Bratislava opens tramway extension

 

 

27 July saw the inauguration of the 3.9km tramway extension in the southern suburb of the Slovak capital, Petrzalka, from Jungmannova to Juzné mesto, served by line 3 that crosses the river on the Danube bridge to run to the northern suburb of Raca. Service is provided every 2.5 minutes at peak periods, but this line is the first candidate to receive the 49m trams that are on order from Skoda for delivery in the next six months. Since the 1960s new housing developments have been built on the south bank on the Danube, and bus lines have been unable to cope with rush-hour movements. After developing and then abandoning plans for a metro to serve the area, trams finally crossed the river in 2016. This was the first stage of a planned line through the area. Construction of stage 2 started in 2021, but completion was delayed by the need to deal with the removal of strong German pill boxes dating back to WWII. The extension was financed largely by the EU, and to meet their deadline for handing over funding, a first semi-public test run took place on 19 December 2024. Now the extension is fully complete. 

 

Bratislava trams have been electrically powered since the metre-gauge system was opened in 1895. Today there are five lines covering 42km, operated by some 211 trams. 90 Skoda low-floor trams have been purchased since 2014, with 10 more expected in 2026.