Łódź tram
Encyclopedia
Trams in Łódź made their first appearance on 23 December 1898. Łódź was the first city to have electric trams in what was then Congress Poland
. Initially, there were two fairly short tram lines that both served the downtown area; by February 1899 their number was doubled. Two years later, the first suburban tram lines started - the Pabianice
and Zgierz
lubes. Both of these initiatives were the result of the activities of private companies in which German manufacturers dominated.
In the years 1910-1931 suburban tram lines connected many important places around the city, creating the largest such network in Poland, which remained unchanged until the end of the 1980s. In the first half of 1990s, some of them were closed down, but the process has since been halted, leaving Łódź the only city in the country to still have such a system of commuter trams.
After World War II, the network of suburban and urban trams was nationalized and transferred to the Municipal Communication Company of Łódź (MPK), which, as the city of Łódź expanded, expanded the number and length of both urban and suburban lines. Currently MKP operates 16 urban and 4 regional (or suburban) lines. The longest of these, and in fact the longest of all of Poland, is number 46, which has a length of 38 km.
The system is characterized by narrow gauge
( or metre gauge
). On tramline 10, modern Cityrunner trams run; yet the short distance between stops prevents them from reaching full speed. Currently, the routes of lines 11 and 46 are being upgraded under the Łódź Regional Tram project.
. Yet it lacked a good public transport system. Especially around Piotrkowska Street
the situation was dire; one thousand cab
s and carriages drove around the city centre. Both the city government and local industrialists wanted to relieve this situation, and therefore took up the construction of a tram past the city centre. The first attempt was to build a horse tram, which ended in a failure; large stables would be needed in the center of the city, and for hygienic reasons, horse trams were then abandoned. A project with electric trams was then started, which would carry passengers by day, and cargo by night. The Electric Railway Consortium Lodz (KEL) won a tender for construction the line. Julius Kunitzer signed the contract in St. Petersburg in front of Nicholas II on behalf of the KEL. He was backed by the German company AEG
, which then started construction in the summer of 1897. The first trams started on Friday, 23 December 1898.
The experiment with electric trams in Łódź fared even better than expected. It quickly paid off the cost of line construction, and the project brought considerable profits to its shareholders, whereas traffic in the center of the city clearly decreased. Additionally, the population, despite earlier serious concerns, quickly got used to trams 'running without a horse'.
While Łódź is acknowledged to be the first city in Poland to have a fully electrified tram system, less well known is that unusually Łódź once boasted a small cemetery where tram drivers were buried. Sadly, nothing remains of this graveyard, which was situated on Lindley Street near the aptly named Tram Street (ul. Tramwajowa). Today, the cemetery plot where old tram drivers would have been laid to rest is occupied by the Lodz University Press and a language school.
Regional lines:
Międzygminna Komunikacja Tramwajowa (MKT):
Tramwaje Podmiejskie (TP):
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
. Initially, there were two fairly short tram lines that both served the downtown area; by February 1899 their number was doubled. Two years later, the first suburban tram lines started - the Pabianice
Pabianice
Pabianice is a town in central Poland with 69 648 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the capital of Pabianice County...
and Zgierz
Zgierz
Zgierz is a town in central Poland, located just to the north of Łódź and part of the metropolitan area centered on that city. As of 2007, it had a population of 58,164....
lubes. Both of these initiatives were the result of the activities of private companies in which German manufacturers dominated.
In the years 1910-1931 suburban tram lines connected many important places around the city, creating the largest such network in Poland, which remained unchanged until the end of the 1980s. In the first half of 1990s, some of them were closed down, but the process has since been halted, leaving Łódź the only city in the country to still have such a system of commuter trams.
After World War II, the network of suburban and urban trams was nationalized and transferred to the Municipal Communication Company of Łódź (MPK), which, as the city of Łódź expanded, expanded the number and length of both urban and suburban lines. Currently MKP operates 16 urban and 4 regional (or suburban) lines. The longest of these, and in fact the longest of all of Poland, is number 46, which has a length of 38 km.
The system is characterized by narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
( or 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...
). On tramline 10, modern Cityrunner trams run; yet the short distance between stops prevents them from reaching full speed. Currently, the routes of lines 11 and 46 are being upgraded under the Łódź Regional Tram project.
History
Łódź in the 1890s already had over 300 000 inhabitants. It was a large industrial city, characterized by textile industryTextile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
. Yet it lacked a good public transport system. Especially around Piotrkowska Street
Piotrkowska Street
Piotrkowska Street , the main artery of Łódź, Poland, is one of the longest commercial thoroughfares in Europe, with a length of 4.9 km. It is one of the major tourist attractions of the city...
the situation was dire; one thousand cab
Cab
The word cab has a number of meanings, most of which are abbreviations:In transport:* Cabriolet, a horse-drawn carriage* Taxicab* Cabin * Cab , the driving compartment of a locomotive...
s and carriages drove around the city centre. Both the city government and local industrialists wanted to relieve this situation, and therefore took up the construction of a tram past the city centre. The first attempt was to build a horse tram, which ended in a failure; large stables would be needed in the center of the city, and for hygienic reasons, horse trams were then abandoned. A project with electric trams was then started, which would carry passengers by day, and cargo by night. The Electric Railway Consortium Lodz (KEL) won a tender for construction the line. Julius Kunitzer signed the contract in St. Petersburg in front of Nicholas II on behalf of the KEL. He was backed by the German company AEG
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau....
, which then started construction in the summer of 1897. The first trams started on Friday, 23 December 1898.
The experiment with electric trams in Łódź fared even better than expected. It quickly paid off the cost of line construction, and the project brought considerable profits to its shareholders, whereas traffic in the center of the city clearly decreased. Additionally, the population, despite earlier serious concerns, quickly got used to trams 'running without a horse'.
While Łódź is acknowledged to be the first city in Poland to have a fully electrified tram system, less well known is that unusually Łódź once boasted a small cemetery where tram drivers were buried. Sadly, nothing remains of this graveyard, which was situated on Lindley Street near the aptly named Tram Street (ul. Tramwajowa). Today, the cemetery plot where old tram drivers would have been laid to rest is occupied by the Lodz University Press and a language school.
Lines
- 1: Chojny – Strykowska
- 2: Dąbrowa – Szczecińska
- 3: Augustów – Wycieczkowa
- 4: Dąbrowa – Helenówek
- 5: Kurczaki – Wycieczkowa
- 6: Kurczaki – Strykowska
- 7: Koziny – Śląska
- 8: Augustów – Chochoła
- 9: Augustów – Zdrowie
- 10: Wyszyńskiego – Augustów
- 11: Chocianowice Ikea – Helenówek
- 12: Wyszyńskiego – Stoki
- 13: Śląska – Sczecińska
- 14: Dąbrowa – Wyszyńskiego
- 15: Kurczaki – Telefoniczna
- 16A: Kurczaki – Helenówek
- 46A: Chocianowice Ikea – Helenówek
Regional lines:
- 16: Kurczaki – Plac Kilińskiego (ZgierzZgierzZgierz is a town in central Poland, located just to the north of Łódź and part of the metropolitan area centered on that city. As of 2007, it had a population of 58,164....
) - 41: Chocianowice – PabianicePabianicePabianice is a town in central Poland with 69 648 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the capital of Pabianice County...
- 43: Stoki – LutomierskLutomierskLutomiersk is a village in Pabianice County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Lutomiersk. It lies approximately north-west of Pabianice and west of the regional capital Łódź....
- 43bis: Stoki – Konstantynów Łódzki
- 46: Chocianowice Ikea – OzorkówOzorkówOzorków is a town in central Poland with 20,731 inhabitants , located on the Bzura River. It is situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , having previously been in Łódź Metro Voivodeship .- External links :* * *...
Types of vehicles
MPK Łódź:| Tramway type | Number |
|---|---|
| PESA 122N PESA 122N PESA 122N is a tram produced by the Polish company PESA in Bydgoszcz. It has a modern fully low-floor design. Currently the trams of this type are used in Łódź and Bydgoszcz. The vehicles also come with accumulators, which allow, in case of a power failure, to drive 50 more... |
10 |
| Konstal 805N Elin Konstal 105Na The Konstal 105Na are a class of Polish trams manufactured from 1979 to 1992 in workshops Konstal Chorzow, Poland. The narrow-gauge version is designed as 805Na... |
16 |
| Konstal 805Na Konstal 105Na The Konstal 105Na are a class of Polish trams manufactured from 1979 to 1992 in workshops Konstal Chorzow, Poland. The narrow-gauge version is designed as 805Na... |
433 |
| Cityrunner | 15 |
| total | 474 |
Międzygminna Komunikacja Tramwajowa (MKT):
| Tramway type | Number |
|---|---|
| Konstal 803N | 14 |
| Düwag GT8 | 12 |
| Düwag GT8N | 6 |
| Düwag GT6 | 3 |
| Düwag M6S | 2 |
| Lohner GT6 | 1 |
| total | 38 |
Tramwaje Podmiejskie (TP):
| Tramway type | Number |
|---|---|
| Konstal 803N | 11 |
| Düwag GT6 | 10 |
| Düwag M8S | 1 |
| total | 22 |