 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Tramway networks of changing host cities |
| Established | 29 September 2012 |
Number of tournaments | 11 |
| Website | www |
| Current champion | |
 Budapest (3rd Championship) | |
The TRAM-EM European Tramdriver Championship is the European championship for competitive tram driving.
In 2012, the first Tram-EM (German: Tram-Europameisterschaft, or Tram European Championship) was created for the 140th anniversary of the Dresden tram network. The championship is hosted yearly in Europe by rotating local transit companies in cooperation with the Dresden-based production company that created the concept.
TRAM-EM has been a registered trademark since 2014.
The Tram-EM competition is a team competition where each team consists of one female tram driver, one male tram driver and one team supervisor. The competition is open to European public transport agencies, who may submit one team each. [1]
The championship is split into two rounds, with each driver taking the wheel once. Each round consists of 6 disciplines. The disciplines could be stopping at a target, emergency braking, measuring side clearance during a curve, stopping exactly at a tram stop, speed estimation with a hidden speedometer, precision driving past a gate, "tram billiards," or "tram bowling." The skill at each discipline, in addition to the time to complete each discipline, influences the score. The event includes a team procession, practice rounds, social events for drivers, competition, and award ceremony.
The competitions have long been tied-in to public celebrations of the hosting transit agency, such as the 140th anniversary of the Dresden tram network, the 10th anniversary of the Barcelona tram network, and the 150th anniversary of the Viennese tram network. The goal of the competition is to give tram operators an international platform to share experience.
| Year | Host country | Location | Winning country | Winner | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 |  Germany | Dresden | Hungary | Budapest | 29–30 September 2012 |
| 2013 | Hungary | Budapest |  France | Paris | 24 November 2013 |
| 2014 |  Spain | Barcelona | Spain | Parla | 22 November 2014 [2] |
| 2015 |  Austria | Vienna |  Netherlands | Rotterdam | 25 April 2015 |
| 2016 | Germany | Berlin | Hungary | Budapest | 23 April 2016 |
| 2017 | Spain | Tenerife | France | Paris [3] | 4 June 2017 |
| 2018 | Germany | Stuttgart |  Sweden | Stockholm [4] | 5 May 2018 |
| 2019 |  Belgium | Brussels [5] | Belgium | Brussels [6] | 4 May 2019 |
| 2020 |  Romania * | Oradea * | – | – | |
| 2021 | |||||
| 2022 | Germany | Leipzig [7] | Germany | Hanover [8] | 21 May 2022 |
| 2023 | Romania | Oradea [9] | Austria | Vienna | 3 June 2023 |
| 2024 | Germany | Frankfurt [10] | Hungary | Budapest | 14 September 2024 |
* originally postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but eventually cancelled
The 2023 edition was hosted in Oradea, Romania, after the planned 2020 edition had to be postponed and ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Position | Country | City | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austria | Vienna | 4300 |
| 2 | Sweden | Göteborg | 4180 |
| 3 |  Czech Republic | Prague | 3630 |
| 4 | Sweden | Stockholm | 3590 |
| 5 |  Croatia | Zagreb | 3450 |
| 6 |  Ireland | Dublin | 3430 |
| 7 |  Norway | Oslo | 3280 |
| 8 | Netherlands | Rotterdam | 3250 |
| 9 | Hungary | Szeged | 3200 |
| 10 |  Switzerland | Basel | 3090 |
| 11 |  Slovakia | Kosice | 3050 |
| 12 | Belgium | Brussels | 3050 |
| 13 |  Poland | Warsaw | 3030 |
| 14 | Romania | Oradea | 3020 |
| 15 | Germany | Leipzig | 2940 |
| 16 | Hungary | Debrecen | 2900 |
| 17 | France | Bordeaux | 2850 |
| 18 | Spain | Barcelona | 2840 |
| 19 | Germany | Nuremberg | 2810 |
| 20 | Germany | Hanover | 2690 |
| 21 | Germany | Berlin | 2610 |
| 22 | Spain | Málaga | 2450 |
| 23 |  Italy | Florence | 2410 |
| 24 |  Ukraine | Kyiv | 2330 |
| 25 | Germany | Dresden | 2300 |
The 2024 edition was held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. 26 teams of two members each (at least one woman for each team) took part. The rolling stock used was Bombardier Flexity Classic which are designated Baureihe S by the Frankfurt tramway operator. Each competitor partook in six tasks worth a maximum of 500 points each with the overall time taken worth another 500 points. Each team of two participants did the whole tournament once each, resulting in a total theoretical maximum of 7,000 points per team. Here are the final results [11] :
| Position | Country | City | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary | Budapest | 3850 |
| 2 | Belgium | Brussels | 3800 |
| 3 | Poland | Kraków | 3100 |
| 4 | Netherlands | Rotterdam | 2900 |
| 5 | France | Paris | 2800 |
| 6 | Austria | Vienna | 2700 |
| 7 | Italy | Milan | 2650 |
| 8 | Sweden | Gothenburg | 2600 |
| 9 | Sweden | Stockholm | 2550 |
| 10 | Germany | Berlin | 2450 |
| 10 | Czech Republic | Prague | 2450 |
| 12 |  Finland | Tampere | 2400 |
| 13 |  Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 2250 |
| 14 |  UK | Birmingham | 2150 |
| 14 | Slovakia | Bratislava | 2150 |
| 16 | Germany | Frankfurt am Main | 2100 |
| 17 | Germany | Leipzig | 2000 |
| 18 | Ukraine | Kyiv | 1900 |
| 18 | Ireland | Dublin | 1900 |
| 18 | Switzerland | Zurich | 1900 |
| 21 | Spain | Barcelona | 1850 |
| 22 | Norway | Oslo | 1800 |
| 22 | UK | Edinburgh | 1800 |
| 24 | Romania | Oradea | 1750 |
| 25 | France | Lyon | 1700 |
| 26 | Croatia | Zagreb | 1600 |
Wiener Linien announced on their website in 2024 that they plan to host the event in 2025 and to turn it into a World Championship by inviting teams from Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. [12]
A tram is a type of urban rail transit consisting of either individual railcars or self-propelled multiple unit trains that run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or tram networks operated as public transport are called tramways or simply trams/streetcars. Due to their close similarities, trams are commonly included in the wider term light rail, which also includes systems separated from other traffic.
The Siemens Avenio is a low floor tram family produced by Siemens Mobility, a subsidiary of the German conglomerate Siemens. It is the successor to the Combino family. The first generation was sold as the Combino Supra, Combino MkII, or Combino Plus. With the introduction of the second generation in 2009 the Combino brand was dropped and Siemens have referred to Combino Plus trams in Almada (Portugal) and Budapest (Hungary) as part of the Avenio range.
A tram-train is a type of light rail vehicle that both meets the standards of a light rail system, and also national mainline standards. Tramcars are adapted to be capable of running on streets like an urban tramway but also be permitted operation alongside mainline trains. This allows services that can utilise both existing urban light rail systems and mainline railway networks and stations. It combines the urban accessibility of a tram or light rail with a mainline train's greater speed in the suburbs.
The Berlin tramway is the main tram system in Berlin, Germany. It is one of the oldest tram networks in the world having its origins in 1865 and is operated by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), which was founded in 1929. It is notable for being the third-largest tram system in the world, after Melbourne and St. Petersburg. Berlin's tram system is made up of 22 lines that operate across a standard gauge network, with almost 800 stops and measuring almost 190 kilometres (120 mi) in route length and 430 kilometres (270 mi) in line length. Nine of the lines, called Metrotram, operate 24 hours a day and are identified with the letter "M" before their number; the other thirteen lines are regular city tram lines and are identified by just a line number.
Stadtbahn is a German word referring to various types of urban rail transport. One type of transport originated in the 19th century, firstly in Berlin and followed by Vienna, where rail routes were created that could be used independently from other traffic.
Europe has an extensive number of tramway networks. Some of these networks have been upgraded to light rail standards, called Stadtbahn in Germany, premetros in Belgium, sneltram in the Netherlands, trem ligeiro in Portugal and fast trams in some other countries.
Germany has an extensive number of tramway networks. Some of these networks have been upgraded to light rail standards, called Stadtbahn in German. Straßenbahn and Stadtbahn schemes are usually operated on the legal foundation of the BOStrab, the Tramways Act of Germany.
The Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB), literally translated into English as the Leipzig Transport Authority, operates the tramway and bus transport services in Leipzig, Germany. The LVB network is a part of the regional public transport association, the Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund (MDV). The LVB was formed by the merger, from 1 January 1917, of two predecessor undertakings, the Großen Leipziger Straßenbahn and the Leipziger Elektrischen Straßenbahn. The merged undertaking was also known as GLSt until it was reorganized and renamed as the LVB, from 29 July 1938.
Trams make an important contribution to public transport in the city of Zurich in Switzerland. The tram network serves most city neighbourhoods, and is the backbone of public transport within the city, albeit supplemented by the inner sections of the Zurich S-Bahn, along with urban trolleybus and bus routes, as well as two funicular railways, one rack railway and passenger boat lines on the river and on the lake. The trams and other city transport modes operate within a fare regime provided by the cantonal public transport authority Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV), which also covers regional rail and bus services.
Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG (DVB) is the municipal transport company of the city of Dresden in Germany. It is a member of the Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe transport association that manages a common public transport structure for Dresden and its surrounding areas. The DVB operates the Dresden tram network comprising 12 tram lines, with a total line length of approximately 210 kilometres (130.5 mi) and a total route length of 132.7 kilometres (82.5 mi), and 28 bus lines, with a total line length of approximately 306 kilometres (190.1 mi). It is also responsible for two funicular railways and three ferries across the River Elbe.
The Dresden tramway network is a network of tramways forming the backbone of the public transport system in Dresden, a city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany. Opened in 1872, it has been operated since 1993 by Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe (DVB), and is integrated in the Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe (VVO).
The Bremen tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Bremen, Germany. The network is currently operated by Bremer Straßenbahn AG, and integrated in the Verkehrsverbund Bremen/Niedersachsen. As of 2024, the network had eight lines, extending over 114.6 kilometres (71.2 mi) of route. Several sections have been brought to light rail standard, including viaducts, especially on the lines to Osterholz, Arsten and Huchting. These rapid tram lines are also referred to as semi-metro.
The Basel tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Basel, Switzerland, and its agglomeration - it also reaches into adjacent suburbs in Germany and France. The only two other tramway networks to cross an international border are Geneva's and Strasbourg's tramways. The Basel tram system consists of 12 lines. Due to its longevity, it is part of Basel's heritage and, alongside the Basel Minster, is one of the symbols of the city.
Trams in Vienna are a vital part of the public transport system in Vienna, capital city of Austria. In operation since 1865, with the completion of a 2 km (1.2 mi) route to industrial estates near Simmering, it reached its maximum extent of 292 km (181.4 mi) in 1942. In February 2015, it was the fifth largest tram network in the world, at about 176.9 kilometres (109.9 mi) in total length and 1,071 stations.
The Würzburg tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Würzburg, a city in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany.
The Nuremberg tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Nuremberg, a city in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany. The system reached the neighboring city of Fürth from its opening year to almost a century later when construction of the U1 subway line led to the withdrawal of tram service to and within Fürth. During that era and referring to it historically in literature or nostalgic activities, the system was known as “Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn“. For example, a local association dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the tram network as well as old rolling stock calls itself “Freunde der Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn“ The system is planned to cross the municipal boundaries of Nuremberg once more, if and when the extension to Erlangen and from there to Herzogenaurach dubbed "Stadtumlandbahn" opens.
The Zwickau tramway network is a network of tramways forming part of the public transport system in Zwickau, a city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany.
The Naumburg (Saale) tramway is a tramline forming part of the public transport system in Naumburg (Saale), a city in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. At only 2.9 km (1.8 mi) long, it is the smallest urban tramway in Germany, and one of the smallest in Europe.
The Schöneiche bei Berlin tramway is an interurban tramway running from Friedrichshagen S-Bahn station to the towns of Schöneiche bei Berlin and Rüdersdorf, to the east of Berlin.
The Woltersdorf Tramway is a standard gauge tramway, located in Woltersdorf, Brandenburg, near Berlin, Germany. The line is notable for its use of historic vehicles, using 4 wheeled trams, built in the early 1960s. The line was constructed in 1913, to connect Woltersdorf to the Berlin Suburban railways. It is one of the smallest tram operators in Germany, and has not expanded beyond its 1913 route.