Städtische Strassenbahn Zürich
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| Industry | Public transport |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1896 |
| Owner | City of Zürich |
| Website | vbz |
Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) is a public transport operator in the Swiss city of Zürich, and is wholly owned by the city. Previously known as the Städtische Strassenbahn Zürich (StStZ), the organisation was founded in 1896 and adopted its current name in 1950.
The VBZ owns and operates trams, trolleybuses, buses, and a funicular. It also operates, but does not own, a further funicular, a rack railway, and the Stadtbahn Glattal light rail system.
All of VBZ's passenger services are operated within the tariff and ticketing system provided by the cantonal public transport authority Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV). The ZVV tariff also covers other passenger transport services in and around the city, including the Zürich S-Bahn, although these are not operated by the VBZ.
The Städtische Strassenbahn Zürich (StStZ) came into existence in 1896, when the City of Zürich purchased the Elektrische Strassenbahn Zürich (ESZ). However privately owned tram systems had operated in the city since 1882, and private and public operation of tram systems within the city continued in parallel until 1931, with the StStZ gradually acquiring the private sector companies.
In 1927, the StStZ introduced its first motor bus route, and in 1939 this was joined by the first trolleybus route. In 1940 the StStZ started a modernisation of its trams, introducing the first prototypes of the Swiss Standard Tram. Despite Switzerland's neutrality, the economic effects of the second world war slowed down the program, but by 1953 the VBZ had taken delivery of 177 such trams.
In 1950 the StStZ changed its name to the Verkehrsbetriebe der Stadt Zürich (VBZ) to reflect the broader nature of its services. This name was further refined to Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich in 1978, with the use of the name VBZ Züri-Linie in some marketing contexts.
In 1962, a proposal for a metro or U-Bahn network was rejected by the voters of Zürich, a rejection that was repeated in 1973. This notwithstanding, several stretches of U-Bahn were built but never opened. Today, one such stretch is used by the VBZ tram network, whilst another is used as the terminus of the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn (SZU) at Zürich Hauptbahnhof station.
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