A new Hamburg tramway - third time lucky?

The north German city of Hamburg (population 1.85M) is the largest conurbation in the country without a tramway system. A first-generation tramway ran from 1866 (horse-drawn) and 1894 (electric) until 1978; it was gradually replaced by expansion of the U-Bahn metro (itself dating from 1912) and a network of express bus lines at premium fares. Since the 1978 closure there have been two serious attempts to re-instate trams to the city, but both failed due to political opposition on the senate (city council) where the ruling SPD (socialists) have opposed the idea for 14 years, deeming trams ‘old-fashioned steel monsters’ 

 

Now there are winds of change, as younger SPD members find the idea more palatable. The city transport operator HHA has issued an invitation to tender for a tramway feasibility study in October. The background is the huge increase in U-Bahn construction costs, which makes major extensions of the metro unlikely. Line U5 is under construction and there are plans to extend U4, but their affordability has been the subject of much comment. The study will determine surface transport infrastructure for the next 10 years, including the possibility of trams to Wilhelmsburg and Harburg instead of a U4 extension.