Tram stops in other countries with the most infrequent service.

[stadler]

Sheffield has two tram stops that get just one tram per hour in each direction all day long. Herdings Park and Herdings Leighton Road both have just one tram per hour. They are by far the least served tram stops in the UK.

Normally trams are really frequent and during the daytime they have a tram every ten minutes or better or maybe every twenty minutes at the worst. Looking at other countries i am struggling to find anywhere else that has stops that only get served once an hour. I know some places have odd peak hour only or early morning only or late evening only tram services but all of the stops they serve have other routes serving it. It is very rare to find a tram stop that is actually served solely by an infrequent hourly tram service.

This has me wondering if there are any other tram stops anywhere in the world that only get an hourly service or worse? Does anyone know of any other tram stops like this in any other countries?

 

[Segedunum]

Arad has a very random selection of lines with all sorts of frequencies that seem to be without rhyme or reason.

The Chemical Plant there appears to get a pretty infrequent service (yet across three lines). The most frequent is hourly at best during the week and just a couple per day at weekends: https://ctparad.ro/tramvaie-pe-linii/

 

[Bemined]

Innsbruck line 6 has an hourly service.

 

[DanielB]

Voorburg station in the Netherlands has a tram stop, complete with raised platforms and break room for drivers, but no trams at all. That will definitely be one of the least served stops
The stop is only used during diversions due to track works. And once a day for the Hoftrammm, a restaurant in a tram.

 

[30907]

Halberstadt has a wonderful part-roadside diversion of Line 2 from Herbingstrasse to Klus (and back) which operates hourly at weekends only - the Innsgruck-Igls route is daily again now!

 

[Geswedey]

Gotha - Bad Tabarz hourly

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

Karlsruhe has some stops with not a lot of service:

Altrheinbrücke and Rappenwört serve a forest and an open-air swimming pool on the Rhine and get a 20 minute service in the summer (half of regular tram 3) and hourly in the winter.

Konzerthaus, Kongresszentrum (aboveground stop) and Philipp-Reis-Straße/die neue Welle are on the old line through Baumeisterstraße which has no regular service since the opening of the Kriegsstraße line in December 2022. There are only some E trams going to or from the depot (around two or three each day), and at Philipp-Reis-Straße also school tram 17 (one journey per direction per schoolday).

Apart from that, the tram in Bad Wildbad only gets an hourly service most of the time, with 30-minute service during the peak.

And in Heilbronn, since express trams to Karlsruhe have been withdrawn, the urban section of S4 only gets 30-minute service off-peak (used to be four trams an hour) and the S41/42 branch also doesn't get more than three.

 

[nwales58]

I would have come up with Arad too, but the line out to Platforma Vest which has two services per *day*. Pity because it passes the Flixbus stop which is about 5km out of the town at the operator's depot.

Does no service count? Craiova still has stops and rails, but no wires, out to Isalnita power station although route 102 still appears on RAT's web site.

Ludwigshafen: my (poor) memory had a sparse peak-only service in the northern tunnel from Rathaus to Hbf but that now seems not to exist.

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

Ludwigshafen: my (poor) memory had a sparse peak-only service in the northern tunnel from Rathaus to Hbf but that now seems not to exist.

Tram 12 that run through the tunnel between Rathaus and Hauptbahnhof was withdrawn in 2009, since then the tunnel is closed! Danziger Platz between those two being one of the very few closed tunnel stations in German urban rail history. This year, they've started to filled it in. I had the chance to visit the abandoned tunnel two times, really fascinating. Seeing ads from 00s still there now in 2024.

The tunnel at Rathaus that's still used by trams 6, 6A, 7 and 8EX won't be there much longer either, the whole city hall is being demolished including the tunnel tram stop and will be replaced by a normal aboveground stop.

 

[nwales58]

Spain, of course, has entire systems with stops and no services: Jaen and Velez Malaga.

And now I know my memory is frozen at 2009, thanks!

Original question was hourly services, those are not uncommon in eastern europe where the infrastructure was built to serve large factories but demand is now far lower. Halle-Leuna-Bad Dürrenberg comes to mind, there will be loads of others.

Any advance on greater than zero but only 2 per day?

 

[Bemined]

I know some places have odd peak hour only or early morning only or late evening only tram services but all of the stops they serve have other routes serving it.

Perhaps a small detour from the original question, but in the Netherlands there are tram stops with limited service that are then not covered by other tram lines. In Schiedam the final two stops towards Woudhoek have a permanent bus replacement after 19:00 and in the weekends before 10:00/11:00. In Utrecht the Uithoflijn is not served at all during weekends, most stops are covered by regular bus lines but one stop remains unserved during the weekends.

 

[The exile]

I suspect quite a few systems may have stops that are only served by trams coming on and off depot - so may have quite high frequency at either end of the day /peaks but nothing at all at the rest of the time. Essen certainly used to back around 2000.

 

[dutchflyer]

Again this also raises thr question as to what is ´TRAM (strassenbahn here in /de/)´ and/or ´light-rail/metro/interurban/whatever.
Germany has a few of those interurban lines, like Albtal from Karlsruhe and the 2 around Mannheim/Ludwigshafen that have only a very limited, mostly hourly service at lesser used outer ends. Poland has like that from LOdz, though I dk current status of that.
I got stuck on a sunday-2/3 weeks ago in Germanies smallest town with tram: Naumburg, and the only urban tram then running also only had an hourly service-neatly correspoding with the also hourly train. But its more frequent on weekdays.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Do stops which are only used on event days count?
Back in the late 1990s the Borussia Dortmund stadium had match day only stops. No idea if it still does, as the tram system there has undergone some significant changes in the ensuing 25+ years.

May be misremembering, but I think Köln had a similar thing around that time.

 

[DanielB]

In Utrecht the Uithoflijn is not served at all during weekends, most stops are covered by regular bus lines but one stop remains unserved during the weekends.

Technically two stops are unserved. Padualaan has a bus stop around the corner, though that stop has a different name, so wouldn't call it the same stop.

 

[HS2isgood]

Spain, of course, has entire systems with stops and no services: Jaen and Velez Malaga.

And now I know my memory is frozen at 2009, thanks!

Original question was hourly services, those are not uncommon in eastern europe where the infrastructure was built to serve large factories but demand is now far lower. Halle-Leuna-Bad Dürrenberg comes to mind, there will be loads of others.

Any advance on greater than zero but only 2 per day?

We also have the León tram conversion in the León to Bilbao line. No trams have ever ran and the plan is street running with the old 526's or closure.

 

[Whisky Papa]

In Prague, the terminal stops of Královka and Zvonařka are only served by the 23 route which gives additional capacity from the centre up past the castle. Although it has a decent headway (7/8 minutes) at weekends, it is only every 30 minutes during the week.

 

[Tester]

Košice, Slovakia, is another candidate, with the interurban line to the steelworks.

Frequent services on various routes from various parts of the city around shift change times, but irregular (can be worse than hourly) at other times, and on only one route from the main station.

Highly recommended, but check the timetable!

 

[BeeBus]

There was an unusual tram working in Vienna from Floridsdorf to Praterstern which ran as a 5 despite only running on the actual 5 route for a short distance. I discovered it purely by chance whilst waiting at Floridsdorf in 2019 and found that it ran on tracks on Heine Straße and Mühlfeldgasse which were used by no other service, a stretch of double track approximately 650 metres long. This service ran in one direction only, once a day on schooldays only. As I understand it the tracks have not been needed for regular service since the 21 route ceased operation in 2008. Looking at the current timetable it seems to no longer run. However, that stretch of track is used for diversions and I travelled on it on a 2 service which was diverted to turn back at Praterstern to regulate the timetable. Vienna provides very detailed timetables, including all depot journeys and unusual workings, which is useful to enthusiasts. The system has other stretches of track which have no scheduled service, but do see occasional use for diversions during engineering work.

Vienna also has a service to the Hauptwerkstätte (main workshops) which is a spur from the Kaiserebersdorf line at Zentralfriedhof 4. Tor in the south-eastern corner of the network, not too far from the airport. This sees a couple of services run down at the beginning and end of the shift and run a loop round the workshops.

Halberstadt was mentioned earlier in the thread and I have very recently visited the system, almost all of which at the moment qualifies for a mention under this thread! Since early August they have been running an emergency timetable which requires only three trams. Service also finish now as early as 1700hrs! I don't know why the service has been reduced but one consequence is that the whole 2 service is now just hourly on Saturday, not just the section through Klus which as rightly mentioned earlier is only used at weekends.

On the theme of event days, Augsburg has a branch to the football ground which only sees services on match days - I doubt whether this is unique though.

 

[eldomtom2]

In Japan, while the Iyotetsu tram network in Matsuyama is generally doing decently for itself, the short Honmachi line has been cut back to seven trains a day on weekday mornings only.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I think the unique cable-operated Trieste Tram 2 (Piazza Oberdan to Villa Opicina) is still bustituted after the accident in 2016.
Buses maintain a 20-minute service on the same route.

 

[Belperpete]

Prague of course has the brand new tram stop outside the main train station. That has no regular service, and is unlikely to for a year or two until the new line through the city centre is completed. I understand that it is used for terminating trams during disruption?

I recall that there is also a tram stop out on the 22 route beyond the castle, that is only used during diversions. And there are of course many stops at turn back loops that rarely get used, such as only at peak times or during disruption.

Prague regularly runs trams off route at beginning and end of service. This is denoted by the route number appearing in inverse colour to normal on the tram (black number on white/orange background, as opposed to the usual white/orange number on black background). So if you see a route number displayed like this, it means the tram isn't going where that route would normally take you.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Nov 2024 ==

I recalled that in Budapest I had seen a tram stop on a branch off the main tram line north of the cog-wheel railway station, on the 56, 59A, 61 route. This tram stop is called Szépilona kocsiszín (kapu), with the branch going to a depot at Szépilona Kocsiszín. Not surprisingly, this tram stop doesn't seem to have much of a service.
Google maps: Szépilona kocsiszín (kapu)

But what caught my attention is that looking on street view, there appears to be a branch off this branch, heading off up Zugligeti ut. It just seems to peter out, with cars parked over it. Anyone know anything about this line? Did it ever go any further? It looks like it is now just used as part of a turning triangle, but why would they want to turn the trams?

 

[BeeBus]

That spur was once the 58 route which closed as long ago as 1977. There is an article here which describes some of its history and has quite a few photos. It would seem to have been an interesting and attractive line.

There can be quite a lot of technical reasons for turning trams - there can be problems with one cab so when you are running coupled trams you can 'bury' the defective cab in the middle and fix it at a more convenient time. Another reason can be to equalise tyre wear due to the curves (or at least the sharper ones) being more left-hand than right-hand (or vice-versa).

 

[Belperpete]

That spur was once the 58 route which closed as long ago as 1977. There is an article here which describes some of its history and has quite a few photos. It would seem to have been an interesting and attractive line.

Wow, thanks for that speedy reply and the very useful link. Some interesting stuff in there.

 

[Whisky Papa]

Prague of course has the brand new tram stop outside the main train station. That has no regular service, and is unlikely to for a year or two until the new line through the city centre is completed. I understand that it is used for terminating trams during disruption?

I recall that there is also a tram stop out on the 22 route beyond the castle, that is only used during diversions. And there are of course many stops at turn back loops that rarely get used, such as only at peak times or during disruption.

Are you thinking of Královka as the loop beyond the castle? It is used as the terminus for the 23, as in post #17 upthread. It is quite an impressive spot, with three terminal loops and loading platforms. I can only assume it was built to cater for events at the nearby Stadion Strahov back in communist days.

Prague regularly runs trams off route at beginning and end of service. This is denoted by the route number appearing in inverse colour to normal on the tram (black number on white/orange background, as opposed to the usual white/orange number on black background). So if you see a route number displayed like this, it means the tram isn't going where that route would normally take you.

I've just been looking through a few timetables, and this does practice not seem to be advertised any more, although I'm sure the vehicles still display it - in fact I used one earlier this year. For example, trams dropping out of service on the 12 at Sídliště Barrandov in the SW of the city are only shown as returning as far as Anděl, but I'm sure in the past they would have shown a footnote saying they were continuing to the depot at Vozovna Motol.

 

[Belperpete]

Are you thinking of Královka as the loop beyond the castle? It is used as the terminus for the 23, as in post #17 upthread. It is quite an impressive spot, with three terminal loops and loading platforms. I can only assume it was built to cater for events at the nearby Stadion Strahov back in communist days.

I've just been looking through a few timetables, and this does practice not seem to be advertised any more, although I'm sure the vehicles still display it - in fact I used one earlier this year. For example, trams dropping out of service on the 12 at Sídliště Barrandov in the SW of the city are only shown as returning as far as Anděl, but I'm sure in the past they would have shown a footnote saying they were continuing to the depot at Vozovna Motol.

Looking at Google maps, the tram stops out on the 22 route that I was thinking of are at Brusnice, where there are a pair of stops one side of the T junction, and another pair the other side. Only one pair is in regular use, the other only sees use when trams are on diversion via u. Brusnice.
Brusnice tram stop on Google maps

There are turn-back loops with platforms that see no regular service all over the place in Prague. For example, I don't think many trams use the Divoká Šárka loop these days, now that the line has been extended?

I certainly saw trams displaying the inverse number on my last visit to Prague, in September.

 

[Taunton]

I seem to recall that Vienna had a number of operations that only ran one day a year, 1 November I think, when it is traditional for citizens to visit family graves at the cemetery and tidy them up. This has long led to additional and extended services, and some sections are just operated on this one day. It's a public holiday, All Saints Day, but commonly called Cemetery Day.

 

[Farigiraf]

I recalled that in Budapest I had seen a tram stop on a branch off the main tram line north of the cog-wheel railway station, on the 56, 59A, 61 route. This tram stop is called Szépilona kocsiszín (kapu), with the branch going to a depot at Szépilona Kocsiszín. Not surprisingly, this tram stop doesn't seem to have much of a service.
Google maps: Szépilona kocsiszín (kapu)

Kocsiszín in Hungarian means shed (depot), so I assume that tram stop is only there for staff and/or services out of the depot. There are no advertised passenger calls at the stop though. Think Battersea Pier Staff Halt.

 

[Whisky Papa]

Looking at Google maps, the tram stops out on the 22 route that I was thinking of are at Brusnice, where there are a pair of stops one side of the T junction, and another pair the other side. Only one pair is in regular use, the other only sees use when trams are on diversion via u. Brusnice.
Brusnice tram stop on Google maps

There are turn-back loops with platforms that see no regular service all over the place in Prague. For example, I don't think many trams use the Divoká Šárka loop these days, now that the line has been extended?

I certainly saw trams displaying the inverse number on my last visit to Prague, in September.

Ah, I see where you mean now at Brusnice. Funnily enough, on my first visit back in September 2010, I seem to remember my son and I travelled directly from Pražský hrad to the transport museum at Vozovna Střešovice which would have used the tracks on u Brusnice. I assume this was a diversion, but of which service I can't now figure.

And as you say Divoká Šárka is now only an emergency facility, and has lost one of its tracks - it was notable before for having two loops with trams running in opposite directions.

 

[Whisky Papa]

Prague regularly runs trams off route at beginning and end of service. This is denoted by the route number appearing in inverse colour to normal on the tram (black number on white/orange background, as opposed to the usual white/orange number on black background). So if you see a route number displayed like this, it means the tram isn't going where that route would normally take you.

From post #25:
I've just been looking through a few timetables, and this practice does not seem to be advertised any more, although I'm sure the vehicles still display it - in fact I used one earlier this year. For example, trams dropping out of service on the 12 at Sídliště Barrandov in the SW of the city are only shown as returning as far as Anděl, but I'm sure in the past they would have shown a footnote saying they were continuing to the depot at Vozovna Motol.



Further to this, not only are the depot journeys not shown in the PDF timetables any longer, they do not appear in full on the PID (the transport authority for Prague) Litačka app. I snapped a 2 at Nádraží Vršovice showing the reversed destination as described heading to the depot at Vozovna Strašnice last week. This was at around 10am after the morning peak, and it is already several stops off the regular route 2. Checking the app at the same time this morning, the live map does show the tram operating the journey, and if clicked on will display the timetabled and live times all the way to Vozovna Strašnice. However, the journey does not appear on the live departure times for the individual stops - odd! In fact, I got caught out by this one evening by a reverse move from Vozovna Strašnice onto the 2, which I could have caught back to my hotel if I'd known it was coming.