The Bielefeld Stadtbahn is a metre gauge light rail (i.e. ''

Stadtbahn ' (; German for "city railway"; plural ') is a German word referring to various types of urban rail transport. One type of transport originated in the 19th century, firstly in Berlin and followed by Vienna, where rail routes were created that co ...

'') network in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

city of

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The system does include some segments built to

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...

standards. It is operated by moBiel, a subsidiary of the Bielefeld municipal authority (''Stadtwerke''), and integrated in the Westfalentarif transport association. It served 32.77 million passengers in 2012.

History

The old tram ''(Straßenbahn)'' network was rebuilt into a three-line ''

'' (light rail) network between 1978 and 1991, with the official inauguration of the Stadtbahn in 1991. A fourth line was built to the university area and added to the network in 2002.

Operations

Hours of operation and frequencies

Trains run until 1 a.m. every day, with service starting at 4:30 a.m. every weekday, at 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays, and at 8:30 a.m. on Sundays and public holidays. Trains run every 5–10 minutes during the day and at least every 15 minutes late night and Sundays. On weekend nights, there is an hourly service, so there is a proposal for 24-hour service.

Lines

The Bielefeld Stadtbahn is made up of four lines, with a total track length of . The mainline network operates over a total route length of , serving 62 stops, of which seven are underground stations.

Future service

In 2013 the municipal council decided to build a new Line "5" from the ''

Kunsthalle Bielefeld The Kunsthalle Bielefeld is a modern and contemporary art museum in Bielefeld, Germany. It was designed by Philip Johnson in 1968, and paid for by the businessman and art patron Rudolf August Oetker.Kesselbrink Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...

'' to Heepen, with an opening planned for 2019. However, a citizens initiative voted against proceeding with this extension in 2014.

Gallery

Stadtbahn-BI-wittekindstr.jpg, Wittekindstraße station Stadtbahn-BI-jahnplatz.jpg, Jahnplatz station Bielefeld-station-Hauptbahnhof-080927.jpg, Hauptbahnhof station Stadtbahn-BI-hbf.jpg, Hauptbahnhof station Bielefeld-081108-131532.jpg, M8D typical rolling stock Bielefeld Stadtbahn Vamos.jpg, Vamos multiple-unit rolling stock Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F009834-0007, Bielefeld, Hotel Bielefelder Hof.jpg, Tram in 1961

References

Inline references

Bibliography

External links

moBiel - official site

Track plan of the Bielefeld Stadtbahn
{{coord, 52, 02, 21, N, 8, 29, 49, E, display=title, region:DE-NW_type:landmark_source:dewiki Tram transport in Germany Underground rapid transit in Germany Bielefeld