Trams in Brno

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Brno tramway network Brněnská tramvajová síť
Tatra T3 and Škoda 13T near the main train station
Operation
Locale	Brno, Czech Republic
Open	1869 (1869) (horse tram)[1] 1884 (1884) (steam tram)[1] 1900 (1900) (electric tram)[1]
Status	Operational
Routes	12[2]
Operator(s)	Dopravní podnik města Brna
Infrastructure
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)[3]
Electrification	600 V DC
Stock	322 tram vehicles[2]
Statistics
Track length (single)	139 km (86 mi)[2]
Route length	70.4 km (43.7 mi)[2]
2012	196.513 million (2013)[2]
Overview
Website	http://www.dpmb.cz DPMB — How to travel

The Brno tramway network (Czech: Tramvajová doprava v Brně, simply Tramvaje v Brně) was the first network of its kind to be put into operation in what is now known as the Czech Republic with its horse tram lines dating back to 1869.^[1] Today, Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, after Prague, and its tram network is also the second largest in the country.

Currently, the Brno tram system comprises 12 lines,^[2] with a total operational track length of 139 kilometres (86 mi)^[2] and a total route length of 70.4 kilometres (43.7 mi).^[2] The lines not only service the urban area, but also lead to the neighboring town of Modřice located south of Brno. Before construction began on the final leg of the extension in 2008, the entire network was made up of 69.7 km of track. The trams are operated by the City of Brno, Dopravní podnik města Brna (DPMB).

In the Brno dialect of the Czech language (hantec), the word for tram is ‘šalina’. The origins of this word can be traced to the German expression ‘Elektrische Linie’ (electric lines) or 'schallen' (to sound). ^[4]

Brno was the third largest city of the Austrian part of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and is today part of the Czech Republic. It was the first to install a horse-drawn tram service, which began on August 17, 1869.^[1] Its route ran to Lažanskýplatz (now called Moravské náměstí, or Moravian Square) in the north of the city center, which was still at the time an independent municipality known as Královo Pole. Its operator was the 'Brno Tramway Society' for passenger and cargo transportation. Initially there were only six cars available and gradually company bought a total of 57 passenger carriages.^[1] There was an interruption in horse-drawn tram service between 1875 and 1877.^[1]

The company known today as Brno Tramway was launched in June 1876, with its first route running from the main station to Pisárky.^{[citation needed]} A short while after that, a second route was launched. Both routes were operated only during the summer months.

Steam trams began operation in the system in 1884, under the name Steam Tramway Brno. In the 1910s, the conversion from steam to electrical power began, but steam locomotives were still used, until 1914, to transport goods.^[1]

The first of the electric rail lines in Brno were put into operation on 21 June 1900.^[1] These new lines included 41 railcars and 41 trailers; the latter acquired as many as 12 vehicles from the existing steam trains. These electric lines were operated by the Company Brno. While many other areas transitioned to electric, Brno's steam-powered trams were very efficient and it was more cost-effective to keep the technology unchanged. Cities with less established tram systems were considerably faster in terms of moving to electric power, including Prague and a number of other smaller towns such as Teplice, Liberec, and Olomouc.

Within the first year of operation several new lines were constructed, and soon a total of five lines were offered as part of the system. In 1914, Company Brno began to experience financial difficulties and was taken over by the Austrian electricity delivery group Aktiengesellschaft from Vienna. During World War I further expansion was considered, resulting in the extension of one line to a hospital.

After the formation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, the Society of Brno Trams (Společnost brněnských elektrických pouličních drah) was established. The Society's first task was to renovate the cars and tracks that had dilapidated during the war. Beginning in 1924 new lines were built, and a few years later the Society of Brno Trams began to focus on the construction of a second track for far-lane routes.

By 1938, a total of eight routes were in operation. In 1942, the Lokalbahn Brünn-Lösch/Brno-Líšeň, a classic train, was transferred and transformed into a train capable of traveling by a streetcar track. Since the 1960s the network has been gradually been upgraded to light rail standards. New sections were built with dedicated right-of-way and designed for maximum speeds of 80 km/h.^[5]

For a long time, Brno metro and underground railway both have been considered, to create the second metro in Czech Republic after Prague Metro. As of 2022, no plans have been confirmed. No plans have been laid for extending existing lines, however, new sections have been proposed including a turn-off from the line in Starý Lískovec to the University Campus and the extension of the line in Bystrc to the Kamechy housing estate.

Regular daily lines in 2022

Tram	Line	Length (km)
1	Řečkovice ↔ Bystrc, Ečerova	10.40
2	Židenice, stará osada ↔ Modřice, smyčka	11.65
3	Židenice, stará osada ↔ Bystrc Rakovecká	11.52
4	Masarykova čtvrť, Náměstí Míru ↔ Obřany Babická	9.18
5	Štefánikova čtvrť ↔ Ústřední hřbitov, smyčka	7.61
6	Královo Pole, nádraží ↔ Starý Lískovec, smyčka	10.94
7	Lesná, Čertova rokle ↔ Starý Lískovec, smyčka	8.97
8	Líšeň, Mifkova ↔ Nemocnice Bohunice	13.67
9	Lesná, Čertova rokle ↔ Juliánov	8.76
10	Stránská skála, smyčka ↔ Komín, smyčka	16.63
12	Technologický park ↔ Komárov	8.21

Brno tramway network's fleet consists of:

Image	Tram car type	Modifications and subtypes	In service[6]
	Tatra T3	Tatra T3G, Tatra T3R, Tatra T3P, Tatra T3R.EV, Tatra T3R.PV	46
	Tatra K2	Tatra K2R.03-P, Tatra K2P, Tatra K2T	2
	Tatra KT8D5	Tatra KT8D5R.N2, KT8D5N	32
	Tatra T6A5	Tatra T6A5	48
	Škoda 03 T	Škoda 03T	17
	Tatra K3R-N	Tatra K3R-N	4
	Vario LF	VarioLFR.E	32
	Škoda 13 T	Škoda 13T	49
	Vario LF2	VarioLF2R.E	32
	EVO2	EVO2	26
	Škoda ForCity Smart	Škoda 45T	5

• History of Brno
• Transport in Brno
• List of town tramway systems in the Czech Republic

Media related to Tram transport in Brno at Wikimedia Commons

• Dopravní podnik města Brna, A.S. - Official Site (in Czech and English)