Trams and trolleybuses in North Korea

Trams and Trolleybuses in North Korea are forms of public transportation for North Koreans to travel around in urban centres given the shortages on fuel and access to cars for average citizens.

Very few details are known about these trolleybus

Trolleybus

A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...

es and tram

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

s due to the closed society of North Korea. Pyongyang

Pyongyang

Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...

and Chongjin

Chongjin

Ch'ŏngjin is the capital of North Korea's North Hamgyŏng Province and the country's third largest city. From 1960 to 1967 and again from 1977 to 1985, Ch'ŏngjin was administered separately from North Hamgyŏng as a Directly Governed City...

are the only cities known to have tramways.

Trams

**Product list and details**
Fleet Size	Description	Make	Fleet #	Year acquired	Notes
45	double-articulated	CKD Tatra CKD A knock-down kit is a kit containing the parts needed to assemble a product... KT8D5K units	1001–1045	1990
129	articulated trams	CKD Tatra CKD A knock-down kit is a kit containing the parts needed to assemble a product... T6B5K single motor units	1046–1174	1990s
50	articulated trams	CKD Tatra CKD A knock-down kit is a kit containing the parts needed to assemble a product... KT4K Tatra KT4 Tatra KT4 is the name of an articulated tramcar developed by the Czech firm ČKD Tatra. The first pre-production vehicles entered service in Potsdam in 1975, with the first production vehicles in 1977. A total of 1747 units were built, with initial deliveries to East Germany and later The USSR and... units	1175–1224	ordered 1991	articulation removed by Shenfang works in China; all trams of this type have been moved from Pyongyang to Chongjin
320	trams	CKD Tatra CKD A knock-down kit is a kit containing the parts needed to assemble a product... T4D Tatra T4 T4 is the name of a tram produced by ČKD Tatra. It is the narrower variant of the Tatra T3 model. A large number of cars was supplied to the DDR, the USSR, Romania and the former Yugoslavia using names T4D, T4SU, T4R and T4YU, respectively... /B4D			used trams from Leipzig Leipzig Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing... (200 vehicles), Dresden Dresden Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area.... (95), and Magdeburg Magdeburg Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe.... (25)
	articulated trams	North Korea Kim Jong Tae Locomotive Works – modification of ČKD CKD A knock-down kit is a kit containing the parts needed to assemble a product... KT4 Tatra KT4 Tatra KT4 is the name of an articulated tramcar developed by the Czech firm ČKD Tatra. The first pre-production vehicles entered service in Potsdam in 1975, with the first production vehicles in 1977. A total of 1747 units were built, with initial deliveries to East Germany and later The USSR and...		1990s
18 trailers and 18 motor units	2 car married tram units	Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich... 4/4 1b (Kurbeli)	Switzerland Built 1947–1954 for Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon (MFO) and Schindler Waggon Schlieren (SWS)	retired 1994; purchased by North Korea in 1995	used on a metre gauge Metre gauge Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland... line from Samhung metro station to Kumsusan Memorial Palace Kumsusan Memorial Palace The Kumsusan Memorial Palace, sometimes referred to as the Kim Il-sung Mausoleum, is a building located northeast of downtown Pyongyang, the capital city of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea . The palace is the former official residence and office of North Korea's president and founder,... in Pyongyang (all other lines are standard gauge)

Trolleybuses

The Pyongyang trolleybus system

Trolleybuses in Pyongyang

The Pyongyang trolleybus system forms part of the public transport network of Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea, and extends to some of its suburbs.In operation since 30 April 1962, the system is presently about long and comprises 10 routes....

has been operating since 1962, with a large fleet serving several routes. Due to the closed nature of North Korea, the existence of trolleybus networks in other North Korean cities was generally unknown outside the country for many years, but it is now known that around 12 to 15 other cities also possess trolleybus systems, among them Chongjin

Chongjin

and Nampho. A few other places have private, very small (in some cases only one or two vehicles) systems for transporting workers from a housing area to a nearby coal mine or other industrial site—or at least did at some time within recent years. Trolleybuses include both imported and locally made vehicles. Imported buses are from Europe and copied versions from China. There are a few local manufacturers of trolleybuses.

**Product list and details**
#	Description	Make	Fleet #	Year acquired	Year retired	Notes
	trolleybus	Hungarian Ikarus Bus Ikarus Bus Ikarus is a bus manufacturer based in Budapest, Hungary. It was established in 1895 as Uhri Imre Kovács- és Kocsigyártó Üzeme .-History:... 260/280
	trolleybus	Škoda Works Škoda Works Škoda Works was the largest industrial enterprise in Austro-Hungary and later in Czechoslovakia, one of its successor states. It was also one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Europe in the 20th century...		1950s
	articulated trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chollima Chollima Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement...
	trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chollima Chollima Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement... 1/2/9.11	N/A	1961
	articulated trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chollima Chollima Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement... 9.25		1963
	trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chollima Chollima Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement... 70		1970
	trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chollima Chollima Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement... 72		1972
	trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chollima Chollima Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement... 74		1974
	trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chollima Chollima Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement... 82		1982
	trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chollima Chollima Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement... 84		1984
	articulated trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chollima Chollima Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement... 862		1986
	articulated trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chollima Chollima Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement... 90/903		1990
	trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chongnyon		1990
	trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chongnyonjunwi		1996
	trolleybus and articulated	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chollima Chollima Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement...		1997		Ikarus Bus Ikarus Bus Ikarus is a bus manufacturer based in Budapest, Hungary. It was established in 1895 as Uhri Imre Kovács- és Kocsigyártó Üzeme .-History:... assembly
	articulated trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Sonyon		1999
	articulated trolleybus	Pyongyang Trolleybus Works Chollima Chollima Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement... 032		2004
	trolleybus	Chongjin Bus Works Jipsam 74		1972
	articulated trolleybus	Chongjin Bus Works Jipsam 86		1986
	trolleybus	Chongjin Bus Works Chongnyonjunwi Chongjin		2000

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