The Kassel tramway network is a network 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, forming part of the

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 ...

system in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

, a city in the north of the

federal state A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing status of the c ...

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

, Germany. , the Kassel tram network is made up of seven regular tramlines. Opened in 1877 as a steam tramway from Wilhelmshöhe the Königsplatz (Royal Square), the network has been operated since 1897 by Kasseler Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (KVG), and is integrated in the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund (NVV). The

track gauge In rail transport, track gauge is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have Wheelset (rail transport), wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many different track gauges ...

is . There existed also a narrow gauge network to the Hercules monument. The network was extended gradually into the surrounding area, partly as conventional tramways, and partly as a

tram-train A tram-train or dual-system tram is a type of light rail vehicle that both meets the standards of a light rail system, and also national mainline standards. Tramcars are adapted to be capable of running on streets like an urban tramway but a ...

'' RegioTram'' network.

History

In the summer of 1870 a horse-drawn omnibus line opened as part of an industrial exhibition from 1 June to 5 October 1870. The growth of the city made it attractive to operate a steam tram which was opened in 1877 by the English company "Jay & Comp. London". With the first two steam locomotives and four passenger cars they brought visitors to the Royal Palace in Wilhelmshöhe. Soon other vehicles, including locomotives made by Henschel, were added to the rolling stock. The Kassel steam train is considered to be the first tramway in Germany not pulled by horses. In 1881 the company was taken over by another company from Berlin which invested in its electrification in 1897. The "Hercules Rail" was operated separately until 1927 bringing tourists to the Hercules monument.

System

Tram lines

, the Kassel tram network is made up of seven regular and one additional tramline.

RegioTram

In addition, Kassel is served by the three lines of the RegioTram system.

Rolling stock

Historic fleet

Until 1900 54 railcars were ordered at Van Zypen & Charlier and Crede. From 1955 to 1958 the railcar types "260", "261-288 (2 +2 Tw)" designed by Duewag and built in Kassel were put in service. They were in regular service until 1991. Ten vehicles were given to Gorzow in Poland and later scrapped, one of them went to the Warsaw tram friends. Other presented railcars are in two Dutch railway museums one in Hanover and one in Kassel. The next generation 301-317 and 351-366 was produced by Wegmann in Kassel in the 1960s and in service until 2003. Some of them still exist but are not in regular service any more.

Current fleet

* 417-422 ( Stadtbahnwagen N8C): 16 units produced in 1981 and 6 in 1986 by

Duewag Düwag or Duewag (stylised in all caps), formerly Waggonfabrik Uerdingen, was a German manufacturer of rail vehicles. It was sold in 1999 to Siemens with the brand later retired. History Duewag was founded in March 1898 as Waggonfabrik U ...

- 401-416 sold to

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

- 417, 419, 422 transported to Gdańsk in 2019 - only 3 operational units remaining in Kassel - 418, 420, 421 * 451–475 (NGT6C): 15 units produced from 1990 to 1991 and 10 in 1994 by Duewag * 601–622 ( Flexity Classic 8ENGTW): 22 units delivered by Bombardier from 1999 to 2000 * 631–640 ( Flexity Classic 8ZNGTW): 10 units delivered by Bombardier in 2001 and 2003 * 651-672 ( Flexity Classic NGT8): 22 units delivered by Bombardier from 2011 to 2013 Tram near Willemshohe station, Kassel - geo.hlipp.de - 4525.jpg, Tram in 1995 Art-straba-kassel.jpg, Tram no 458 with '' art – Das Kunstmagazin''
wrap advertising, for documenta X, 1997 KasselKoenigsplatzStrassenbahn2477.jpg, An 8ZNGTW unit at 'önigsplatz Kassel asv2022-02 img34 Friedrichsplatz tram.jpg, An Alstom RegioCitadis of the Kassel RegioTram

References

Inline references

Bibliography

External links

*
Kasseler Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (KVG) - official site

Track plan of the Kassel tram system
* * {{coord, 51, 19, , N, 09, 30, , E, region:DE_type:railwaystation_source:enwiki, display=title Kassel

Transport in Hesse