Leipzig's Trams Gradually Running Again: Seven of 13 Lines Back in Service After Heat Damage

Which Lines Are Running, Which Remain Closed

Several central routes remain closed. "Bis auf weiteres fahren keine Straßenbahnen der Linien 2,4,8,9,10,12 und 16". The following routes continue to see no service at all: 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, and 12. The inner-city ring is not yet passable.

As LVB spokesperson Marc Backhaus told MDR SACHSEN, 150 volunteers took part in the cleaning operations on Wednesday. In earlier actions, around 70 people had voluntarily assisted LVB staff. They included students, as well as Leipzig residents who, for example, came to Johannisplatz after work, where they cleaned about 300 meters of track, MDR reporter Susann Blum reported.

Volunteer Helpers Pitch In

Leipzig's Mayor Burkhard Jung (SPD) thanked all the volunteers who are rolling up their sleeves to get the tram network back up and running. "Die Stadt hält zusammen, wenn es schwierig wird", Jung said.

Volunteers can continue to help on Saturday as well. According to this, volunteers can free the tracks from melted joint compound starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Meeting points are the Leibnizstraße and Wintergartenstraße stops. A volunteer named Leon told her that what motivates him is "die Gemeinschaft ... Dass Leipzig so zusammenhält, hätte ich nicht gedacht."

The cleaning itself is laborious. To clean one meter of tram rail of the tar, one "braucht man alleine fast eine Stunde. Das heißt, es ist eine sehr aufwendige Arbeit"; an LVB spokesperson said. "Es muss nicht nur gekratzt werden, um das grobe Bitumen zu entfernen, sondern die Schienen auch gereinigt, geschliffen und am Ende auch Probe gefahren werden. Deswegen dauert es leider etwas, bis die Schienen wieder einsatzfähig sind."

Laborious Cleaning and Further Disruptions

In addition to the gummed-up rails, there are other disruptions, as spokesperson Frank Viereckl told MDR. It will surely take another week until all of these are resolved. According to information from MDR SACHSEN, about half the lines will be served again on Thursday, albeit only in sections.

According to Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung (SPD), all essential tram routes of the LVB are to be back in operation by the middle of next week. The Leipzig Transport Authority has commissioned, by its own account, several expert reports on the heat damage.

Expert Reports and Political Review

These are to investigate why the bitumen joint compound liquefied in Leipzig at 40 degrees Celsius. According to the information, it is also to be examined whether the cast compound used complied with the regulations laid down in the tender. Dienberg assumes, by his own account, that initial results will be available after the summer break and will then be made public.

Building Mayor Thomas Dienberg informed the city council about this. The council factions of the CDU, Greens, and BSW are demanding that the city administration provide information on the causes and consequences of the tram disruption due to the bitumen damage. For example, the CDU wanted to know why there were no comparable damages in Halle, Chemnitz, and Dresden.