Overview | |
---|---|
Locale | Munich, Bavaria, Germany |
Transit type | Tram |
Number of lines | 1952: 21 1964: 21 1972: 18 + 3 Olympic special routes 1984: 11 1996: 9 2010: 11 2011: 11 from 2012: 13 |
Number of stations | 165 |
Daily ridership | 284,900 (2012) |
Annual ridership | 104 million (2012) |
Operation | |
Began operation | 1876 (horsecar) 1895 (electric trams) |
Operator(s) | Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft |
Number of vehicles | 106 |
Technical | |
System length | 1952: 120 km (75 mi) 1964: 135 km (84 mi) 1972: 120 km (75 mi) 1984: 83 km (52 mi) 1996: 68 km (42 mi) 2010: 75 km (47 mi) 2011: 80 km (50 mi) from 2016: 83 km (52 mi) |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
Electrification | 750 Volts |
Average speed | 19.3 mph (31.1 km/h) |
The Munich tramway is the tramway network for the city of Munich in Germany. Today it is operated by the municipally owned Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft (the Munich Transport Company, or MVG) and is known officially and colloquially as the Tram. Previous operators have included Société Anonyme des Tramways de Munich, the Münchner Trambahn-Aktiengesellschaft, the Städtische Straßenbahnen and the Straßenbahn München.
The tram network interconnects with the MVG's bus network, the Munich U-Bahn and the Munich S-Bahn, all of which use a common tariff as part of the Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund (Munich Transport and Tariff Association, or MVV) transit area.
As of 2012, the daytime tram network comprises 13 lines and is 79 kilometres (49 mi) long with 165 stops. There is also a night tram service with four routes. The network is operated by 106 trams (as of 2012), and transported 98 million people in 2010 and 104 million people in 2012.
The tramway started in 1876, with a horsecar service. The first tramways extended from Karlsplatz (Stachus), which remains one of central nodes of Munich's tram network. Two years later, the Société Anonyme des Tramways de Munich was founded. In 1882, the Münchner Trambahn-Aktiengesellschaft (MTAG) was founded.
Electric trams were introduced in 1895, and in 1900, the last horsecar was taken out of service. In 1907, MTAG was taken over by the city, and changed its name to Städtische Straßenbahnen. In 1919, the municipal agency Münchner Straßenbahnen was established. After World War II ended in 1945, only twenty tram lines remained; of 444 trams, only 168 were in operational condition. In 1956, the first new tram line after the war was opened.
The 1972 Munich Olympic Games presaged a major expansion of public transport in the city. In 1965, construction of the Munich U-Bahn, the city's rapid transit system, was started. It opened in 1971, the same year as the transit authority MVV was founded. In 1972 a new S-Bahn network opened that, like the U-Bahn, was carried in new tunnels under the city centre. As these networks grew, they seemed to threaten the tram network, with extensive line closures in favour of the new modes.