Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam (ViP)

Operational

City: Potsdam (Germany).
Total route length: 32.8 km (20.4 miles).

Track gauge: 1435 mm (standard gauge).
Opened: September 2, 1907.
Closed: February 5, 1945 because of World War II.
Reopened: August 1945.

Description

A new line number system was introduced in May 1991.

Trams and light rails worldwide

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Trams and light rails in Germany

Select a city: Aachen, Augsburg, Bad Dürkheim, Bad Schandau, Baden-Baden, Berlin, Bielefeld, Bochum, Bonn, Brandenburg an der Havel, Braunschweig, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Chemnitz, Cologne, Cottbus, Darmstadt, Dessau, Döbeln, Dortmund, Dresden, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Eisenach, Erfurt, Essen, Esslingen am Neckar, Flensburg, Frankfurt (Oder), Frankfurt am Main, Freiburg im Breisgau, Gera, Görlitz, Gotha, Hagen, Halberstadt, Halle (Saale), Hamburg, Hannover, Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Herten, Jena, Karlsruhe, Kassel, Kiel, Koblenz, Krefeld, Leipzig, Lübeck, Ludwigshafen, Magdeburg, Mainz, Mannheim, Meissen, Mönchengladbach, Mühlhausen, Mülheim, Munich, Münster, Naumburg, Neunkirchen, Saar, Nordhausen, Nuremberg, Oberhausen, Offenbach am Main, Paderborn, Pforzheim, Plauen, Potsdam, Prora, Rügen, Ratzeburg, Recklinghausen, Regensburg, Remscheid, Reutlingen, Rostock, Saarbrücken, Schleswig, Schönberger Strand, Schöneiche, Schwerin, Siegen, Solingen, Stralsund, Strausberg, Stuttgart, Sylt, Ulm, Weimar, Wiesbaden, Wilhelmshaven, Wismar, Wittdün, Amrum, Woltersdorf, Wuppertal, Würzburg, and Zwickau.

Tram lines in operation

Potsdam tram line 91: Bahnhof Rehbrücke - Bahnhof Pirschheide
Operational

Potsdam tram line 92: Kirschallee - Marie-Juchacz-Straße
Operational

Potsdam tram line 93: Bahnhof Rehbrücke - Glienicker Brücke
Operational

Potsdam tram line 94: Schloss Charlottenhof - Fontanestraße
Operational

Potsdam tram line 96: Marie-Juchacz-Straße - Campus Jungfernsee
Operational

Potsdam tram line 99: Platz der Einheit/Nord - Fontanestraße
Operational

Potsdam extra line 98: Platz der Einheit/Nord - Bahnhof Rehbrücke
Operational

Potsdam Kultur-Linie
Operational

Potsdam Volkspark-Linie
Operational

Discontinued tram lines

Potsdam tram line 90: Bahnhof Rehbrücke - Platz der Einheit/Nord
Closed

Potsdam tram line 95: Fontanestraße - Kapellenberg
Closed

Potsdam tram line 7
Closed

Potsdam Krongat-Linie
Closed

Potsdam tram line N18
Closed

Potsdam Trope-Linie
Closed

Potsdam extra line 13
Closed

Potsdam extra line 14
Closed

Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam (ViP) stops

Alter Markt/Landtag, Bahnhof Pirschheide, Bahnhof Rehbrücke, Bisamkiez, Brandenburger Straße, Campus Fachhochsschule, Campus Jungfernsee, Dortustraße, Fontanestraße, Gaußstraße, Glienicker Brücke, Kapellenberg, Kirschallee, Luisenplatz-Süd/Park Sanssouci, Marie-Juchacz-Straße, Nauener Tor, Platz der Einheit/Bildungsforum, Platz der Einheit/Nord, Platz der Einheit/West, Puschkinallee, Rathaus, S Hauptbahnhof, Schloss Charlottenhof, and Waldstraße/Horstweg.

Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam (ViP) depot

Betriebshof ViP, and Holzmarktstraße.

View the route map in high resolution. See the official route map.

Current trams in operation

Articulated tram: ?, 024, 060, 065, 068, 074, 076, 085, 104, 0109, 149 "Szeged", 154, 156, 159, 249, 256.

Freight car: LORE 313.

Low-floor articulated tram: 401 "Potsdam", 406 "Erfurt", 407 "Basel", 409 "Melbourne", 410 "Amsterdam", 411 "Basel", 413 "Lichterfelde", 416 "Offenbach", 427 "Sansibar", 433, 437.

Museum tram: 9, 109, 214, 218.

Railcar: 9, 109.

Service vehicle: 303, 311.

Sidecar: 214, 218.

Workshop trolley: P AV 744 "Havarie-Fahrzeug".

Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB)
Operational

Freight car: LORE 313.

Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG)
Operational

Articulated tram: 219-385, 219 539-8, 219 523-6, 219 528-5, 219 531-6, 219 548-6.

Chemnitzer Verkehr (CVAG)
Operational

Railcar: 109.

Sidecar: 218, 964.

Historische Straßenbahn Potsdam
Open regularly

Museum tram: 9.

Former trams in operation

Articulated tram: ?, 001, 014, 023, 030, 049, 052, 053, 055, 059, 060, 065, 067, 068, 069, 074, 076, 085, 0102, 104, 0109, 131, 142, 143, 149 "Szeged", 150, 154, 156, 159, 177, 227, 231, 249, 250, 256.

Low-floor articulated tram: 416 "Offenbach".

Museum tram: 9, 109, 214, 218.

Railcar: 9, 109, 151.

School tram: 301.

Service vehicle: 305, 311.

Sidecar: 214, 218.

Berlin Denkmalpflege-Verein Nahverkehr (DVN)
Open regularly

Articulated tram: 001, 177.

Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG)
Operational

Articulated tram: 219-385, 219 407-5, 219 532-4, 219 413-0, 219 410-6, 219-522, 219 411-4, 219 539-8, 219 523-6, 219 528-5, 219 531-6, 219 548-6.

Chemnitzer Verkehr (CVAG)
Operational

Railcar: 109.

Sidecar: 218, 964.

Compania de Transport Public Cluj-Napoca (CTP)
Operational

Articulated tram: ?, 76.

Eisenbahnmuseum Weimar
Open regularly

School tram: 301.

Hannoversches Straßenbahn-Museum (HSM)
Open regularly

Service vehicle: 305.

Historische Straßenbahn Potsdam
Open regularly

Museum tram: 9.

Transport Călători Express Ploiești (TCE Ploieşti)
Operational

Articulated tram: ?, ?.

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Photos from Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam (ViP)

Most viewed - October 2024
Pin: First Combino XL for Potsdam (2017)

Potsdam articulated tram 030 at Nauener Tor (1990)By Henrik Boye.
August 1990.

Potsdam tram line 93 with low-floor articulated tram 413 "Lichterfelde" at Glienicker Brücke (2013)By Henrik Boye.
May 19, 2013.

Potsdam tram line 92 with low-floor articulated tram 406 "Erfurt" at Alter Markt/Landtag (2001)By Henrik Boye.
July 31, 2001.

7:15

Tram Potsdam | Tram | VIP (2020)The tram of Potsdam, with the first Siemens Combino, is the same type as that of Amsterdam.By Rail Public Transport 🏳️‍🌈 - March 14, 2020.

Potsdam tram line 92 with low-floor articulated tram 411 "Basel" at Alter Markt/Landtag (2001)By Henrik Boye.
July 31, 2001.

Postcard: Potsdam Themenfahrten with museum tram 109 in front of Nauener Tor (1999)Berlin Local Transport Heritage Preservation Association - Potsdam Working Group Three-car train 109+214+218, built in 1965/69, type T2-64/B2-64, manufacturer Waggonbau Gotha/LEW Henningsdorf, of the Potsdam Transport Company GmbH on April 25, 1999, in front of the Nauener Tor. www.dvn-berlin.deBy Denkmalpflege-Verein Nahverkehr (DVN), Henrik Boye, Holger Schöne - April 25, 1999.

16:01

Tram Potsdam (2011)The Potsdam tram system opened in 1880, but it was still horse-drawn. Electrification came in 1907. Today, there are 28.9 km of track with seven lines operating. Each line runs every 20 minutes, with overlaps on key sections to ensure frequent service. The vehicle fleet includes three types: the Tatra KT4D, Siemens Combino, and Stadler Variobahn. The Variobahn was not yet in operation during the photo shoot. I don't see this as a problem, since the Variobahn will continue to be delivered over the next few years and replace the Tatra. The KT4D trams were partly imported from Berlin. Potsdam was the first city in the GDR to use this tram in 1974, and its prototype is also part of the historic tram fleet. Many cars in Potsdam were modernized; they received new headlights, outward-swinging doors, and new interiors. Later, most also received chopper controls. I also managed to capture an accelerator train, identifiable by the loud clicking of the contactors. The modernization wasn't as extensive as in Berlin, which I think is better. It preserved some of the vehicles' original character. However, I wonder why some cars that will be retired soon need a near-complete rebuild. In Potsdam, only the cars numbered 100 received modernized driver cabs, while the 200-series cars did not, so they operate only as guided cars. Some 200-series vehicles have already been sold, and trains from the 100-series lines still run. The company also owns 17 Siemens Combinos. This includes the production cars delivered between 1998 and 2001, as well as the standard-gauge prototype built in 1996. The prototype was refurbished for scheduled service but is used irregularly due to frequent breakdowns (hence the video). Initially, the company planned to purchase 48 Combino buses, but the Combino crisis led to the decommissioning of all these vehicles in 2004. They were refurbished by 2008 and have been back in service in Potsdam since then. Due to negative experiences, the company canceled further Combino purchases and launched a new tender, which Stadler won with the Variobahn. Special features in the video include the driving school car 067 and the traction unit led by car 130, which was involved in an accident the day after the video was recorded and probably won't be refurbished.By Klingl3r - September 2011.

6:01

20 years of ViP Verkehrsbetrieb in Potsdam (2014)The transport company and the name “ViP” have been around for a while; however, ViP Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam GmbH was founded and registered in its current corporate form on June 7, 1994. More than 30 million passengers annually ride the trams and buses of Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam GmbH. The VIP, affectionately known by locals as such, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The company was founded in 1994 and has operated under its current legal structure since then. During this period, the articulated railcar continued to transport many Potsdam residents safely around the city. The historic tram is now used only for special trips, but its end as a daily transportation option in the 1990s also marked a new beginning—one that Karl Heinz Hahn witnessed. After reunification, local public transportation in Potsdam underwent significant changes and modernization. In the past, we only had worn or expired tracks. Modernizing the trams has focused on improving amenities. The VIP invested in new vehicles as early as the mid-1990s. In the company's engineering department, a new tram was being built. The Combino took shape in the fall of 1997. Production of the first series of Combino vehicles finally began. The low-floor trams received their distinctive Potsdam appearance, both inside and out. On October 15, 1998, the first of what was then 17 Combinos arrived in the city. However, the development of these vehicles and, not least, the expectations of Potsdam's passengers, led to further investments in modernizing the tram fleet in 2010. The Vario was assembled at the Stadler company. In May 2011, the low-floor trams arrived. Today, 18 of these modern Vario trams are running in the city's capital. Among their passengers is Jörg Witte, a 54-year-old who works as a group leader. He commutes on the Vario and enjoys it. It offers a pleasant ride through Lisbon. It is a modern vehicle, air-conditioned, with a flat entrance surface. Entrances for people with disabilities, as well as for mothers and fathers with strollers, are provided. Personally, I prefer self-driving cars, even as a driver, because they represent the latest technology. The VIP vehicle fleet now includes not only 53 trams but also 54 larger ones. They transport people comfortably and, above all, in an environmentally friendly way along Potsdamer Straße. In recent years, new buses with innovative drive options, including hybrid models, have been tested. Environmental considerations have become a key factor in updating vehicle fleets. The widow must be ready for the future and thus stay focused on the newest technology. Yes, oil is a limited resource. We often forget this in daily life. Still, we need to prepare for alternative drive technologies. We currently operate a hybrid bus that runs on both diesel and electricity. We are also exploring the potential of fuel cell buses and all-electric large buses. However, it’s essential to take time to develop a clear strategic plan. On the one hand, we must monitor the new technologies that become available on the market. On the other hand, we need to consider what we can do in Potsdam. The appropriate application area is the first years of the VIP in the mid-1990s, characterized by changes and modernization efforts. New lines were built in the city's newest residential areas, including Kirchsteigfeld. The connection to the tram network was established in 1998. Other plans and projects were located in the northern part of the city. The Bornstedter Feld, once a military training area, then the BUGA site, and later the city's most crucial development zone, was developed. In late summer 1999, construction began on the new VIP facility. Here in Potsdam Babelsberg, the depot of Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam GmbH was built. In the spring of 2001, the company finally began operations here. Today, it employs more than 400 people. As a mobility service provider for the Brandenburg state capital, the company naturally considers the challenges of the years to come. Upcoming milestones include addressing the city’s growth, including population increases, as well as rising passenger numbers and ticket revenues. Of course, we need to ensure we provide quality for passengers. In other words, we must invest in drivers and vehicles in the future and also consider how we manage these investments. That will be the challenge. This challenge affects all municipal companies and is expected to continue over the next five to ten years. The future of the VIP also depends on training new, qualified employees. Currently, 29 apprentices are working and learning at the municipal utilities' training workshop, specializing in industrial and plant mechanics.By SWPPotsdam - September 2, 2014.

Mural: Potsdam museum tram 9 by S Hauptbahnhof (2024)By Henrik Boye.
July 15, 2024.

See all photos from Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam (ViP).

Last updated: July 3, 2026.