Gotha tram line 2: Hauptbahnhof - Ostbahnhof
OperationalCity: Gotha (Germany).
Total route length: 3.3 km (2.1 miles).
Driving time: 12 min.
Track gauge: 1000 mm (metre gauge).
Opened: .
Lines in Gotha
Select line type: Tram lines, extra lines, and regional lines.
Tram lines in Gotha
Gotha tram line 1: Hauptbahnhof - Kreiskrankenhaus
Operational
Gotha tram line 2: Hauptbahnhof - Ostbahnhof
Operational
Stops
Hauptbahnhof → Ostbahnhof → Huttenstraße → Hersdorfplatz → Bahnhofstraße → Orangerie.
View the route map in high resolution.
Photos and videos of Gotha tram line 2: Hauptbahnhof - Ostbahnhof
5:41
Tram in Gotha and the Thuringian Forest Railway (2021)Today, there is a new video from the tram in Gotha and the Thuringian Forest Railway.By Spiegelwagen - .
12:36
Documentary Thuringian Forest Railway and Gotha Tram - Part 1 (2020)An excellent documentary about the Gotha tram and the Thuringian Forest Railway. The documentary was very well-structured, engaging, and informative, especially since the Gotha tram is exciting both in terms of vehicle operation and the routes. The quality of the documentary was also excellent. Thumbs up, stay healthy, and LG Beni.
The tram is the most important means of transportation in Thuringia's fifth-largest city and connects it via the Thuringian Forest Railway to the Thuringian Forest. In this documentation, you will learn more about the route network and its more than 100-year history. We hope you enjoy it. As early as 1800, the idea of establishing a horse-drawn tram was considered. However, these plans did not gain support, so it wasn’t until 1893 that the city council decided to build an electric tram. The route runs from the central station to the election—now the road. The Gotha tram is 127 kilometers long and has been electric from the start. After the tram was sold to Index ITC AG in 1897, which now belongs to RWE, there were major plans to expand the route network to a railway via rural roads. Of the six routes considered, only today's line 4 was ultimately built. Bad Tölz was developed in 1812. The depot on Waltershäuser Straße was opened and is still in use today. Two years later, construction began on the line via Waltershausen to Tabarz. However, due to World War I and its aftermath, construction was suspended between 1915 and 1928, and it was only completed in 1929.
Similar to World War II, traffic was regulated between 9:45 and 9:47, then was nationalized and placed under municipal utilities. In 1954, the tram received new vehicles from the Gothaer Wagon Factory, the only tram manufacturer in the GDR. As a result, this freight car remains a household name for many today. In 1971, the inner-city line in Waltershausen was opened. After Gotha’s tram production stopped in 1967 in favor of importing Tatra trams from Czechoslovakia, Gotha received its first KTV railcar, which was a war trophy. Some of these were still running in 1981. Interestingly, freight traffic on the interurban routes occurred between 1982 and 1988. After reunification, the state-owned company was transformed into a limited liability company operated by municipalities along the route. To modernize the vehicle fleet, used trains began operating in the following years. The six trains from Mannheim were introduced in the 1990s, and routes were gradually modernized. Simultaneously, it was necessary to improve connections to the city, so 62 six-axle Bogestra trains were purchased for line 1 from the central station to Sunthausen. This also enabled direct turnarounds at the Gleisdreieck in Waltershausen. However, aside from one example, these vehicles are no longer in service today. In 2002, line 1 was extended from 2000 to the new terminus at the hospital—the first and last extension of this route.
Regarding the vehicles, the fleet includes three preserved original units: cars numbered three, four, and six. Additionally, cars 3, 107, 117, and 319 were acquired from the Herforder Straße coal plant in the early 2000s. Vehicles 207, 308, and Traut 11 still have their accelerator controls. Tett 1617 vehicles also feature accelerator controls on both side doors as they are used on line 6, which ends at the Gleisdreieck cinemas.
In 2012, the first low-floor vehicles, Bottas 4 g/t Achten, were acquired from Mannheim, with three still operating today, representing the only low-floor units in the fleet. To replace the Tatras, which were delivered directly according to quota, six B4 models from the Basel tram system were also added in 2009–2010, and they are still in operation. Besides planned vehicles, a few preserved historic tram lines mark the beginning of this network's ongoing history. For example, line 71 RB 20 runs on a two-hourly schedule from Dresden via Leipzig, Frankfurt, to Wiesbaden, with stops as noted in 2007.
Now, let's look at line 2, which runs up to Rote Straße and shares the same route as lines 1 and 4 up to that point. It operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every 20 minutes, then until 10 p.m., and runs all day on weekends approximately every 30 minutes. The 3-kilometer route takes about 12 minutes. Shortly after leaving the central station, it passes through Bahnhofstraße to the same stop. West of this is the over-500-year-old Cutter Castle Park, covering 37 hectares, leading up to the next stop, the Orangery, which continues onward. The landmark that gives the hotel its name was built in 1700 and is planned to be the German Orangery Museum in the future. Also, here is Friedenstein Castle, built in the 17th century, serving as a gateway to the city center.By Regionalzugverband - .
7:09
Seven minutes of winter enjoyment on the Thuringian Forest Railway (2018)Just in time for the start of the winter holidays, there was a load of snow for the children in the Thuringian Forest. Reason enough to visit the Thuringian Forest and Gotha Tramway.By Straßen Bahn unterwegs mit dem Schienenonkel - .
2:26
Gotha: Thuringian Forest Railway becomes more barrier-free (2012)The first low-floor car has started operating on the Thuringian Forest Railway's forest railway line 4 between Tabarz and Gotha. This will make things a little easier for people with disabilities or mothers with strollers in the future.
This tram will be seen more often in the Gotha tram network from now on, especially on the forest railway line 4 between Tabatz and Gotha. It is the new tram from Thuringian Forest Railway and Tramway Gotha GmbH. It is the first low-floor tram to operate, and reaching this point hasn't been easy. Dieter Schädel explained that it was very challenging because the used vehicle market in the tram sector is also very tight. A new tram involves very high investment costs, and many companies currently lack the resources. Last year, we looked into all transport companies with a 1000 mm gauge that might sell such vehicles. We found what we needed in Ludwigshafen. There, you could buy four low-floor trams from the GT6 series from 1961 to 1964. They were converted for wheelchair access in Gotha in the early 1990s, where they were adapted to our own technology. As a company, we now have separate validation systems. We have company-specific ticket vending machines. We made some upgrades to the onboard lighting, making it more energy-efficient and safer. One tram with transport to Gotha costs €19,000, and another €300,000 was spent on renovating all four. This investment was 50% funded by the Free City of Thuringia. The improvements have been well received by people with disabilities and mothers with strollers, as they previously found it hard to climb the steps on the tram. The second of the four trams is expected to begin operations this year, with the remaining two following in 2013. Operation on the Gotha line is planned for 8 to 10 years. The only remaining task now is to work on making the last stop at the Gotha Orangery accessible to everyone, in collaboration with the city.By Funke Thüringen - TA - OTZ - TLZ - .
8:30
Gotha tram // Line 6 in KT4D-ZR (2012)Line 6 of the Gotha tram runs from the central transfer station "Gleisdreieck" to Waltershausen station. Tatra KT4D trams are used on this short line, which also have a full driver's cab at the rear of the vehicle. In addition to this special feature, there are only doors for boarding and alighting on one side. Passengers therefore always change from the same platform in both directions of the line.By metr0p0Iitain - .
Gotha regional line 4 Thüringerwaldbahn with articulated tram 395 at Hauptbahnhof (1998)By Henrik Boye..
