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Berlin Straßenbahn - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On 16 May 1881, the region of Berlin again wrote transport
history. In the village of Gross-Lichterfelde, which was
incorporated into Berlin-Steglitz 39 years later, Werner von
Siemens opened the world's first electric tramway. Firstly, the
route was just a testing plant. Siemens named it an "elevated
line taken down from its pillars and girders", because he
wanted to build a network of electric elevated lines in Berlin.
But the sceptical town council did not allow him to do this until
1902, when the first elevated line opened.
Electric motor car of the GBS, built in
1901
The electric tram in Gross-Lichterfelde was built in meter gauge and ran from today's suburban station
East Lichterfelde to the cadet school in the Zehlendorfer Strasse (today Finckensteinallee). One trip cost
more than an average hourly wage. The route was regauged to standard gauge in October 1925.
The new development overran the old horse trams, and so the last horse tram was closed in Berlin in
1910.
Already by 18 December 1899, one was able to travel under ground, even under the Spree river: The
Spreetunnel between Stralau and Treptow was opened by a tram company. Since the tunnel had some
weaknesses, it had to be closed on 15 February 1932. From 1916 to 1951, the tram had a second tunnel,
the Lindentunnel running under the well-known boulevard Unter den Linden.
Great Variety of Companies until the formation of the BVG
The history of tramway companies of the Berlin Strassenbahn
is very complicated. Besides private companies which often
changed due to takeovers, mergers, and bankruptcies, the cities
of Berlin, Spandau, Köpenick, Rixdorf, the villages Steglitz,
Mariendorf, Britz, Niederschönhausen, Friedrichshagen,
Heiligensee und Französisch Buchholz, and the Kreis Teltow
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