Trams in Nuremberg
The Nuremberg tramway network (German: Straßenbahnnetz Nürnberg) is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Nuremberg, a city in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany.
Nuremberg tramway network | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() A GT8N tram at Friedrich-Ebert-Platz, 2012. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Locale | Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The network is operated by Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg (VAG), which is a member of the Verkehrsverbund Großraum Nürnberg (VGN; Greater Nuremberg Transport Network).
As of 2013, the network consisted of five lines,[1] running on a total operational route length of 33 kilometres (21 mi).[4] The network carried 39.152 million passengers annually.
History
The first horse-drawn tramline opened in Nuremberg on 25 August 1881.[5]
Electrification came to the system when the first electric tramline opened on 7 May 1896.[5] The entire system was electrified on 20 July 1898.[5] Until the 1990s the track gauge was 1,432 mm (4 ft 8 3⁄8 in).
Lines
The Nuremberg tramway network operated on six lines until 2011,[4] when two tram lines were joined.
The network has 96 kilometres (60 mi) of track,[2] with a total route length of 37 kilometres (23 mi),[2] of which 33 kilometres (21 mi)[2] is operational route. Of the tram's operational route, 41% is segregated from other traffic, with the other 59% representing trams operating in the street with other automobile traffic.[2]
The Nuremberg tramway network consists of the following five lines:[1]
Line | Route (crossing points and termini) | Stops |
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Gibitzenhof – Landgrabenstraße – Hallertor – Friedrich-Ebert-Platz – Am Wegfeld | 19 |
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Tiergarten – Mögeldorf – Marientunnel – Hauptbahnhof - Aufseßplatz - Frankenstraße - Südfriedhof | 26 |
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Doku-Zentrum – Dutzendteich – Schweiggerstraße – Christuskirche – Landgrabenstraße – Hallertor – Westfriedhof | 22 |
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Tristanstraße - Hauptbahnhof | 9 |
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Doku-Zentrum – Wodanstraße – Schweiggerstraße – Hauptbahnhof – Rathenauplatz – Erlenstegen | 17 |

Expansion plans
After a 2016 ballot measure in Erlangen, the section to am Wegfeld is planned to be extended to Erlangen and from there to Herzogenaurach in a roughly L-shaped line. Herzogenaurach previously had a connection to mainline rail, but it was shut down in the 1980s, leaving it one of southern Germany's biggest cities without a rail connection. With the establishment of a new Nuremberg Technical University on former railway real estate in the new borough "Lichtenreuth" there are plans to extend the tram into the new neighborhood.
Rolling stock

As of 2019, Nuremberg operates a fleet of 48 trams.[6] In 2018, VAG lent one Avenio T1 from Munich, as well as one Bombardier Flexity Classic from Kraków in preparation for a tender for new trams.[7] In November 2019, VAG ordered 12 Avenio trams from Siemens Mobility, with an option for 75 more,[3] and entry into service scheduled for 2022.[8]
Model | Year built | Number | Image |
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Adtranz GT6N | 1995-1996 | 14 | ![]() |
Adtranz GT8N | 1999-2000 | 26 | ![]() |
Stadler GTV6 (Variobahn) | 2006-2007 | 8 | ![]() |
References
Notes
- "Straßenbahn Stadtverkehr Nürnberg" [Tramline traffic (lines) Nuremberg] (in German). VGN. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
- "Wussten Sie? - Wussten Sie zum Thema "Straßenbahn"" [Did you know? - Facts about the Tram] (in German). VAG. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
- "VAG Nuremberg orders Siemens Avenio low-floor trams". Urban Transport Magazine. November 18, 2019. Archived from the original on November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- "Geschäftsbericht 2012 Ziele erreichen – auf ganzer Strecke" [Annual Report 2012 Targets achieved - over the whole distance] (PDF) (in German). VAG. June 2013. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
- "125 Jahre Nahverkehr in Nürnberg: Am 25. August 1881 fuhr die erste Pferdebahn" [125 years suburban traffic in Nuremberg: On 25 August 1881, the first horse tram line] (in German). VAG. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
- Hall, Martin. Tram & Metro Systems of Western Europe 2019. pp. 91–92. ISBN 9781908553188.
- Barrow, Keith (August 28, 2018). "Nuremberg plans tender for up to 85 LRVs". railjournal.com. Simmons-Boardman Publishing. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- Burroughs, David (November 15, 2019). "Nuremberg orders four-section Avenio LRVs". railjournal.com. Simmons-Boardman Publishing. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
Bibliography
- Binder, Robert; et al. (1986). Der Stadtverkehr in Nürnberg und Fürth von 1881 bis 1981 [City Transport in Nuremberg and Fürth from 1881 to 1981] (in German). Nürnberg: Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsstelle der VAG.
- Hendlemeier, Wolfgang (1981). Handbuch der deutschen Straßenbahngeschichte [Handbook of German Tram History] (in German). 1. München.
- Höltge, Dieter; Kochems, Michael (2006). Straßen- und Stadtbahnen in Deutschland [Tramways and Stadtbahnen in Germany]. Band 10: Bayern [Volume 10: Bavaria]. Freiburg i. B., Germany: EK-Verlag. ISBN 388255391X. (in German)
- Klebes, Günther (1980). Die Strassenbahnen Bayerns in alten Ansichten [The Trams of Bavaria in Old Postcards] (in German). Zaltbommel. ISBN 90-288-1197-4.
- Schwandl, Robert (2012). Schwandl's Tram Atlas Deutschland (in German and English) (3rd ed.). Berlin: Robert Schwandl Verlag. pp. 110–113. ISBN 9783936573336.
- Der Nahverkehr in Nürnberg und Fürth von 1982 bis 2008 [Local Transport in Nuremberg and Fürth from 1982 to 2008] (in German) (1 ed.). Nürnberg: Jürgen Heußner. 2009.
- 125 Jahre Nahverkehr in Nürnberg [125 Years Local Transport in Nuremberg] (in German) (1 ed.). Nürnberg: Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsstelle der VAG. 2006. ISBN 978-3-00-018689-9.
- Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn im Wandel der Zeiten [Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn through the Ages] (in German) (3 ed.). Nürnberg: Freunde der Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn e. V. 2005.
External links
Media related to Trams in Nürnberg at Wikimedia Commons
- Nürnberg database / photo gallery and Nürnberg tram list at Urban Electric Transit – in various languages, including English.
- Nürnberg database / photo gallery at Phototrans – in various languages, including English.