Renaissance of trams in Germany—five case studies

Until the end of the 1950s the tram was the most important mode of urban transport in Germany. In the following 30 years drastic cuts were made in the tram network. This trend has now been reversed: new tramways are being built and old ones upgraded. Five case studies represent different developments of tram and light rail systems in German cities: (a) Hannover, which is typical of the stepwise development of a tram system into a partly underground light rail system; (b) Karlsruhe, where the most intensive utilization of railroad tracks is taking place, including the world's first dual-current tram; (c) Oberhausen, where for the first time in Germany a tram was reintroduced in 1996; (d) Saabrücken, which represents the second case of tram reintroduction according to the Karlsruhe model in 1997; and finally (e) Munich, where dense U-Bahn and S-Bahn networks are going to be complemented by new or reopened tram lines.