History of trams in Leipzig

operates one of Germany's largest tramway networks. The tramway network history is presented below in tabular form, including opening, electrification, and closing dates by segment. Street names of the time are used in the tables, with current names in.

Network development

Leipziger Pferde-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft (LPE, 'Leipzig Horse Railway Company')

On 20 April 1871, the Leipzig local authority granted to Count Gabriel Diodati and Geneva banker Adolph Schaeck a concession for construction of horse tramway lines. Construction was started in February 1872. On 24 May 1872, six days following the opening of the initial segment, the company, its property and concession was taken over by the Leipzig Tramways Company Ltd., organized in London by the British engineer Hutton Vignoles. The undertaking continued to use the LPE title in the German Empire. The LPE was taken over on 1 January 1896 by the Großen Leipziger Straßenbahn undertaking.

The first phase of construction (1872–1873)

Date	Type of Change	Segment
18 May 1872	Opened	Zentrumsring: Roßplatz – Augustusplatz – Georgiring – Bahnhöfe – Blücherplatz – Fleischerplatz – Obstmarkt – Königsplatz – Roßplatz
	Opened	Augustusplatz, Mittelfahrbahn – Johannisplatz – Dresdner Straße – de:Reudnitz, Depot
	Opened	Königsplatz – Peterssteinweg – Südplatz – Kochstraße – :de:Connewitz, Kreuz – Connewitz, Eiskeller
4 June 1872	Opened	Obstmarkt – Weststraße – Plagwitzer Straße – de:Plagwitz, "Felsenkeller"
22 September 1872	Opened	"Felsenkeller" – Zschochersche Straße – Plagwitz, "Drei Linden"
1 December 1872	Changed to service track	Augustusplatz – Bahnhöfe – Schulplatz – Obstmarkt/Weststraße
19 December 1872	Reopened	Augustusplatz – Bahnhöfe – Blücherplatz
	Opened	Blücherplatz – Blücherstraße – Chausseehaus – Eutritzsch, Markt – Gräfestraße – Eutritzsch, Gasthof "Zum Helm"
20 January 1873	Opened	Yorckplatz – Gohliser Straße – Menckestraße – Möckernsche Straße – de:Gohlis, "Weintraube"

The second phase of construction (1881–1891)

After the new transport system had worked satisfactorily and enjoyed increasing popularity with Leipzig citizens, the company planned extensions to link surrounding districts of Leipzig with the tramway network.

Date	Type of Change	Segment
1881	Opened	Südplatz – Connewitzer Chaussee – Connewitz, Kreuz
	Closed	Südplatz – Kochstraße – Connewitz, Kreuz
24 December 1881	Opened	Frankfurter/Leibnizstraße – Waldplatz – Angerbrücke – Kuhturmstraße / Dreilindenstraße - Lindenauer Markt - Odermannstraße - Lützner Straße - Endersstraße - Guts-Muths-Straße / Merseburger Straße - Plagwitz, Depot
1 April 1882	Opened	Brühl/Katharinenstraße - Schulplatz - Frankfurter/Leibnizstraße
18 June 1882	Opened	Augustusplatz, Mittelfahrbahn - Goethestraße - Brühl – Brühl/Katharinenstraße
22 July 1882	Opened	Plagwitz, "Felsenkeller" – Albertstraße – Plagwitz, Depot
	Changed to service track	Plagwitz, "Felsenkeller" – Plagwitz, "Drei Linden"
22 August 1882	Opened	Bahnhöfe – Goethestraße/Brühl
	Opened	Augustusplatz/Goethestraße – Schillerstraße – Peterstor
24 October 1882	New alignment	Change at Augustusplatz, Mittelfahrbahn terminal from four to two tracks
22 December 1882	Opened	Georgiring/Wintergartenstraße – Wintergartenstraße – Eisenbahn-/Kirchstraße
25 July 1883	Opened	Gohlis, "Weintraube" – Möckernsche Straße – Gohlis, Depot
	Opened	Peterstor – Königsplatz
7 September 1883	Opened	Roßplatz – Kurprinzstraße – Windmühlenstraße – Bayrischer Bahnhof
18 May 1884	Opened	Johannisplatz – Ostplatz
22 June 1884	Opened	Obstmarkt/Harkortstraße – Harkortstraße – Spießbrücke
13 July 1884	Opened	Spießbrücke – Pestalozzistraße – Festplatz Scheibenholz
18 July 1884	Reopened	Centralhalle Dittrichring – Obstmarkt/Weststraße
1 August 1884	Changed to service track	Spießbrücke – Festplatz
16 September 1884	Reopened	Fleischerplatz – Centralhalle Dittrichring
1885	Reopened	Blücherplatz – Fleischerplatz
?? Dec 1885	Opened	Ostplatz – Mühlstraße – Thonberg, Cecilienstraße
1886	Opened	Eutritzsch, Gasthof "Zum Helm" – Gräfestraße – Eutritzsch, Depot
14 May 1887	Opened	Eisenbahn-/Kirchstraße – Eisenbahnstraße – Torgauer Platz
1887	Opened	Reudnitz, Depot – Breite/Engelsdorfer Straße
19 August 1888	Opened	Breite/Engelsdorfer Straße – Anger-Crottendorf, "Albertgarten"
28 October 1889	Opened	Wiesenstraße – Promenadenstraße – Fleischerplatz
	Opened	Bayrischer Bahnhof – Bayrische Straße – Kantstraße – Schlachthof
	Opened	Spießbrücke – Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße – Kaiser-Wilhelm-/Kronprinzstraße
5 May 1890	Opened	Fleischerplatz – Pfaffendorfer Straße – Nordplatz
	New alignment	Straight-line route via the Nordplatz in the course of the Michaelis- und Gohliser Straße on this day by the existing bypass
8 September 1890	Opened	Thonberg, Hospital-/Mühlstraße – Reitzenhainer Straße – Friedhofsweg
	Changed to service track	Segment in the Mühlstraße
13 June 1891	Opened	Chausseehaus – Hallische Straße – Möckern, Kernstraße

Leipziger Elektrische Straßenbahn (LESt, 'Leipzig Electric Tramway Company')

The second tramway undertaking in Leipzig, the LESt, was founded on 3 April 1893 and entered into the municipal Trade Register on 7 May 1895. The electrical-equipment manufacturer AEG served as the principal financial backer of the new undertaking. Because LESt cars were painted red, the company was known colloquially as the Rote. The competing tramway enterprise operated blue cars, and was known as the Blaue. The concession for construction and operation of electric tramways was granted to LESt on 28 February 1895. Construction began after a short planning period on 11 June 1895. Because of the regulation limiting the length of each LESt segment in the same road as competing lines to just 400 meters, the company built a substantial length of lines in parallel roads and unreasonable workings in nearby side streets, which remain today

Development of the Concession Network (1896–1898)

Date	Type of Change	Segment
20 May 1896	Opened	Mockau, Kirche – Berliner Straße – Nordstraße / Gerberstraße - Katharinenstrasse / Reichsstraße - Neumarkt - Königsplatz - Brüderstraße
	Opened	de:Schönefeld, Löbauer Straße - Volbedingstraße - Berliner/Volbedingstraße
2 June 1896	Opened	Brüderstraße - Nürnberger Straße – Bayrischer Bahnhof
3 June 1896	Opened	Königsplatz – Wächterstraße – Grassistraße – Beethovenstraße – Marschnerstraße – S.-Bach-Straße – Klingerbrücke – Könneritzstraße – :de:Schleußig, Oeserstraße
5 June 1896	Opened	Gohlis, Platnerstraße – Rosental – Waldplatz – Elsterstraße – Zentralstraße – Thomaskirche – Markt – Augustusplatz – Poststraße – Querstraße – Schützenstraße – Karlstraße – Marienplatz
22 June 1896	Opened	Schleußig, Oeserstraße – Antonienstraße – "Adler" – Hauptstraße – Großzschocher, Huttenstraße
30 October 1896	Opened	Quer-/Poststraße – Johannisplatz – Nürnberger Straße – Nürnberger/Brüderstraße
	Opened	Bayrischer Bahnhof – Albertstraße – Mozartstraße – Grassi-/Beethovenstraße
5 August 1897	Opened	Albert-/Elisenstraße – Elisenstraße – Elisen-/Arndtstraße
20 October 1897	Opened	Marienplatz – Ranftsche Gasse – Kohlgartenstraße – Bergstraße – Kirchplatz
14 November 1897?	Opened	Kirchplatz – Kirchstraße – Schönefelder Brücke
8 December 1897	Opened	Johannisplatz – Täubchenweg – Riebeckstraße – Stötteritzer Straße – :de:Stötteritz, Hofer Straße/Stadtgrenze
21 December 1897	Opened	Lindenthaler/Hallische Straße – Eisenacher Straße / Wahrener Straße - Gohlis, Platnerstraße
15 May 1898	Opened	Stötteritz, Stadtgrenze - Wasserturmstraße - Weißestraße - Arnoldstraße - Holzhäuser Straße - Stötteritz, Depot
23 July 1898	Opened	Kirchplatz – Kirchstraße – Wurzner Straße – Wurzner/Plaußiger Straße
20 August 1898	Opened	Stannebeinplatz – Schönefeld, Löbauer Straße
	Opened	Berliner/Apelstraße – Wittenberger/Heinickestraße
30 August 1898	Opened	Bayrischer Bahnhof – Windmühlenweg – Johannisallee – Ostplatz – Oststraße / Stötteritzer Straße - Riebeckstraße
	Opened	Stötteritzer/Schönbachstraße - Schönbach-/Reitzenhainer Straße
1898	Opened	Wittenberger/Heinickestraße - Eutritzsch, Markt - Delitzscher Straße/Alte Dübener Landstraße
14 November 1898	Opened	Gohlis, Kasernen – Landsberger Straße – Lindenthaler/Hallische Straße