Does Dresden still have Tatra trams?

[alex397]

I have a Berlin trip planned in a couple of weeks. I’d like to tie in a day trip to Dresden, and I was wondering if anyone knows if they still have their (modernised) Tatras still in service? I always like to try and track them down.

If not, I might change my day trip to Frankfurt (Oder) or one of the other eastern cities that I know still has them.

While I’m here, they have now all gone from Potsdam, right?

Many thanks.

 

[317666]

I can't speak for Dresden, but Potsdam definitely still has them! They're pretty easy to find during peak hours. Frankfurt(Oder), Cottbus and Brandenburg still have them, but they're scheduled to be withdrawn from all three over the next couple of years. The Schöneicher Straßenbahn from Friedrichshagen S-Bahn also still uses some Tatras.

If you haven't done so already I really would recommend a visit to the Woltersdorfer Straßenbahn which runs from Rahnsdorf S-Bahn. It still uses old Gotha cars from the early 1960s, but these are also scheduled to be replaced in the near future.

 

[alex397]

I can't speak for Dresden, but Potsdam definitely still has them! They're pretty easy to find during peak hours. Frankfurt(Oder), Cottbus and Brandenburg still have them, but they're scheduled to be withdrawn from all three over the next couple of years. The Schöneicher Straßenbahn from Friedrichshagen S-Bahn also still uses some Tatras.

If you haven't done so already I really would recommend a visit to the Woltersdorfer Straßenbahn which runs from Rahnsdorf S-Bahn. It still uses old Gotha cars from the early 1960s, but these are also scheduled to be replaced in the near future.

Interesting, I didn’t think Potsdam would still have them these days. I last visited quite a few years ago and didn’t manage to track one down, but I don’t think I was there during peak times.

Same for Brandenburg - I visited the city on a Sunday (big mistake as everything was shut!), and it was just a skeleton service on their tramway with just modern stock in use.

I have visited the excellent Woltersdorfer tramway before - incredible it has survived so long with vintage stock. I will be hoping to revisit during my trip.

Annoyingly I’ve been to Berlin a few times before, when they still had Tatras - but I didn’t make the effort to track them down as I wasn’t really into trams back then.

I really wish there was an equivalent to bustimes.org for public transport in other countries. The nearest I’ve found is the Brno, Czechia live map which includes fleet numbers.

 

[Fireless]

Dresden still holds on to a few Tatras (quite remarkable considering that they had their farewell celebration in 2010) which only work some additional services.
According to a german forum (https://www.drehscheibe-online.de/foren/read.php?005,10014380,10014866#msg-10014866 for Dresden, https://www.drehscheibe-online.de/foren/read.php?005,10027405,page=all for other towns), there should be two sets working on school days working extra services on lines 7 and 11.

You can still ride Tatras in Berlin on the Schöneiche-Rüdersdorfer Straßenbahn (line 88) quite easily as they require four sets for the regular service and only have three Artics.
They are especially worth visiting on school days when they also Düwag GT6 from the 1960s/1970s (ex Heidelberg) on additional workings (1600hrs-1830hrs forming ten-minute headways outbound and running three minutes before regular low-floor tram inbound) which gives a lot of variety for such a small operator

 

[Fragezeichnen]

I really wish there was an equivalent to bustimes.org for public transport in other countries.

I suppose it's the case that the UK's disparate, private enterprise based bus system creates a need for a such a site that doesn't really exist in other countries.

In Germany, Deutsche Bahn's journey planner and departure boards contains timetable information for all domestic tram and bus services.

Detailed route maps and full route timetables and are found on the website of the transport association which commissions the bus services, so in Dresden the Vekehrsverbund Oberelbe: https://www.vvo-online.de/de/linien-plaene/index.cshtml

 

[DanielB]

I really wish there was an equivalent to bustimes.org for public transport in other countries. The nearest I’ve found is the Brno, Czechia live map which includes fleet numbers.

The Dutch Busposities has functionalities quite similar to bustimes.org and includes all operators in the entire country.

 

[alex397]

Dresden still holds on to a few Tatras (quite remarkable considering that they had their farewell celebration in 2010) which only work some additional services.
According to a german forum (https://www.drehscheibe-online.de/foren/read.php?005,10014380,10014866#msg-10014866 for Dresden, https://www.drehscheibe-online.de/foren/read.php?005,10027405,page=all for other towns), there should be two sets working on school days working extra services on lines 7 and 11.

This information is invaluable, thank you very much. That will be really useful if I end up going to Dresden, but I’ll have to accept there might not be Tatras. Remarkable though as you say, that they still are just about in service 12 years after their farewell celebration!

You can still ride Tatras in Berlin on the Schöneiche-Rüdersdorfer Straßenbahn (line 88) quite easily as they require four sets for the regular service and only have three Artics.
They are especially worth visiting on school days when they also Düwag GT6 from the 1960s/1970s (ex Heidelberg) on additional workings (1600hrs-1830hrs forming ten-minute headways outbound and running three minutes before regular low-floor tram inbound) which gives a lot of variety for such a small operator

Yes I am hoping to visit this tramway on my visit, and especially the nearby Woltersdorf line nearby too seeing as their vintage Gothas will be replaced in the coming years. Both those tram lines are remarkable survivors.

The Dutch Busposities has functionalities quite similar to bustimes.org and includes all operators in the entire country.

Thank you for linking this - I wasn’t aware of this website. This is exactly the sort of thing I like to see!

 

[TRXsouth]

I have visited the excellent Woltersdorfer tramway before - incredible it has survived so long with vintage stock. I will be hoping to revisit during my trip.

With regard to Strassenbahn Woltersdorf, it is comprehensively covered in a five page article in the April 2022 edition of Today’s Railways Europe. Map, history and stock details, plus mention of the new Polish trams ordered in February - so as the feature says “major changes are on the horizon for the last non-heritage line with 1950s DDR ‘Gotha’ trams in regular daily service.” It suggests linking a Woltersdorf visit with the nearby SRS metre gauge Schoneicher-Rudesdorfer Strassenbahn.

 

[valedave]

I was in Dresden at the weekend and saw a Tatra coming out of Prager Straße into Webergasse. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure it was one – or is there a chance it was something else that looks similar?