The Mannheim/Ludwigshafen tramway network () is a metre-gauge
transport network
A transport network, or transportation network, is a network or graph in geographic space, describing an infrastructure that permits and constrains movement or flow.
Examples include but are not limited to road networks, railways, air routes ...
of
tram
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 ...
ways focused on the cities of
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
and
Ludwigshafen am Rhein
Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...
, and connected to
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
tram network and to
Weinheim
Weinheim (; ) is a town with about 43,000 inhabitants in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, approximately north of Heidelberg and northeast of Mannheim. Weinheim is known as the "Zwei-Burgen-Sta ...
via the
Upper Rhine Railway Company (OEG), in the
Rhine Neckar Area of Germany. The network has been operated since 2005 by
Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (RNV), and is integrated in the
Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar
The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN) is a List of German transport associations, transport association covering parts of the States of Germany, German states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse in south-west Germany. Founded i ...
(VRN).
History
Opened in 1878 with
horse car
A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is a tram or streetcar pulled by a horse.
Summary
The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public transport, public rail transport, ...
s, the first line used
normal gauge. In 1883 a line to
Feudenheim started operating, using steam powered
tram engines. The first
electric trams started service in 1900.
Fleet
Besides older tram cars and a large fleet of Rhein-Neckar-
Variobahn trams, the delivery of the
Rhein-Neckar-Tram 2020 (RNT 2020) started late 2022. The RNT 2020 comes in three lengths, with the twelve 38T version being the longest trams in the world at the time of delivery in 2025.
See also
*
List of town tramway systems in Germany
*
Trams in Germany
Germany has an extensive number of tramway networks (Straßenbahn in German ()). Some of these networks have been upgraded to light rail standards, called Stadtbahn in German language, German. Straßenbahn and Stadtbahn schemes are usually operate ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
*
Rail transport in Mannheim
Ludwigshafen
Transport in Rhineland-Palatinate
Mannheim Ludwigshafen
Metre-gauge railways in Germany
750 V DC railway electrification
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
{{Tram-stub