The Tbilisi tramway network ( ka, თბილისის ტრამვაი) operated in the Georgian capital city of
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...
between 1883 and 2006. In 1986 it extended to 105 km (65 miles) of (single) track covering 12 different routes.
History
The tram service was opened in April 1883, using
horse traction. It was electrified between June 1904 and August 1905, and the system, which had originally been established as a private enterprise, was taken over by the municipality in 1915. The original
metre gauge track was replaced between 1933 and 1942 with a
broad gauge,
which corresponded with the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
standard.
The early post-
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
period saw further expansion, with the extent of the network reaching 105 km (65 miles), and up to 300 tramcars in use. Lately the system used
RWZ-6 tramcars from the
Rīga Train and Tram Works and Russian
KTM-5s. However, after the 1960s the city's tram network declined and contracted, faced by competition from the new
Tbilisi Metro
The Tbilisi Metro ( ka, თბილისის მეტროპოლიტენი) is a rapid transit system in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. Opened on 11 January 1966, it was the fourth metro system in the former Soviet Union. Like oth ...
and a shortage of available cash for investment and infrastructure maintenance. While tram lines in downtown were one by one dismantled the network expanded in newly built suburbs till 1986. By 2000 only 8 tramlines were operating, which was down to 2 lines by 2003. By 2005 just one line (Route 12) was operating, and this remained in service till near the end of 2006.
On 4 December 2006 tram system together with trolleybus system was closed, most of the remaining Tbilisi tram rails, as well as the city's trolleybus infrastructure, were removed in few years.
Remnants
A few isolated tram rails remain in place, along with some of the overhead cabling. Many of the supporting poles have found alternative uses as mounting posts for street lights. A few of the historical tramcars are used as street cafes.
There is also an abonaded tram depot in Avchala near zahesi.
Future
Plans exist to reactivate the Tbilisi tram network, with the construction of new lengths of dedicated track for a modern light-rail system.
Newsmeldung eines georgischen Senders zur Straßenbahn
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See also
* Tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
* Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...
References
{{reflist, 35em
Transport in Tbilisi
Tram transport in Georgia (country)
History of Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...