124 Years of Trams in Zagreb

This weekend marked 124 years since the first tram was put in service in the Croatian capital Zagreb. Today there are 15 lines and 4 night lines…

Zagreb’s tram network celebrated 124 years of service over the weekend. At the end of the 19th century rapid urbanisation started to take place in Zagreb. The construction of one gauge tram track began in May of 1891, and on 5 September 1891 the first tram (horsecar) was put into service. That day is officially recognised as the beginning of organised public transit system in Zagreb. The first electric tram started running in August of 1910.

Today there are 15 lines and 4 night lines in the capital which operate on a route of 116.3 kilometres. During the day the lines are very frequent, running every 5-10 minutes. Zagreb trams transport over 210 million passengers a year.

The oldest trams still in service were built in the early 1970s and were built by Đuro Đaković. In 1994 Končar built the prototype of the articulated TMK 2100 tram, which was later produced from 1997 to 2003. A total of 16 units were built including the prototype, and some remain in service. Also, from 1994 to 1998 ZET bought 35 used Düwag GT6 trams from Germany.

Since the 2000s, Zagrebački električni tramvaj (ZET), who run the city’s tram system, have ordered a number of trams from Crotram, a consortium led by Končar, which included new seat designs.