Trams in Mannheim/Ludwigshafen

Mannheim/Ludwigshafen tramway network
Mannheim/Ludwigshafen tramway network
Operation
Locale	Mannheim / Ludwigshafen,; Rhine Neckar Area,; Germany;
Open	1878
Status	Operational
Lines	10 (total line length 97 km (60 mi))
Operator	Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr (RNV)
Infrastructure
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Propulsion system	Electricity
Electrification	750 V DC overhead lines
Statistics
Route length	61 km (38 mi)
Overview
	The network in 2016.
Website	Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr (RNV) (in English)

The Mannheim/Ludwigshafen tramway network (German: Straßenbahnnetz Mannheim/Ludwigshafen) is a metre-gauge transport network of tramways focused on the cities of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen am Rhein, and connected to Heidelberg tram network and to Weinheim via the Upper Rhine Railway Company (OEG), in the Rhine Neckar Area of Germany. The network has been operated since 2005 by Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (RNV), and is integrated in the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN).

History

Opened in 1878 with horse cars, the first line used normal gauge. In 1883 a line to Feudenheim started operating, using steam powered tram engines. The first electric trams started service in 1900.

Fleet

Besides older tram cars and a large fleet of Rhein-Neckar-Variobahn trams, the delivery of the Rhein-Neckar-Tram 2020 (RNT 2020) started late 2022. The RNT 2020 comes in three lengths, with the twelve 38T version being the longest trams in the world at the time of delivery in 2025.^[1]

References

↑ "World's longest tram is produced by Škoda Group in Pilsen". www.skodagroup.com. Škoda Group. Retrieved 27 May 2025.

Bibliography

Höltge, Dieter (1999). Straßen- und Stadtbahnen in Deutschland [Tramways and Stadtbahnen in Germany] (in German). Vol. Band 6: Baden [Volume 6: Baden]. Freiburg i. B., Germany: EK-Verlag. ISBN 3882553375.

Kochems, Michael; Höltge, Dieter (2011). Straßen- und Stadtbahnen in Deutschland [Tramways and Stadtbahnen in Germany] (in German). Vol. Band 12: Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland [Volume 2: Rhineland-Palatinate/Saarland]. Freiburg i. B., Germany: EK-Verlag. ISBN 9783882553932.

Schwandl, Robert (2012). Schwandl's Tram Atlas Deutschland (in German and English) (3rd ed.). Berlin: Robert Schwandl Verlag. p. 118. ISBN 9783936573336.