The Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB), literally translated into English as the Leipzig Transport Authority, operates the tramway and bus transport services in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The LVB network is a part of the regional public transport association, the

Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund The Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund (MDV) is a List of German transport associations, transport association in the Germany, German Leipzig-Halle (Saale) area. The company is based in Halle (Saale), but its head office is in Leipzig. The MDV is a ...

(MDV). The LVB was formed by the merger, from 1 January 1917, of two predecessor undertakings, the ''Großen Leipziger Straßenbahn'' (GLSt, "Greater Leipzig Tramway Company") and the ''Leipziger Elektrischen Straßenbahn'' (LESt, "Leipzig Electric Tramway Company"). The merged undertaking was also known as GLSt until it was reorganized and renamed as the LVB, from 29 July 1938.

Organization

The company is organized as a

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...

. LVB owns infrastructure such as track, depots and land, and all vehicles. It holds the concession ("license") for public transport in Leipzig, and is responsible for organization, planning and management of public transport. It provides these services through its various subsidiary undertakings. The LVB Grou

consists of the following undertakings: * ''LeoBus GmbH'' (organized from 1 November 2005 from the transport undertakings Regionalverkehr Leipzig (RVL, "Regional Transport Leipzig"); Regionalverkehr Taucha (RVT, "Regional Transport Taucha), Regionalverkehr Riesa (RVR, "Regional Transport Riesa"), Deutsche Nahverkehrsgesellschaft (DNVG, German Suburban Transport Company) and the motorbus division of Leipziger Stadtverkehrsbetriebe (LSVB, Leipzig City Transport Company). Operates regular public transport and school bus services in the region surrounding Leipzig, and other transport service

LeoBus also provides servicing for the motor vehicle and bus fleet. * ''Leipziger Stadtverkehrsbetriebe GmbH & Co. KG'' (LSVB, "Leipzig City Transport Company LLP") operates the Leipzig tramway and bus networks under contract to LV

* ''LTB Leipziger Transport und Logistik Betriebe GmbH'' ("Leipzig Transport and Logistics Services LLC") manages the vehicle fleet, vehicle maintenance and also provides transport and

vehicle leasing Vehicle leasing is the leasing (or the use) of a motor vehicle for a fixed period of time at an agreed amount of money for the lease. It is commonly offered by dealers as an alternative to vehicle purchase but is widely used by businesses as a meth ...

service

* ''Verkehrs-Consult Leipzig GmbH'' (VCL, "Transport Consulting Leipzig LLC") provides consulting, planning and project engineering services for passenger and goods transportatio

* ''IFTEC GmbH & Co. KG'', organized from the predecessor undertakings LFB and LIB, provides "custom maintenance solutions" for rail infrastructure and vehicles. IFTEC is a joint undertaking of LVB and

Siemens AG Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the posit ...

, with each holding 50 percent of the shares. (LFB, ''Leipziger Fahrzeugservice-Betriebe GmbH'' ("Leipzig Vehicle Service Enterprises LLC") provided "industrial service and technical systems solution in the field of transport, with special emphasis on rail vehicle maintenance;" it once built vehicles." LIB, ''Leipziger Infrastruktur Betriebe GmbH & Co. KG'' ("Leipzig Infrastructure Enterprises LLP") provided maintenance and construction of rail and road transport infrastructure.

* ''LEOLINER Fahrzeugbau Leipzig GmbH'' ("LEOLINER Vehicle Construction Leipzig LLC"), which was formerly the vehicle construction division of the LFB (above), produces the NGTW6L series of six-axle low-floor articulated tramcars, marketed under the name :de:Leoliner, LEOLINER (the name makes reference to the lion on the town's coat of arms

* ''Leipziger Servicebetriebe GmbH'' (LSB, "Leipzig Service Enterprises LLC"), which manages auto parking facilities and provides support services for transport operations, including security, vehicle cleaning and fare inspection. Other services offered include caterin

* ''LAB Leipziger Aus- und Weiterbildungsbetriebe GmbH'' ("Leipzig Training and Advanced Training Services LLC") provides training for tram drivers, commercial drivers, professional training in skilled trade and commercial sectors, and provides advanced-training activitie

These subsidiaries were organized to facilitate

tendering An invitation to tender (ITT, also known as a call for bids or a request for tenders) is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business activ ...

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

and reduction of public subsidies. They serve outside clients in addition to LVB.

Lines

Bus route letters were replaced by route numbers with the timetable change effective 5 October 1997. In addition, the tramway service network was again revised from 2001 and a marketing campaign began under the name ''Das Neue Netz'' ("The New Network"). Thus the following numbering scheme applies currently in Leipzig: * 1-29: Tramway services * 30s: Temporary tramway services for construction site and shuttle traffic * 40s/50s: Temporary Tramway services for large events (Night services were designated in the 50 series in Leipzig until 2001.) * 60s: Bus services in western and southern districts (primarily Grünau) * 70s: Bus services in eastern districts * 80s: Bus services in northern districts (primarily Mockau-Thekla) * over 100: Regional and suburban bus services

Tramway Lines

The Leipzig tramway network is the second-largest in

(after

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

) and has a radial lattice structure. In contrast to a tangential network, here all lines form the shape of a star. With the exception of line 2, all lines operate on the Inner City Ring via Leipzig Central Station (''Hauptbahnhof'') and serve at least one of the three stops on

Goerdelerring Goerdelerring is a street and major tram interchange station in Leipzig, Germany. It is named after Carl Friedrich Goerdeler. The street The street ''Goerdelerring'' is part of the Inner City Ring Road (Leipzig), inner city ring road of Leipzi ...

Augustusplatz The Augustusplatz is a square located at the east end of the city centre of Leipzig, borough Leipzig-Mitte. It is the city's largest square and one of the largest squares in Europe. It is also part of the city's inner-city ring-road and a centra ...

or Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz. With the exception of line 14, the tramway services provide a basic 10-minute interval (15-minute interval during evening and weekend service hours). As the result of overlay of lines, central segments are served as frequently as 2–3 minutes. Line 3 provides a 10-minute interval between Knautkleeberg and Heiterblick, branching to serve different terminals in the north. Some services are short workings and are designated with a letter "E" adjacent to the line number. These operate to and from intermediate terminal points. Line 4^E works through at ''Hauptbahnhof (Central Station)'' to or from Line 12. Lines 12 and 4^E operate to their respective central terminals during peak periods (Technisches Rathaus or Riebeck-/Stötteritzer Straße), where line numbers are changed.

Vehicles

Tramcars

* Modernized Tatra T4D-M (Type 33c, d, e) * Low-floor trailers NB4 (Type 68), used for Tatra T4D-M and NGT8 * Low-floor articulated NGT8 (Type 36) * Low-floor articulated NGT12-LEI ( Bombardier Flexity Classic XXL, Type 38) (12 vehicles of the 1. Series; a further 12 vehicles to follow from 2006 September to 2007 May and 9 vehicles of Series 3) * LVB-built low-floor articulated NGTW6L » Leoliner« (vehicles 1301/1302 are prototypes, 1303 – 1350 are production vehicles) * Solaris Tramino XL (also known as ''NGT10'') (43 in service, 18 under construction/not in service) ''External link'':
Linienfahrzeuge (Straßenbahn) "Public transport vehicles (Tram)"

Motorbuses

Solaris Urbino Solaris Urbino is a series of low-floor buses and low-entry doorway intercity buses, powered by diesel drive engines and alternative fuel ( CNG, gas and biogas, hybrid and electric), produced by the Polish company Solaris Bus & Coach in ...

12 IV *

18 III *

18 IV * Solaris Alpino 8.6 *

MAN Lion's City The MAN Lion's City is a range of low-floor and low-entry public buses built by German truck and bus manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus (previously MAN Nutzfahrzeuge) since 1996 primarily for the European market, but is also available in chassis-on ...

diesel and hybrid *

Mercedes-Benz Citaro The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is a single-decker, rigid or articulated bus manufactured by Mercedes-Benz/ EvoBus. Introduced in 1997, the Citaro is available in a range of configurations, and is in widespread use throughout Europe and parts of Asia, ...

diesel and hybrid BlueTec Version * HESS SwissHybrid * VDL Citea SLF-120 Electric ''(Currently not in service)'' ''External link''
Linienfahrzeuge (Bus) "Public transport vehicles (Bus)"
File:Schkeuditz Tatra.jpg, Tatra T4D-M-train with low-floor trailer (NB4), Leipzig File:straßenbahnen-in-der-angerbrücke.jpg, Angerbrücke Depot File:Leipzig, NGTW6 auf Linie 3 nach Taucha, 1.jpeg, The Leoliner tram File:Leipzig Niederflurstrassenbahn.jpg,

Flexity Classic The Bombardier Flexity Classic is a model of light-rail tram manufactured by Bombardier Transportation (now merged into Alstom). Although it is marketed as the most traditionally designed member of the Flexity family, it is still a modern bi-d ...

tram in Leipzig File:Leipzig NGT10 04.jpg, The new Solaris Tramino XL (NGT10) in Leipzig, 2017

History

Image:Pferdebahnwagen.jpg, LPE horse tramcar Image:Le_sb_349.jpg, Motor tram number 349 Image:Le_sb_beiwagen103_aussen.jpg, Trailer number 103, built 1896 Image:Le_sb_beiwagen103_innen.jpg, Trailer number 103, interior On 18 May 1872, the Leipziger Pferdeeisenbahn (LPE, "Leipzig Horse Railway) opened service. The Reudnitz

tram depot A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

was the first in Leipzig and the location of the LPE head office. Twenty-five years after opening, the LPE owned 1,013 horses, 172 tramcars and five depots. A competing tramway enterprise, the Leipziger Elektrische Straßenbahn (LESt, "Leipzig Electric Tramway Company") started construction of an electric tramway network in 1895. This prompted the LPE to begin

electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...

. The Große Leipziger Straßenbahn (GLSt, "Greater Leipzig Tramway Company") organized as the legal successor to the LPE, managed to open the first electric tramway in Leipzig on 17 April 1896. The LESt opened service soon thereafter, on 20 May 1896. To the regret of many residents, the last horse tramway service operated on 16 April 1897. Suburban lines were developed from 1900, and

motorbus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used i ...

services from 1913. After the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the privately owned companies were dissolved and replaced by a municipal undertaking, which operated under the old name Große Leipziger Straßenbahn (GLSt). This was renamed Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB, "Leipzig Transport Company") from 1938, incorporating

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

and

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

services. In 1949, following establishment of the DDR, LVB was integrated with other (formerly private) enterprises taken into state ownership. It became part of the (nationalized) transport undertakings operated as ''

Volkseigener Betrieb The Publicly Owned Enterprise (; abbreviated VEB) was the main legal form of industrial enterprise in East Germany. These state-owned enterprise were all publicly owned and were formed after mass nationalisation between 1945 and the early 1960s, ...

Kombinate'' ("People's Collective Enterprises") in 1970. Following the fall of the DDR, LVB was reorganized as a company with limited liability (

GmbH (; ) is a type of Juridical person, legal entity in German-speaking countries. It is equivalent to a (Sàrl) in the Romandy, French-speaking region of Switzerland and to a (Sagl) in the Ticino, Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. It is a ...

), owned by the Leipzig local authority and the district ( ''Landkreis'') of Leipzig. A detailed overview of the development of the Leipzig tramway, segment by segment, may be found in the article

Leipzig Tramway Network History Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe, Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe GmbH (LVB, 'Leipzig Transport Company, LLC') operates one of Germany's largest tramway networks. The tramway network history is presented below in tabular form, including opening, electrificat ...

Historic Tramcars

Motor Tram Type 13: Image:Le_sb_typ13_50x_aussen.jpg, Motor tram Number 500 (Type 13). Image:Le_sb_typ13_50x_innen.jpg, Motor tram Number 500 (Type 13), interior. Image:Le_sb_typ13_50x_steuerpult.jpg, Driving position and controller of Type 13 motor tram. Motor Tram Type 27: Image:Le_sb_typ27_981_aussen.jpg, Motor tram number 981 (Type 27). Image:Le_sb_typ27_981_steuerpult.jpg, Driving position of Type 27 motor tram. Motor Tram Type 29: Image:Le_sb_typ29_1043.aussen.jpg, Motor tram number 1043 (Type 29). The bogies are not original. Motor Tram Type 30: Image:Le_sb_typ30_1601_aussen.jpg, Motor tram number 1601 (Type 30). Image:Le_sb_typ30_1601_innen.jpg, Motor tram number 1601 (Type 30), interior.

External links

*
Tram Travels: Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB)
{{authority control Public bus companies of Germany Public transport operators of Germany Tram transport in Germany Verkehrsbetriebe Railway companies established in 1917 Government-owned companies of Germany