Short history of the tram

The intention to introduce public means of transportation in Sibiu dates as early as 1893, when official discussions were started for this purpose.

In 1904, a number of four wheeled electrical haulage omnibuses without rails, were introduced in circulation. The first rectifying station was built nearby the Railway Station.

Following the experience with the omnibuses which skidded in rainy weather and traveled with difficulty, the first tram line was built in 1905 by a company in Budapest.

Here are the stages of the construction of the tram line in Sibiu:

  • Subarini Park - Marginea Dumbravii in 1910.
  • Railway Station - Lemnelor Square in 1912
  • Marginea Dumbravii - Dumbrava in 1915
  • The garage line in the shed situated near the railway station in 1918
  • Lemnelor Square - Cluj Square in 1927
  • Cluj Square – the railway station in Turnișor in 1929
  • Dumbrava - Rasinari in 1948, without an aerial contact wire, the line being serviced by means of a temporary system formed of a Diesel truck – an electric generator, installed on a trailer.

Due to an accentuated wearing out of the tram line in the Lower City, the line between the railway station in Turnisor and the Cibin vegetable market was taken out of use in 1966, and the subsequent year the segment between the Cibin vegetable market and the Railway Station in Sibiu was also taken out of use, the transportation of passengers being carried out by buses.

In 2006 a tram wagon was reconditioned and transformed in a restaurant wagon.

Theatre-Tram

One of the tram wagons was made available to the "Radu Stanca" National Theatre in Sibiu, for the performance of the play entitled "A tram named Popescu", a performance taking place while the tram is taking a trip on the route between Sibiu and Rasinari.

In 2012, the tram network was transmitted to the City Hall of Rasinari and the tramway network section between the Tursib headquarters and the Zoo was canceled and dismantled(HCL 193/2012)