After almost two decades of planning and political discussions, the northern extension of the metre-gauge Jena tram will now come:
On 29 November 2023, State Secretary Prof. Dr. Barbara Schönig from the Thuringian Ministry of Infrastructure and Agriculture gave Jena local transport a grant of 31.4 million euros, which was granted as part of the Municipal Transport Financing Act (…yes, they call it “Gemeindeverkehrsfinanzierungsgesetz” in German language …).
Jena’s municipal public transport operator Jenaer Nahverkehr GmbH (JeNah) and the city’s Department of Urban Development, together with the Free State of Thuringia, campaigned for inclusion in the federal funding program for almost two years – with success. The city council had already approved the project in 2014, and building rights were already available in 2017 as part of the planning approval decision.
Thanks to the funding, Line 1 will now be built 1.1 kilometers beyond its current terminal loop in Zwätzen and with three additional stops to the future terminus north of the Carl-Orff-Straße intersection in the Himmelreich district. If everything goes according to plan, construction work will begin in 2025 and the opening can be celebrated two years later. In addition, the overdue barrier-free expansion of the tram stops along Line 1 is planned as part of the construction work.
