Since North Korea has to import crude oil and the fuels were allocated in preference to the military, Pyongyang sat on the electrically driven transportation Pyongyang subway and trolley bus. As the capacity of the trolley buses were no longer sufficient, the City Council decided again to build a tram network.
The grand opening of the first new tram line ( Songsin - Man'gyŏngdae ) found on 15 April 1991, the 79th birthday of Kim Il-sung, instead. Three days later it was opened to the public. In 1992 a second line ( T'osŏng - Rank Rank - munsu ) was opened. The first two lines have a track width of 1435 millimeters.
The third line ( Kumsusan line Sŏp'yŏngyang rank rank ) was opened in 1995. In contrast to the other two lines, there is a narrow-gauge railway ( 1000 mm gauge ) with no connection to the other lines. It is mainly intended for tourists and connects the metro station Samhung the mausoleum of Kim Il Sung.
In the late 1990s, there was a lack of fuel, and because of the poor condition of the supply of electricity to power cuts, of which the tram was affected. In recent years, this situation has improved.
2003 had to be abandoned because of the poor condition of the bridge over the Taedong the section P'yŏngyang - yŏk - Songsin line 1.
The trams in Pyongyang are slow. Necessary maintenance and repairs are not carried out and the old cars need to be replaced.
Rolling stock
In Pyöngjang are three depots for the vehicles of the tram.
From the beginning of operation exclusively Czech Tatra T6B5K, KT8D5K and KT4K railcars were initially used.
In the years 1996 to 1998, over 100 used tramcars of type Tatra T4D were purchased, were previously used in Dresden, Magdeburg and Leipzig. Also in the 1990s, 168 metros of type GI and D from Berlin were procured.
On the Kumsusan line are Swiss meter-gauge cars of the Swiss standard type Ib in use, probably added from the tram Zurich.