The history of the Riga tram dates back to 1901 – then, instead of the usual horse-drawn tram, citizens saw self-propelled carriages on the streets. One of the favorite subjects of old postcards is a tram going along Smilš. This is the only street in the Old Town where a tram once ran.
The first Riga tram line opened on July 11, 1901, and five more were added in the fall. The route to the Old Town began at the Exchange and passed along Smilshu Street, Basteya, Teatralny, Kr. Baron and ended with Bruninieka. In 1904 it was extended to Revelskaya - present-day Tallinn.
The lines had no numbers. Routes were recognized by tablets with their names, as well as by multi-colored shields. Each route had its own colors - red, green, yellow, white. With the addition of new lines, two-color shields appeared. In the first years, a tram with a red shield ran to Smilsha, later - with a green and white one. In the evening, multi-colored lanterns were switched on on the trams. Again, each route has its own color. Old-timers said that even after World War II, when the routes had numbers, multi-colored night lanterns were preserved. Traditions were then treated with reverence.
There was only one track to Smilsha, so the tram could not “loop” at the terminus at Birzha. The driver simply moved to the other end of the car. And so-called motor carriages plied along Smilsh. Each was designed for 36 passengers - 20 seats, 16 standing.
The driver was taxiing, standing on an open platform. The tram was controlled by two brakes - manual and pneumatic. No protective glass, no separate cabin. Passengers got out past the driver. In winter, the “helmsman” had to sprinkle sand on the rails. He did this through a special device, which was next to the hand brake.
Why was Smilsu the only street in the Old Town where the tram turned? There was the Exchange - the most business public establishment distant years. On the current Dome Square there was also an editorial office of a popular German newspaper Duna-Zeitung, and on the other side of Smilshu is the Rossiya insurance company. The building, built according to the design of the St. Petersburg architect N. Proskurnin, on Smilsha, 1/3, has survived to this day.
The number of tram lines is growing, the length of routes is increasing. In 1907, their total length was 38 kilometers, in 1914 - 50. New factories and factories grew on the outskirts, and new routes were laid there. In Milgravis, on Sarkandaugava, in Ilguciems, Moscow suburb. A special tariff for workers is also being introduced - 2 kopecks. For comparison: the usual fare was up to 10.5 kopecks.
On the eve of the First World War, the capital of Livonia had one of the most impressive tram parks in the Russian country - 150 motor cars and 130 trailers. Do you know why? Because we didn't order then public transport in Turkey, Hungary or the Czech Republic, and almost all of Russia ordered it from us. Electric trams were manufactured at Russo-Balt in Riga, and the motors for them were manufactured at the Union plant, in the buildings of which VEF was located in Soviet times.
Publishers added the words “Greetings from Riga” to many old postcards with a picture of a tram. This really was once our landmark.
In independent Latvia, at first, tram traffic was in private hands. Only in 1932 “inner-city railways“, as they wrote about tram lines in reference books, came under the jurisdiction of the Duma. In the mid-1930s, a ring line was built around Old Riga. Sleeves stretched from it in different directions - 13 routes. The 2nd, for example, went along Brivibas, Miera and ended at the water tower in Čiekurkalns, the 11th, as today, at Mezaparks, the 3rd ran along Marijas, Stabu, Avot and Pernavas. In the 1930s, tram tracks also ran next to the Presidential Castle - from the embankment side.
The carriages then were much smaller than today. Sometimes passengers were transported by motor vehicle, without a trailer. A witness from that time, Riga resident Erika Pilsetniece, said that the driver was sitting behind the engine, on an uncomfortable folding bench. A small window protected him from the wind and rain. The window, bench, and the handle driving the motor were portable. At the final station, along with this simple belongings, the driver moved to the opposite end of the car, where the electric motor was also located. And the carriage was already moving backwards.
The conductor sold the tickets. During stops, he also signaled to the driver that the trip could continue. The interior was equipped with special leather belts that stretched towards the driver and ended with a bell. These mechanisms were controlled by the “salon owners.” They, of course, also fought with “hares.” True, according to Erica, the last ones then were only “bad boys.” Adults considered it beneath their dignity not to take a ticket. Trailer cars often had open platforms, so the “bunnies” had to show miracles of dexterity - jumping up and jumping out of the tram while moving, before stopping. However, if a stowaway caught the eye of a peace officer patrolling at an intersection, he was guaranteed to get into serious trouble...
In the pictures: a tram from the early 20th century. Trams on Brivibas in the late 1920s. Conductors in the 1930s. Trams near the Presidential Castle. The first trams ran along Smilsu Street.Postcards from the author's collection.
Historically, the main urban transport in Riga was the tram, with trolleybuses serving secondary routes. The Riga tram is more than 100 years old; in 1882, 3 lines of the city horse tram were opened in Riga. In the summer of 1901, the first electric tram went on the route “City - Alexander Gate”. By the beginning of the First World War, the length of the tram lines was 49 km; by the end of the Second World War, the tram service in Riga was completely destroyed.
ABOUT long history Riga tram resembles a summer one excursion route. Riga retro tram runs through Old city to Mezaparks. The fare is 3 lats. The route is an excursion, it introduces the history of Art Nouveau architectural objects and Riga sights. Tram passengers are provided with booklets with information about the routes of the retro tram in Latvian, Russian, English and German.
Among the hundreds of cities in the post-Soviet space where tram service was launched, Riga and Daugavpils retained rods rather than pantographs as current collectors. In Riga there is another complexity in the arrangement of tram lines: the arrows move two “feathers” of the rail, in addition it is necessary to switch the contact wire. New Skoda trams Czech production equipped with lightweight pantographs, the re-equipment of the electric transport network is slow, but progressing.
The famous tram of the Riga Carriage Works was removed from routes in Riga. The RVZ-6 tram is excluded from the rolling stock of the Riga tram fleet. The model on which they experimented with a low-voltage rheostatic-contactor control system, a lightweight body and rubberized wheels, bridge-type bogies with a magnetic rail brake, was replaced by Czech cars.
Old trams in Riga are represented by Tatra T3A models.
"Tatra" T3M and T6B5.
In 2010, the first low-floor Skoda 15T Riga trams hit the streets in Riga and began running on route No. 6 from Radio Street to Jugla. The silent modern tram fits colorfully into the streets of old Riga; its length is 41 meters and does not bother citizens; its capacity is colossal: up to 432 people. The second route with new cars was No. 11.
Conductors began working on Riga trams in 1975. In 2009, conductors were replaced by modern electronic ticket vending machines and special reading devices. The cost of travel in Riga on public transport is 50 centimes. In Latvia it is difficult to pay for car parking; machines only accept coins in lats and centimes. You can pay for travel on Riga trams with a plastic card.
Interior of the Skoda 15T Riga carriage.
Fines for traveling without a ticket in Riga are high, as throughout Europe, ranging from 30 lats, which is more than 1,500 rubles.
An example of how Riga inspectors check a bus. At the stop, all the doors open, people in vests with badges come in, and the doors close. A few minutes later, the bus moves on, leaving controllers and free riders at the stop.
There are 9 tram routes in Riga. There are more than 250 cars in the tram depots, several dozen are mothballed.
Trams in Riga do not operate around the clock like in Prague, but tourists are given enough time to walk around. The first trams leave the routes at 5 am and return to the park after midnight.
We can safely say that the Riga tram has a future. Major repairs of tracks, reconstruction of overhead power lines and renewal of rolling stock are planned for the next decade.
A horse-drawn tram appeared in the city back in 1882, one of the first in the Russian Empire.
The electrification of horsecars and, accordingly, the appearance of trams dates back to 1901.
The length of tram lines is about 90 km (33rd place in the world):
The liquidation of tram lines in Riga during Soviet times was on a relatively small scale; lines were often not closed, but moved to parallel streets. Despite this, the tram was forced out of the main transport corridors. However, the tram network is nevertheless present in all main areas of the city (except the east and the extreme southwest).
Passenger traffic - about 100 thousand people per day:
The tram is no longer the main urban transport, lagging slightly behind the trolleybus in terms of traffic volumes and significantly behind the trolleybus. However, in most major transport corridors, the tram is the main mode of transport (since the tram is the main transport in the area of the main transport hub Riga, near the old town, railway station, bus station and central market).
The basis of the rolling stock is Tatra T3A cars:
There are also a large number of Tatra T6B5 cars:
A feature of all Riga Tatras is their use of a barbell instead of a pantograph.
But the most important thing is the presence in Riga of modern European Skoda 15T cars:
Skodas, unlike the Tatras, use semi-pantographs.
Riga is the first and so far the only city in the former USSR where a significant volume of traffic is carried out by modern European rolling stock.
In general, the Riga tram system is one of the most modern and developed in the post-Soviet space, which is expressed not only in new rolling stock, but also in the condition of the tracks and the place of the tram in urban transport policy. There are plans for the development of the tram network, which may well be realized given current trends.
Something like this.
Public transport in Latvia turned out to be quite suitable for comfortable movement around the city. In this post I will tell and show the updated Škoda trams in Riga, and the features of paying for public transport.
1. First, let's go over the buses and trolleybuses. I need to make a separate post about them, but that will happen next time. Let's see what they look like for now.
2. Bus.
3. Trolleybus.
4. Yellow bus.
5. By the way, taxis have a radio and Wi-Fi. Payment by meter.
6. But let's return to the tram. All trams, like all public transport in Latvia, run on schedule. That is, at stops there are boards with a schedule of the exact time of arrival of route transport. You can calculate your arrival time down to the minute.
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8. This time we didn’t have time to ride a retro tram, but next time we won’t miss this opportunity. His schedule is on the bottom plate. This is the real one vintage tram that walked a hundred years ago.
9. Not long ago, the tram fleet in Riga was updated and now excellent, comfortable low-floor Skoda trams run on some routes. They fit well into the appearance of the city.
10. Trams are good in absolutely everything, for starters, from an aesthetic point of view. Modern shapes, lots of glazing, low-floor passenger boarding system, boarding system for low-transport passengers (wheelchair users), etc. Even advertising on them looks quite normal.
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12. The trams have an air conditioning system, so at stops the doors do not swing open like in older models. They need to be opened with the lightest press of the button.
13. Exit in the same way by pressing the button.
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15. Trams run very smoothly. The inside is light and dry, not noisy and clean.
16. Every detail of the interior is pleasant.
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19. The walls and glazing are not vandalized with advertising leaflets. There is a special place for advertising, such as in high-speed trams.
20. The rules for using public transport are indicated.
21. There is a special information board consisting of three monitors, which displays helpful information: city map, tram location, stop and something else.
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23. Good glazing.
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25. Specially equipped places for people with disabilities.
26. The white box is a mechanized “ladder” for lifting wheelchair users into the cabin.
27. As for payment. In Riga, E-coupons and an electronic billing system are in use. This is similar to Moscow travel cards. Passengers independently validate their coupons.
28. It took me only five minutes to study the entire replenishment system. I have never seen such a convenient and understandable interface in Russia. For example, if you have not purchased an E-ticket, you can buy a ticket directly on board. For this purpose, there is an automatic machine in the head car of the tram.
29. It accepts cash (bills and coins) and plastic cards.
30. The screen is touch-sensitive and the information is duplicated in three more languages besides Latvian: Russian, German and English.
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33. We paid in cash. The fare costs 50 centimes (30 rubles)
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35. Change is also provided with tickets.
36. Now attention! What amazed me. Vending machines give out FREE tickets! Yes exactly. In the menu you can select " Free ticket" (lowest "button"), which we did as an experiment (of course, we paid for our travel).
UPD: They told me that this is not a completely free ride, but a ticket for beneficiaries:
..."disabled people of the 1st and 2nd groups, disabled people under the age of 18 and a person accompanying a disabled person of the 1st group or a disabled person under the age of 18 can also receive a FREE TICKET from the driver without using a personalized e-ticket (the driver must present a valid disabled person's license)"...
https://www.rigassatiksme.lv/ru/bilety-i-e-talon/vidy-e-talonov/
Can you imagine the city government taking the same care of you? So that the interests of homeless citizens and those who are unable to this moment pay for your trip?
IN general Riga I was pleasantly surprised again.
37. A little more about paying for travel. If you permanently or primarily live in Riga, then it is still better to purchase an E-ticket, since in this case you can save a little on travel, although I can’t say exactly how much, you need to try it yourself. But after getting off the tram, I specifically studied one of the machines that are located at almost every stop.
38. The interface is standard, the same as in the tram interior, but with a more expanded selection of trips and transport.
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For reference: 1 lat equals 60 rubles. That is, the price of travel on public transport in Riga is equal to its comfort. For example, in Saratov, public transport is comparable in quality to public toilets (that is, I’d rather wait until I get home or walk around the city), but the price is two times cheaper. Although, of course, the terrible quality of service in the field of passenger transportation is not dictated by price alone, but still, for example, I would agree with increasing the fare price (up to 30 or more rubles) if the city authorities were able to provide citizens with similar quality (this is the responsibility of the authorities and the city administration, if anyone doesn’t know).
43. I hope this information turned out to be informative and will be useful for all tourists who want to visit such a wonderful city of Riga. Thank you for your attention.
From May 1 to October 1, a retro tram will again run through the streets of Riga
The Riga retro tram was completely rebuilt according to old drawings and photographs in 1982.
The tram has 18 seats and 10 standing places.
The electric tram service in Riga was opened in 1901, at the same time the use of horse-drawn trams stopped...
On the eve of the First World War, the capital of Livonia had one of the most impressive tram fleets in the Russian Empire - 150 motor cars and 130 trailers.
Electric trams were manufactured at Russo-Balt in Riga, and the motors for them were manufactured at the Union plant, in the buildings of which VEF was located in Soviet times.
Tram drivers and conductors in uniforms. Riga beginning XX century.
Monument to Peter the Great. Opened in Riga in July 1910 in honor of the 200th anniversary of the annexation of Livonia to Russia.
Emperor Nicholas II attended the opening ceremony. The monument was evacuated in 1915. The empty pedestal stood until 1931.
Soon, in 1935, the Freedom Monument was opened at the same place.
Electric tram at Agenskalns market. Riga beginning XX century.
Rail welding. 1911
Dvinsky railway station. Riga beginning XX century.
