- New routing of tramlines around the inner ring road
ON TRACK TOWARD SERVICE SUCCESS
The new Ring lines: Optimum connections and shorter waiting times
The former Ring lines used to be interrupted by two extended waiting periods for operational reasons. Passengers who wanted to travel beyond the Schottenring and Stubentor stations were obliged to tolerate these breaks.
Therefore, Wiener Linien took a closer look at tram traffic flow patterns on the Ring at the behest of an initiative put forward by the Passenger Advisory Board under the auspices of Professor Hermann Knoflacher. Following a comprehensive analysis, these were reorganised.
The concept is based on the idea of interconnecting tramlines which previously led from one part of the city into the centre. On the one hand, this was intended to make it possible to travel through the city more quickly without having to change, while, on the other, the intention was to provide better connections to the underground network.
Wiener Linien transport planners studied every line which was suited to providing a connection through the city via the Ring. It wasn’t long before room for improvement was identified, particularly in terms of the former lines 1, 2, 65, J and N.
The first phase: Beginning 26 October 2008
On 26 October, the first round of changes came into effect with lines which now make it possible to traverse the city with fewer changes and to reach underground lines even more quickly and conveniently thanks to more direct connections. Many parts of Vienna have now been directly connected to the city centre by the new Ring lines, while at the same time enjoying a higher level of interconnectivity themselves.
In addition to this, traffic light patterns along the Ring itself were altered to considerably shorten passenger waiting times, and thus journey times, at junctions. The intervals were retained.
Initial results: A resounding success
After the first week of operations, some minor adjustments were made to the intervals, vehicles used, traffic light patterns and transport organisation, which made it possible to further improve the reliability of the two new lines.
Initial evaluations using electronic passenger counters, along with observations, served to confirm what had been forecast – passenger numbers were higher than on the comparable former lines. The original objective had thus been achieved.
The Austrian Institute for Regional Studies and Spatial Planning (ÖIR) had forecast around 700,000 additional passengers on the new transit lines.
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