Trams in Zagreb
The Zagreb tram network, run by the Zagreb Electric Tram, consists of 15 day and 4 night lines in Zagreb, Croatia. Trams operate on of metre gauge route. During the day, every line runs on average every 5–10 minutes, and almost every station serves at least two routes. Nighttime lines have exact timetables averaging at about every 40 minutes. The first horsecar tram line was opened in 1891, and the first electric one in 1910.
History
At the end of the 19th century, rapid urbanisation took place in Zagreb. As many European cities already had a tram network, Zagreb city officials started discussing the idea of installing a horsecar system as well. Zagreb newspaper Bič satirically wrote in 1885 “Trams have been introduced, but, of course, in Vienna, Graz and Budapest.” The construction of the tracks began in 1889. Trams should have been put in service on 15 August 1891, on the opening day of the Jubilee Economic-Forestry Exhibition. Due to vehicle delivery delay, however, the tram was instead put in service on 5 September 1891, with a ticket costing 6 Hellers. That day was officially taken as the beginning of an organised public transit system in Zagreb. Initially, there were 16 horse-drawn trams on the streets - 10 closed and 6 open-air units. These were made by the Graz factory, owned by the austrian businessman Johann Weitzer. In 1910, by the time the horse-drawn trams started being phased out because of the electrification of the network, the rolling stock had risen up to 17 closed and 15 open-air units. The system was built on a 760 mm gauge, and the track length was approximately. What is now the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum was previously the location of the first tram depot in Zagreb, opened in 1891 on Savska street. The first tram tracks spanned from Eugen Kvaternik Square to Mandaličina Street, branching off to West Railway Station and Sava Bridge. In the first year of operation, the network transported more than a million people, despite Zagreb having a population of only around 40,000.The first electric tram track was opened on 18 August 1910. The gauge was kept to 1000 mm and the network voltage was 550 V at first, but later changed to 600 V. The horse-drawn trams were kept for another year until a tram electric network was finished, after which they were moved to Velika Gorica where they remained in use until 1937. 28 electric T-50 trams replaced the old fleet, produced by Ganz in Hungary. In 1911, an additional 7 T-70 trams were delivered, featuring a stronger engine and better brakes. The belgian company Compagnie Mutuelle de Tramways was commissioned to maintain and invest in the tram infrastructure. In 1916, because of a lack of investment caused by the World War I, the service worsened, prompting the City Savings Bank to buy the majority of the shares of Zagreb Electric Tram, the transit authority in Zagreb, placing it in the hands of the city. The first trams built in Zagreb by ZET were the M-22 trams, designed by Dragutin Mandl. These trams entered production in 1922 and featured a wooden frame, characterized by a strong construction and a powerful engine. In 1923, the trams changed their colour from yellow, orange and red to the signature blue, which would later become the default for public transport in the city. Soon in 1924, the M-24 started production, an upgraded version with a steel frame. In the 40s and 50s, they were converted from double-end to single-end, and were put out of service in 1977, replaced by the Tatra T4YU trams. Trams used to drive on the left side of the road until 1926, when traffic was reorganised and driving switched to the right side. The tram depot on Savska Street was in use until 1936, when a new and bigger tram depot was built more westward in Ljubljanica.
In the following years, the tram network expanded, even during World War II, under the leadership of Dragutin Mandl. The first units built after the war were the two-axle TMK 101 trams, a big upgrade from the M-24 trams. Also designed by Mandl, the first three prototype units were built by ZET workshops in 1951, but after it was concluded that ZET did not have the capacity to build that many trams, the work was given to the Đuro Đaković factory. Another 68 units with 110 matching trailers were built by 1965. A few of them were replaced by the GT6 series, but they were in regular use until the TMK 2200 series came in 2005, and were later retired in 2008. In the aftermath of the 1954 accident, where 19 people were killed after the brakes failed at a dangerously steep section of Mirogoj Street, tram service was suspended and later removed. Built from 1973 to 1975 by Đuro Đaković, TMK 201 trams were the successors of TMK 101 trams, being similarly designed, but technically significantly different. ZET used to have a total of 30 units with 32 trailers, but half were scrapped and their bases were reused in the production of TMK 2100 trams in the 90s. They were in use until 2025, being replaced by TMK 2400 trams.
The first trams crossed the Sava river in 1979, when Sopot, in the Novi Zagreb district, was connected with Držićeva Street by the Youth Bridge. From 1976 to 1983, 95 Tatra T4YU units with corresponding B4YU trailers were manufactured for Zagreb by ČKD. The T4YU units are a type of the T4 series made for Yugoslavia, and have the same equipment as T4D units, which were used in Germany. They were nicknamed "Čeh", meaning "a Czech". From 1985 to 1986, Zagreb ordered and received 51 articulated Tatra KT4YU trams, a type of the KT4 series and an upgrade from the T4 series, which were nicknamed "Katica". As the population grew and the number of vehicles increased, in 1980, a new tram depot was built in Dubrava, in the east part of the city. Ljubljanica and Dubrava depots are still in use today. After the Croatian War of Independence, from 1994 to 1998, ZET bought and received 35 used Duewag GT6 trams from Mannheim, Germany. They were brought as a temporary solution, as the lack of funds prevented the buying of new vehicles. They didn't last long on the streets and were eventually replaced by the new TMK 2200 trams and scrapped. In 1994, Končar built the TMK 2101 tram, a prototype of the TMK 2100, which was later produced from 1997 to 2003. A total of 16 units were built, including the prototype. Those were the first trams produced again in Croatia after the TMK 201 series. The last tracks were opened in 2000, to Dubec and Prečko districts.
In 2003, ZET ordered 70 new, modern low-floor TMK 2200 trams from Crotram, a consortium led by Končar. In May 2005, the first prototype was delivered. It features air-conditioning, cameras inside and outside, and a maximum speed of. The last tram of the original order was delivered on 28 May 2007, and on 7 June, Zagreb organised a tram parade where all 70 TMK 2200 trams drove through the streets of Zagreb, to celebrate a new generation of low-floor trams. In July 2007, a contract for an additional 70 TMK 2200 vehicles was signed, which would have a redesigned seat layout allowing wider passages and additional handrails on the ceiling. The 140th unit entered service on 30 June 2010, featuring a redesigned seat layout allowing wider passages, and additional handrails on the ceiling. In 2009 and 2010, ZET received 2 TMK 2300 trams, shorter versions of the TMK 2200s. They operate on less busy and nighttime lines.
In spring of 2023, the city initiated an international public tender for the purchase of 11 second-hand trams worth €2.7 million, to which Stadtwerke Augsburg responded by offering 11 Adtranz GT6M trams. ZET received the first unit on 1 December, and after testing, the tram went into service on 27 December. In 2023 and 2024, ZET signed two contracts with Končar to buy a total of 40 new TMK 2400 trams, an upgraded version of the TMK 2300 model, worth around €80 million. The first unit entered service on 10 March 2025.
Network
In 2024, ZET trams transported 121.83 million people, almost 333,773 every day. The majority of stations serve multiple tram lines. Trams are more frequent on work days, especially during rush hour, and the least frequent on Sunday. Daytime lines come every 5–15 minutes on average.Daytime lines
| Line | From | Via | To | Depot | Notes |
| 1 | West railway station | Ban Jelačić Square | Borongaj | Trešnjevka | Does not operate on weekends and public holidays |
| 2 | Črnomerec | Jukić Street, Central Railway Station, Zagreb Bus Terminal | Savišće | Trešnjevka | |
| 3 | Ljubljanica | City of Vukovar Street | Savišće | Trešnjevka | Does not operate on weekends and public holidays |
| 4 | Sava bridge | Central railway station, Maksimir Park | Dubec | Dubrava | |
| 5 | Prečko | City of Vukovar Street, Bus Terminal | Maksimir Park | Trešnjevka | |
| 6 | Črnomerec | Ban Jelačić Square, Central Railway Station, Bus terminal | Sopot | Dubrava | |
| 7 | Sava Bridge | Zagreb Fair, Bus terminal | Dubrava | Dubrava | |
| 8 | Zapruđe | Bus terminal | Mihaljevac | Dubrava | Does not operate on weekends and public holidays |
| 9 | Ljubljanica | Central Railway Station | Borongaj | Trešnjevka | |
| 11 | Črnomerec | Ban Jelačić Square, Maksimir Park | Dubec | Trešnjevka / Dubrava | |
| 12 | Ljubljanica | Ban Jelačić Square | Dubrava | Trešnjevka | |
| 13 | Žitnjak | City of Vukovar Street, Ban Jelačić Square, Central Railway Station | Eugen Kvaternik Square | Dubrava | |
| 14 | Mihaljevac | Ban Jelačić Square, Savska Road, Zagreb Fair | Zapruđe | Dubrava | |
| 15 | Mihaljevac | Gračani | Gračansko Dolje | Dubrava | |
| 17 | Prečko | Savska Road , Ban Jelačić Square | Borongaj | Trešnjevka |
Line 15 is a specific exception: the line is closer to a light rail line than an actual tram line. It runs for approximately from Mihaljevac to Dolje. The line runs on a completely segregated right of way. A special type of catenary was developed for the line, which allows trams to reach speeds of. Thus, the line from Mihaljevac to Dolje is the fastest and the shortest line in the entire tram network. It was opened in the 1950.