THE metre-gauge tram network in the city of Plauen in the southeastern German state of Saxony may be forced to close due to financial difficulties.
Plauen Tramways, which operates the 37.6km network, is almost insolvent, according to its management. While the network serving a city with a population of 65,000 was used by 7.6 million passengers in 2024, it has seen little investment in recent years. Its fleet of 14 Tatra KT4D trams dating from 1983 that operate many services, alongside newer Bombardier Flexity LRVs, is almost life-expired.
Several other small networks in eastern Germany have ordered new LRVs to replace their Tatra fleets in recent years such as Zwickau and Görlitz, also in Saxony, which ordered new vehicles from HeiterBlick in 2021 in an order shared with Leipzig.
Plauen Tramways is owned by the city council but is funded by the Vogtlandkreis regional council and its transport agency.
Following public protest and intervention by politicians, Vogtlandkreis agreed in late September to develop plans for public transport in Plauen by the end of this year. A petition launched by Plauen Tramways had already received16,000 signatures by mid-October.
Nevertheless, closure could still be recommended rather than upgrading all or some of the network.
National passenger rail lobby Pro Bahn has given its full support to the campaign. “While we’re talking about a possible end to the tram system here [in Plauen], other cities like Kiel, Hamburg, and Wiesbaden are discussing the construction of a new tram system,” says Bertram Zetzsche, spokesperson for the Vogtland region.
He pointed to nearby Chemnitz, where the city’s light rail network has become part of an integrated tram-train system which also serves the surrounding area. “It's very unlikely that a tram system that has been shut down will ever be put back into operation,” Zetzsche warned.
