Opened in 1900, the network is currently operated by Verkehrsbetriebe Nordhausen and has three lines, including one linking Nordhausen with nearby Ilfeld which runs as a tram-train on tracks belonging to the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways.[2]
Tram-train
Combino Duo on the Harzquerbahn
Nordhausen also practices a unique model of tram-train operation, in which metre-gauge dual-power railcars operate using electric power in the town, and change to diesel-electric to operate on the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen (HSB) line to Ilfeld.
On the centenary of the Harzquerbahn in 1999, HSB and Stadtwerke Nordhausen stated their intent to connect the railway and tram systems.[6] A track along Oskar-Cohn-Straße connecting the Bahnhofsplatz tram stop to the Harzquerbahn sidings at Nordhausen Nord station opened on 28 April 2002, and since then HSB railcars have terminated at the tram stop instead of the railway station.[3]
Since the HSB is not electrified, new dual-power vehicles had to be procured. On 3 June 2000, as part of the centenary celebrations of the Nordhausen tram, the first such vehicle was presented. Dubbed the Twino, it was a GT4 railcar fitted with a five-cylinder passenger car diesel engine, and was used for practical testing of dual-power operation.[7] In December 2001 three Combino Duo trams were ordered,[4] fitted with BMW M67 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engines.[8]
On 1 May 2004, route 10 was launched. It follows the course of route 1 from the Südharz Klinikum hospital through Nordhausen town centre to the station forecourt, and then along the Harzquerbahn track as far as Ilfeld Neanderklinik, a distance of 11.4 km.[3]
In 2024 a study into the future of the tram-train line suggested electrification of the railway line and operation with standard trams would be a better option than new hybrid vehicles powered by batteries or hydrogen when the Combino Duos need replacing.[9]
Lines
In 1990 the network had two lines. Line 1 linked Bahnhofsplatz, outside Nordhausen railway station, to the hospital in the north of the town and line 2 ran from Parkallee to Arnoldstraße, where it met line 1.[10] A 1.8 km (1.1 mi) long extension from Theaterplatz to the new housing development in Nordhausen-Ost was opened on 3 October 1993, and is operated as an extension of line 2.[11]
Since the opening of the tram-train line 10 in 2004, Nordhausen has had the following three tram lines:
When it is not possible to use their normal route on the tram network, trams on line 10 switch to and from lines 4 or 6 at Bahnhofsplatz.
Rolling stock
Combino Basic (left) and Combino Avanced (right) trams passing on Rautenstraße
The current fleet consists entirely of Siemens Combino trams manufactured between 2000 and 2011. All are three-section vehicles, 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in) wide and roughly 20 metres (65 ft 7 in) long, but the different models (Basic, Advanced and Classic) have different designs of cab end and there is a mixture of uni-directional and bi-directional vehicles. Due to the gradients on the tram network all wheels are powered. The Combino Duo trams are fitted with a diesel engine to allow operation on the unelectrified section of tram-train line 10 on the Harzquerbahn.[4]
^ abcdMuch, Christian (May 2024). "20 Jahre Nordhäuser Modell" [20 years of the Nordhausen model]. Straßenbahn Magazin (in German). GeraMond. pp. 28–33. ISSN0340-7071.
^ abcKochems, Michael (March 2022). "286 Fahrzeuge für sieben deutsche Betriebe" [286 vehicles for seven German operators]. Straßenbahn Magazin (in German). GeraMond. pp. 34–41. ISSN0340-7071.
