Trams in Rotterdam
Tram Rotterdam belongs next to the metro, suburban trains of the state railway Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS ) and the city bus to the carriers of public transport in the second largest Dutch city. The operating company is the city's own Rotterdamse Electric Tram ( RET).
From 1 June 1879 to April 7, 1904 in Rotterdam reversed a horse-drawn trams and since October 15, 1927 drives the electric tram.
The tram network of Rotterdam is smaller than the networks of the two other major Dutch cities of Amsterdam and The Hague. The tram serviced especially the closer urban area, unlike, say, in The Hague are not the suburban areas of Rotterdam accessible from the tram, but on the subway. Rotterdam thus has the smallest inner-city tram service in the country, which, of course, are two lines of light rail Utrecht, which operate only outside the center of the smallest overall operation.
Like all Dutch trams used the Rotterdam network standard gauge ( 1435 mm ). The driving voltage is 600 volts. In all terminals there are appropriate points of inflection, which means vehicles can be used.
Line network
The Rotterdam tram has since December 9, 2012 ( Start of the line 24) nine regular daily lines. In addition, at events run more courses: a stadium - line amplifier 12 for Feyenoord Stadium and the line 18 during the Dunya Festival and in summer the tourist line 10 historic cars.
With the exception of line 2, which stops only on the southern bank of the river Nieuwe Maas, keep all lines at the main station (Rotterdam Centraal ), where a transition to the lines D and E of the Rotterdam Metro is. The lines 20 and 21 are not operating in the evening after 20 clock and on Sunday morning.
Tram Plus and network expansion
In the late 1980s the existence of the tram has been questioned. The extensive underground network and the traffic made for declines in passenger numbers. After the political decision of principle to maintain the tram, the tram Plus program for the modernization of the main tram lines was resolved. The program also included the construction of new routes.
In 1996, with the opening of the Erasmus bridge over the Nieuwe Maas long years completely isolated from the rest of the network circulating on the south side of the river Line 2 reconnected with the other lines. The new line 20 crossed the river on the new bridge and was the prelude to the realization of the Tram Plus program.
In March 2004, the line took 23 from the main station of the Erasmus Bridge in south-eastern residential area IJsselmonde to operate on. In November of the same year the line was followed by 25 in the new residential area Carnisselande in the southern neighboring municipality of Barendrecht.
The circulating exclusively on the southern shore line 2 will be modernized at the time and accelerated.
To the west of the city, opened on 31 October 2005 a branch of the existing Line 1 ( Schiedam, now 21 ), line 23 after Vlaardingen. The lines 21 and 23 run since 2008 on Schiedam Centrum station.
The south-eastern suburb of Ridderkerk agreed in 2005 to the plans of Umlandverband to build a tram line to the plans to have begun.
Rolling stock
Since the 1980s, the RET vehicles of the type used ZGT (vehicle numbers 700 and 800 et seq.) Until 2004 Düwag Gelenkwagen the numbers wrong 1600 ( previously 600 ff ). Some of these vehicles were sold to Romania in 2005. The 800 series inverted until 2012. Too vehicles in this series were already sold to Romania.
Among other things, in connection with the tram Plus program, 60 new low-floor vehicles of the type Citadis manufacturer Alstom were purchased. The low-floor vehicles drive mainly on the already modernized lines. As of 2009, only 53 vehicles were added.
100 - year celebration
On 18 September 2005, the RET celebrated with a parade with tram cars from today its 100th anniversary. Exactly 100 years earlier, opened the first tram of the city from the city park to Honingerdijk.