Siemens Combino 2111

Location: Dam Square, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Operator of Vehicle: Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf (GVB)
Date of Photo: May 31, 2016

In August, the city of Amsterdam celebrated 125 years of operating its tram system by wrapping one of its Siemens Combino trams (like the one seen here) in five liveries previously used by GVB.  For the last quarter of the 19th century, the trams were horse drawn, but some of the routes in use today still follow the routes of the original horse drawn trams.  Electric trams were introduced in 1900 and have remained in service continuously since then.  As the city grew, so did the tram network.  Although there was a period in the 1950s when many lines were replaced by buses, trams made a revival not long afterwards due to their utility in the center of the city where buses could not serve the narrow streets.  The system has been expanded further since its revival and its future is undoubtedly secure.  

Amsterdam also has a tram museum called the Electrische Museumtramlijn Amsterdam (EMA) that just celebrated its 50th anniversary by operating several of the trams in the museum fleet in service on Line 16 at the end of last month.

For more photos of Amsterdam’s Siemens Combino trams, please click here.