The Siemens tram from past to present

In 1 881, Werner von Siemens, founder of the Siemens company, invented the world's first
electric tram which travelled at a speed of 30 kilometres per hour and carried a total of 20
passengers.
Tram transport has since established itself as a modern and convenient mode of transport,
and Siemens continues to develop state-of-the-art tram technology with superior safety,
comfort and accessibility for passengers. To this day, Siemens trams operate all around
the world in leading cities such as Amsterdam, Hiroshima, and Melbourne.

SIEMENS

www.siemens.com.au/transportation

1881 World's first tramway in Lichterfelde, Germany

1881 Werner von Siemens presents the world's first electric tram in Lichterfelde.
The direct current is supplied through the rails. The tram car is 5m long by 2m wide
and weighs 4.8 tonnes. It travels at a maximum speed of 40 kilometres per hour
and carries 20 people at a time. In the first three months of operation the tram
had already carried 1 2,000 passengers.
1882 Trams developed for use in mines, also known
as electric pit locomotives. The first electric pit
locomotive is delivered for the Zaukerode
bituminous coal mine in Saxony
and remained in service
until 1927.

1883 Mdling-Hinterbrhl tramway

1883 Mdling-Hinterbrhl line,

Austria, is opened as the first
regular European tram service.

1884 Frankfurt - Offenbach tramway

884 The first electric tram route

between Frankfurt and Offenbach is
constructed.

1929 50th Anniversary of electric trams

in the world.
1945 Tram traffic was rationalised
and modernised by long-distance and
articulated vehicles; at the same time,
competition with cars and buses brought
a temporary decline for this means of
transport.

1887 Budapest tramway

1897 Salvador tramway

1887 Siemens designs and finances a

narrow-gauge electric tram service for
Budapest on tine Grand Boulevard.

1897 The tramway in Salvador in the

state of Bahia, Brazil, is opened in March.
This tramway was built, operated and
owned by Siemens & Halske.

1889 Walter Reichel of Siemens & Halske

presents a new current collector: the bow
trolley, also called the "lyre bow" or even
"carpet beater".

1970s Resurgence of the tram - due

to increasing issues associated with
personal vehicles, particularly in large
cities where smog, traffic congestion,
sound pollution and parking became
problematic.
The advantages of the tram became more
visible and by the end of the 1970s many
new tram lines were constructed.

1970

lyy

^ 2002

1998 Siemens' new Combino tram is

put into service for the very first time in
Potsdam. The advantages offered by the
Combino design are 100% low-floor for
effortless boarding and alighting, and the
ability to combine varying numbers of
modules for busy and not-so-busy routes.
2002 Siemens delivers Melbourne's first
Combino tram.

1890 Lichterfelde tramway

1899 Beijing tramway

1890 The Lichterfelde tramway is

equipped with the new bow-type
collectors.

1899 Siemens constructs China's first

electric tram line in Beijing.
By 1900 Siemens had equipped
approximately 45 tramways around the
world and had supplied over 3000 tram
motor coaches around the world.

1893 Australia's first electric tramway

built in Hobart by Siemens Brothers & Co.

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Fun Fact!
The world's first tram line in
Lichterfelde provided power
through rails on the ground
(unlike the current system
which runs on overhead
lines). This sometimes
provided unwanted
excitement to people and
animals crossing the tracks.

POZNAN
BUDAPEST

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MELBOURNE

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