Lodz interurban tramway re-opens

 

Lodz in Poland has re-opened tram line 43 to Konstantynów after a break of over five years. Regular service on the 7km mostly roadside reserved single track line resumed on 1 July thanks to investment of PLN 81M, with much of the funding coming from the EU. 

 

The metre-gauge line has been rebuilt between the intersection of Ulica Legionów and Wlókniarzy on the western edge of the city to Plac Wolnosci in Konstantynów, where there is a reversing triangle. 

 

The terminus in Lodz is a present a stub without connection to the rest of the city system and because of this the 15/20-minute service running from 03.15 to 23.03 on line 43 is provided by double-ended trams, either ex-Bielefeld Stadtbahn M8C or ex-Jena GT6M-ZR. This is the first time trams with low-floor sections have run on line 43. 

 

The renovated line passes the entrance to Brus museum tram depot, which again has tracks to demonstrate its historical fleet. The tramway between Lodz and Konstantynów was built in 1910 and run continuously into the city until concerns about the state of the infrastructure saw closure in march 2019. The line ran a further 8km to Lutomiersk, but this will not re-open due to the absence of local funding. 

 

Lodz had a network of interurban tramways which have all suffered temporary closure; line 44 to Zgierz and line 41 to Pabianice were re-opened in 2021 and 2023 respectively.