The Austrian Railway Group : Tramways in Graz

Look here on the ARG site for
Graz tramway stock information

The Graz tramway system, like most Austrian tramways, has grown out of the joining of more than one company's tracks. The first section of route, between Jakominiplatz and the Südbahnhof,, was laid to standard (1435mm) gauge, and was opened on 08 June 1878. Gradually extended over the next 21 years, the system remained horse-drawn until 23 July 1899, when it was all converted to electric operation, using 600v DC overhead. Meanwhile, a separate metre-gauge route, 5.25 km long, was opened from Mariatrost in the north-east of the city, down to a junction with the rest of the tramway system at Hilmteich.

Always a problem for through passengers, the electric line nevertheless continued in operation until 1940, when between June and 23 October 1941, the line was regauged in sections, being added to the city tramways. The independent line closed on this date, and the final section to Mariatrost was regauged, reopening on 18 November 1941 as Line 1. The total length of line was by then about 35 km.

After the Second World War several lines were closed, and the route mileage reduced to 23.5 km. However, since 1990, several small schemes have been implemeted to expand the services. Line 1 was extended by about 1km to Eggenburg, in the west of the city, whilst more recently the southern route to Liebenau Stadion has been extended by four stops to Sternäckerweg.

However, in the last 5 years, a vertable explosion of new routes have been added to the system, reopening some long- closed lines, and adding new routes to the compass. Line 3 (also part used by line 9) was constructed from the northern subeurb of Gösting southwards to a new junction at Lendplatz. Route 3 then tuns east on a line closed in 1950, crossing route 5 in the north of the city centre at Keplerbrücke, before running on new track through the University campus, and then south to a new terminus at Schögeigesse.Meanwhile, route 9 uses a reopened and raligned tramway to cross route 1 to the east to the Hauptbahnhof, before heading on new line for Puchstraße and the terminus of line 5 at Puntigem. Also new is line 2, describing a semi-circle around the northern part of the city centre, from the Hauptbahnhof via Keplerbrücke and the Hauptplatz via new tramway to St.Peter Schulzentrum. The length of track in use has also jumped dramatically, from a route mileage of 29.7km in 1998 to 46.4 in 2004.

Extra services are run to a separate terminus at the city cemetary, the Zentralfriedhof, expecially during Allerheiligen and Allerseelen, the public holiday during the last weekend in October, when relatives remember their ancestors, and go to the cemetary for an open-air service of remebrance.

To accomodate the extra routes, and for a doubling of use on the existing route in the last four years, the city has abandoned its previous policy of buying second-hand rolling stock, and has purchsed 18 Bombardier Cityrunner 5 section articulated trams. In order to provide room for passengers on the existing vehicles, the council has also had 12 new mid-sections made for their 600 series trams, and these allow a low-floor section to be provided. The tramways now have 84 trams running on 10 routes, although it is expected that some of the oldest trams, twenty-three built by Lohner/SGP in 1963, will be withdrawn shortly.

Unlike most Austrian tramway ssytems, which have liveries based on the national colours of red and white, Graz has opted for a dark green / apple green / white livery, although many trams carry all-over advertising. The tramway system has two depots (remise):

(1) Steyergasse and (3) Alte Poststrasse. Steyergasse has been recently extended to cater for the new Bombardier CityRunner trams.Until it closed, (2) was near the Hauptbahnhof, but has been shut because of the works being undertaken as a result of the redevelopment of the station area. The other depot, (4) Mariatrost, was built specifically for the Mariatrostbahn, and has become the city's Tram Museum.

The depot in Steyrgasse was used when the cars from the funicular in Graz, the Schloßbergbahn, were replaced in 2004. The vehicles were lifted over four-story buildings by crane, and delivered to the Steyrgasse depot by low-loader. One of the cars is now in the Grazer Straßenbahn Museum at Mariatrost. The Schloßbergbahn can be accessed from tram routes 3 and 5 - there is a tram stop of that name outside the talstation. Passengers from the Hauptbahnhof should take a tram heading for the Hauptplatz (6,7 or 14) changing there.

The museum is in the former depot at the end of route 1, accessible direct by tram from the Hauptbahnhof - but check opening times before going!