Trams in Vlud
| File:Vlud-tram.png | |||
| Overview | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Vlud City Council Province of Vlud | ||
| Locale | Vlud, Vyvland Keykre, Vlud, Vyvland Greves, Vlud, Vyvland | ||
| Transit type | Tramway | ||
| Number of lines | 16 | ||
| Number of stations | 157 | ||
| Annual ridership | 213 million | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 1870 | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 96.8 km (60.1 mi) | ||
| |||
The Vlud Tram System (Vyvlander: Tramsysdem Vluds) is a tram system in Vlud, the largest city in Vyvland. It is one of the four key components of public transport in Vlud, along with the Vlud Metro, suburban rail and buses. The network contains 16 routes centred around the city's two main stations, Piterkusel and Goydmurt, both of which are also connected to the Metro. Brujdor is also a major connection point on the network; it is accessible from all but two tracks on the system and from two Metro lines.
History
Vlud's first tramway was opened in 1870 and is thus among the oldest in Esquarium. The first line - today part of line 7 - extended from Goydmurt station in the city's centre along a corridor of high-density tenements to Hegfrop, 3km to the east. The idea immediately took off and within 5 years the Kongsborgtram to Vecanbek Palace (modern line K) and another line to Unjresarbel (today part of line 5) had been built. The system continued to expand until the 1930s, when some lines started to be disused, firstly due to the opening of Metro Line 3 and later due to unprofitability. However a significant network remained, and the next extension - financed by the opening of the Wesbibloitek and timed to coincide with the centenary of the tram's first opening - was opened in 1970 to line 7. Later that year a short extension to line 11 to the new social housing estate at Sdad Sybraansens was built.
In 1981 in preparation for the construction of two modern light rail lines, running of the Kongsborgtram was taken over by the Vlud Metro, while the line was converted into higher-capacity light rail. Two more light rail lines were built in the 1980s in the outer boroughs of Vluberg and Avdal. In 1996 a new express service, named X, was opened between Goydmurt and Piterkusel; this was the first service to not stop at all stations on its route. All three light rail lines were taken over and rebranded as part of the tram system in 2002. Since then, the priority for line extension has been into the neighbouring municipalities of Greves and Keykre as the trams' ownership was transferred from city to joint city-provincial control along with the Metro.
Services
Vlud's tram system mostly operates to fill the areas less served by the Metro and to provide quick connections within and around the city centre. Like the Metro, the tram lines extend into all of Vlud's eleven boroughs (though Rumpe is only served by one station in its northeastern corner). Frequency of trams varies between lines and over different times of day. Vlud's trams operate from 5am to midnight (extending to 1am on Friday and Saturday) except on Sunday, when it operates from 6am to 11pm.
List of lines
Below is a list of the lines currently operated as part of Vlud's tram system. Lines A and B form the Wall Line, which circles the city centre following the path of the old city wall, X is an express service between the city's two main stations, while the other lines signified by letters are the light rail lines incorporated in 2002. Numbered lines beginning in 1 start at Piterkusel, while numbered lines from 5 to 9 start at Goydmurt.
| Line name | Stations | First opened | Last extension | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 13 | 1874 | 1974 | Goydmurt | Bajreweg |
| 6 | 20 | 1877 | 1931 | Goydmurt | Avswujre |
| 7 | 13 | 1870 | 1970 | Goydmurt | Jurdervluberg |
| 8 | 24 | 1885 | 2002 | Goydmurt | Greves Eestham |
| 9 | 20 | 1909 | 1979 | Goydmurt | Weerm Station |
| 10 | 22 | 1964 | 2008 | Piterkusel | Keykre South |
| 11 | 16 | 1928 | 1970 | Piterkusel | Sdad Sybraansens |
| 16 | 15 | 1877 | 1931 | Piterkusel | Avswujre |
| 18 | 21 | 1885 | 2002 | Piterkusel | Greves Eestham |
| 19 | 14 | 1909 | 1979 | Piterkusel | Weerm Station |
| A | 19 | 1901 | 1901 | Clockwise ring round the Wall Line | |
| B | 19 | 1901 | 1901 | Anticlockwise ring round the Wall Line | |
| D | 14 | 1987 | 1987 | Avswujre | Updal |
| K | 14 | 1872 | 1872 | Circular | Palac Vecanbek |
| V | 16 | 1985 | 1990 | Obervluberg | Bajreweg |
| X | 4 | 1996 | 1996 | Goydmurt | Piterkusel |
Future
A feasibility study is due to be published in December 2015 into the opening of a few shorter tram lines to fill gaps in the network and relieve capacity problems on the Metro. These lines include one from Goydmurt to Updevlur via Ynisdad (relieving Metro Line 1), a short branch to Rumpe (relieving Metro Line 3 and suburban services) and possibly on to Vecanbek town, branches to Ujra and Meeri-efi-Dal in the southwest, and a line to Vryteger, Luttevlut and Langdon to the north of the city. Vlud City Council is also looking at the tram system as a way of further connecting northern and southern parts of the city on the Left Bank to the new Vlud Greetbaansdop station after its full opening in 2017.