Trams in Hamburg

Hamburg tramway network
Hamburg tramway network
	A tram of line 2 in the Rathausmarkt, 1975.
Operation
Locale	Hamburg, Germany
Horsecar era: 1866–1922
Status	Closed
Operator(s)	Pferde-Eisenbahn Gesellschaft; (1866–1881); Hamburg-Altonaer Pferdebahn; (1878–1896); Straßen Eisenbahn Gesellschaft; (1880–1919)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Propulsion system(s)	Horses
Route length	1879: 28 km; 1881: 66 km; 1896: 100 km; 1909: 167.17 km
Steam tramway era: 1878–1897
Status	Closed
Operator(s)	Pferde-Eisenbahn Gesellschaft; (1878–1880); Straßen Eisenbahn Gesellschaft; (1880–1897)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Propulsion system(s)	Steam power
Route length	1879: 28 km (17 mi); 1881: 66 km (41 mi); 1896: 100 km (62 mi)
Electric tram era: 1894–1978
Status	Closed
Routes	1955: 19; 1965: 11; 1970: 10; 1974: 5; 1978: 1 (line number 2)
Operator(s)	Hamburger Hochbahn; (1920–1978)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Propulsion system(s)	Electricity
Electrification	500 V DC overhead line; (initially); 550 V DC; (later)
Route length	1909: 167.17 km (103.87 mi), 1955: 217 km (135 mi)[circular reference]
	Hamburg tramway network, 1955.
Website	Hamburger Hochbahn (in German)

The Hamburg tramway network (German: Straßenbahnnetz Hamburg) once formed part of the public transport system in the city and federal state of Hamburg, Germany. Opened in 1866, the network lasted until 1978.

Overview

Hamburg's first tram service was with horsecars, beginning on 16 August 1866.^[2] Operation of steam-powered trams began on 13 May 1878 and continued until 1897, while horsecar service continued on some lines (with the last one surviving until 1922).^[2]

Electric tram service was introduced on 5 March 1894 and continued until 1978, with the system closing on 1 October 1978.^[2]

Proposed 21st century system

A similar style of transport, light rail, was to have been provided by the Hamburg Stadtbahn project, but following the Hamburg state election, 2011, the newly elected First Mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz, announced that that project would not be going ahead.