Nuremberg Trams Remain Largely Out of Service After Heat Damage

Cause: Softened Bitumen Between Rails and Road

The contamination of the tracks and bogies has far-reaching consequences for operations. Before operations can fully resume, the routes must be completely cleaned. The complete cleaning of the rails will take a few more days, the company stated.

Passengers can use the trams running at ten-minute intervals on the route from Worzeldorfer Straße via Landgraben-Straße to Plärrer. Operations are already getting underway on this single line, while the remaining routes in the network continue to stand still.

First Route Operates at Ten-Minute Intervals

Additional sections are to follow gradually thereafter, as soon as the respective route sections have been cleaned and cleared. The VAG spokesperson emphasized that the schedule for the gradual resumption of operations has not yet been definitively established.

The Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg is the city's municipal public transport operator, running the tram and bus network in the Nuremberg area. The current incident highlights the vulnerability of urban infrastructure to extreme weather events, which are occurring more frequently as a result of climate change.

Cleaning of the Rails Will Take Several Days

Commuters must therefore continue to expect disruptions during the morning rush hour. The VAG recommends checking current traffic announcements before starting a journey and switching to alternative means of transport if necessary.

The incident in Nuremberg is part of a growing number of heat-related damage events affecting transport infrastructure in German cities. In other municipalities as well, high temperatures have caused deformations of road surfaces and track systems in recent years.