Tramscape Tramway Photographs

Duisburg, Germany
The industrial city of Duisburg has approximately 600,000 inhabitants, living in a number of communities running north-south along the River Rhein, predominantly on the eastern bank. The unusual shape of the city reflects the history of annexation of neighbouring communities in the first half of the 20th century, and northern suburbs such as Ruhrort, Hamborn and Meiderich remain physically separated from central Duisburg by the enormous docks alongside the River Ruhr, which meets the Rhein here. Duisburg became the world's largest inland port, exporting coal and steel from the industrial cities along the Ruhr, but also became an important steelmaking centre in its own right.

The Duisburg tramway system reflected the fragmented origins of the city and it was not until 1941 that it became integrated under the Duisburger Verkehrs AG, when this new company was established and absorbed the independent networks of Ruhrort and Hamborn. Adittionally, the Duisburg trams were standard-gauge, but those in Hamborn and Ruhrort metre-gauge and it was not until 1966 that conversion to the Duisburg standard was completed.

The tram network in the southern part of Duisburg is dominated by the interurban line to Dusseldorf, opened in 1899 and which underwent various changes of ownership, involving both the Duisburg and Dusseldorf tramway operators, until coming under their direct control in 1938. Since then, the line has been jointly operated although owned by the city in whose territory the tracks lay, allowing the Huttenheim branch to be operated a part of the Duisburg city network.

A twin-level tunnel was opened under Duisburg's main street, Konigstrasse, in 1992 after many years of construction and preparation for use, allowing the attractive pedestian and tram precinct to be turned over completely to pedestrians . A further extension, under the Ruhr and part of Duisburg's docklands, was opened in 2000 considerably shortening journey times to Meiderich and onwards along the surface tramway to the relatively isolated northern communities.

Click on the years below to see the thumbnails
Click here to see the Duisburg Tramway Photograph Catalogue

1984
1986
1995
2002
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