The (VAG; Nuremberg Transport Company) is the municipal company responsible for operating the

U-Bahn Rapid transit in Germany consists of four systems and 14 systems. The , commonly understood to stand for ('underground railway'), are conventional rapid transit systems that run mostly underground, while the or ('city rapid railway') are c ...

trams A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

, and buses throughout the city of

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

, in the state of

Bavaria, Germany Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total land area of Germany, and with over 13.08 million ...

. VAG is a wholly owned subsidiary of ''Städtischen Werke Nürnberg'' (''Nuremberg Municipal Works''), and a member of the ''

Verkehrsverbund Großraum Nürnberg The (VGN; Transport Association Region Nuremberg) is the transit authority of the city of Nuremberg, the second largest city of the Germany, German state of Bavaria. Its jurisdiction covers the city and its surrounding area, responsible for the ...

'' (VGN; Integrated Transport Association of Greater Nuremberg).

History

Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn

On April 12, 1881, entrepreneur Heinrich Alfes from

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

received a charter for the manufacture and operation of a ''Pferdebahn'', a horse-drawn streetcar. The first line began operation on August 25, 1881, on the route Staatsbahnhof (current

Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

) - Lorenzkirche - Plärrer - Bauerngasse. In 1883, the enterprise was reorganized into a private with the name Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn-Gesellschaft, or Nuremberg-Fürth Streetcar Company. The company expanded to three lines, and between 1896 and 1898 all lines were electrified.

Municipal Ownership

In 1903, the company was taken over by the city of Nuremberg and operated under the name Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn. Under municipal ownership, the streetcar operation saw steady growth. Although growth slowed during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, by 1939 the network around Nuremberg and Fürth had reached 20 lines, including one express line. Busses were introduced in 1923 and expanded to 60 busses by 1929. In 1934, all public works were combined under one organization, and the streetcar division was given the name ''Städtische Werke Nürnberg, Abteilung Straßenbahn'', or ''Nuremberg Public Works, Streetcar Division''. However, the streetcars continued to use signage with the name ''Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn'' through 1981. In 1939, the public works were again reorganized as ''Werke und Bahnen der Stadt der Reichsparteitage Nürnberg, Straßenbahn'' (''Utilities and Trains of the City of the Reichsparty Nuremberg, Streetcars''). Immediately following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the division was renamed ''Werke und Bahnen der Stadt Nürnberg, Straßenbahn'' (''Utilities and Trains Nuremberg, Streetcars''), and on December 1, 1945, it was combined into the ''Städtische Werke Nürnberg – Verkehrsbetriebe'' (''Nuremberg Municipal Works - Transport Operations''). During the war, 95% of the overhead wires were destroyed, along with all of the depots. The streetcar network was rebuilt completely by 1955, and streetcars were supplemented with

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

ses starting in 1948.

Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg

In 1959, the municipal utilities of Nuremberg were reorganized, and the Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg (VAG) was established as an independent enterprise, wholly owned by the Städtische Werke Nürnberg GmbH. The system busses started using the new VAG name immediately, although the streetcars still displayed the ''Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn'' name until 1981.

Services

Bus

As of 2016, VAG operated 59 bus lines throughout Nuremberg. In addition to covering most areas within the city, 16 of the busses continue into neighboring areas including Fürth, Erlangen, and Schwabach. The city has designed many of the bus routes, and especially the Ring Lines, to feed commuters into other modes of public transportation such as streetcars, S-Bahn, and subway. NightLiner Logo 2013

On weekend and holiday nights, VAG also operates the NightLiner in conjunction with the Erlanger Stadtwerke Stadtverkehr GmbH (ESTW), infra fürth verkehr gmbh (infra), and the Omnibusverkehr Franken (OVF). 28 NightLiner lines depart from the central Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof throughout the city and the surrounding region.

Trams

The streetcar network of the VAG encompasses 5 lines and 79 stops over a track length of 36 km.

U-Bahn

The three subway lines operating in Nuremberg cover a track length of 36 km. All three lines meet at the central stations of

and Plärrer.

References

External links

VAG web site (German language)
{{Authority control Transport in Nuremberg

Companies based in Nuremberg