(Germany )OBERHAUSEN

Images kindly supplied by VRR. (Thanks)
approaching tram stop	curve section	Hauptbahnhof stop

Oberhausen
In Oberhausen a modern tramway network opened in 1996, thanks to the local municipality decision to restore this system after its dismission in 1968, in favour of bus lines. This decision was one of the consequencies of the massive changements in the local economy (decline of the heavy industries and growt of the tertiary, that affected about 40.000 employees in 20 years), which revitalized the city center (the "Neu Mitte").
The local economy had an acceleration in its growt thanks to the opening of CentrO. (one of the biggest shopping and amusement centers in Europe).
One of the needs was to armonize the local bus lines with the restored tramway, in order to assure an efficient link between suburbs and city center (where the tertiary is mostly located).
The new transport network combines buses (standards and "oversize", up to 24 m long with 130 passengers carried) and modern low floor trams (they often share parts of track) mostly on reserved lanes.
The whole system ridership growt rised at 30 million pax/year), thanks to the high efficiency (remarkable reliability and very high headway peaks; in the "Neu Mitte" the maximum frequency is 86'').
VRR (official site)

CHRONOLOGY
1996	Hauptbahnhof-Sterkrade Bahnhof
2004	Sterkrade Bahnhof-Neumarkt

Country	Germany
Line	--
Inhabitants	City 220.000
Date opening	1996
Future development:	--
Length (km)	9
Track sections	70% in reserved lanes (sections in track sharing with buses)
Stops	--
Platforms	heigth 35 cm
Platform doors	--
General characteristics	--
n. of vehicles	6
n. of cars per vehicle	3
Type	steel wheels
Vehicle dimensions (m)	length 28.8, width 2.30
Vehicle capacity (pax)	180 (80 seated)
Frequency	--
Current/Voltage	600 V DC overhead
Type of guide/gauge	metric gauge rails (1000 mm)
Speed Km/h	--
Accel./Decel. (m/sec2)	--
System capacity	--
Ridership	--
Total cost	27.5 M$/km
Staff	--
System builder	SIEMENS
Model	MGT6D
NOTE	Duewag system (now Siemens)