Opened in 1897, the network is currently operated by Stadtwerke Ulm/Neu-Ulm GmbH (SWU), and integrated in the Donau-Iller-Nahverkehrsverbund (DING).
History
The first trams began operation in Ulm on 15 May 1897, running on a ring line linking the main station, Olgastraße, Fraunstraße and Münsterplatz and a second line linking Ulm to the railway station in Neu-Ulm. The trams were originally operated by the privately owned "Ulmer Straßenbahn- und Elektrizitätswerk" until being bought by the city on 1 April 1905. The network was further extended and by 1929 had four lines. Following the Second World War only two of these lines reopened. Following further closures in 1964 only a single 5.6 km long line remained, linking Donauhalle and Söflingen.[3]
Expansion of the network began again in 2007 with the construction of a 4.6 km long extension from Donauhalle to Böfingen, which opened on 21 March 2009.[3] The expansion continued with the opening of the new 9.8 km long line 2 on 8 December 2018, linking Science Park in the north-west of Ulm to Kuhberg in the south-west.[2]
Lines
Line
Route
Length
Stations
Journey time (in minutes)
1
Söflingen – Böfingen Ostpreußenweg
10.3 km
22
30
2
Kuhberg Schulzentrum – Science Park II
9.8 km
21
28
The two lines share almost a kilometre of track in the city centre between Theater and Ehinger Tor, including the tram stop at the main railway station.[2] Germany's highest tram stop is at Botanischer Garten (Botanical Gardens) on line 2, which is 617 m above sea level.[3]
Rolling stock
As of 2024, SWU has ten Combino trams and eighteen Avenio M trams, both types designated NGT 6 UL and manufactured by Siemens Mobility.[1] Each tram is named after a well-known person with a connection to Ulm.
In 2003, the entire previous fleet of GT4 trams was replaced with eight Combino NGT 6 UL vehicles. Two more trams were delivered in 2008 to serve the extended Line 1. The Combino trams are five-section unidirectional vehicles, 31 m long and 2.4 m wide with 72 seats.[4]
SWU ordered twelve Avenio M trams in 2015, to be used on the new line 2 when it opened. These also comprise five sections and measure 31 m long and 2.4 m wide.[5] The contract included an option for an additional six vehicles which were ordered in 2020.[6] In 2024 it was announced that all 18 Avenio M trams would be extended with an extra two modules to increase the passenger capacity of each tram from 185 to 256, with the first lengthened tram expected to be in service in 2027.[7]
Riechers, Daniel (1997). 100 Jahre Straßenbahn Ulm/Neu-Ulm [100 Years of the Ulm/Neu-Ulm Tramway] (in German). Ulm.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Schwandl, Robert (2012). Schwandl's Tram Atlas Deutschland (in German and English) (3rd ed.). Berlin: Robert Schwandl Verlag. p. 138. ISBN9783936573336.
^ abcTugemann, Claudia (May 2022). "Bahn für die Spatzen" [Tramway for the Sparrows]. Straßenbahn Magazin (in German). GeraMond. pp. 34–16.
^Kochems, Michael (March 2022). "286 Fahrzeuge für sieben deutsche Betriebe" [286 vehicles for seven German operators]. Straßenbahn Magazin (in German). GeraMond. pp. 34–41.
