ZUSAMMENFASSUNG.

Freight trams were an important means of transport until the middle of the 20 century; currently they are back in service in Dresden, Zurich and Vienna. The success of a freight tram service is based on four fundamental factors: the cargo, the modes of operation and logistics concepts, the tram vehicles, and the infrastructure. The goods to be transported need to be available in sufficient quantity and at locations close to the tram network, ideally there should be a siding track to the clients’ sites. Goods that are suitable for transport by tram can be identified on the basis of microeconomic or macroeconomic considerations; subsequently a suitable mode of operation and a logistics concept are developed. Freight transport is possible in point-to-point-connections and as line operation, the choice of the actual mode of operation depending on the transported cargo. It is easier to implement point-to-point-connections, as there are fewer conflicts with regular passenger services, which should, after all, not be affected by freight tram services. Line operation usually requires adaptations to the infrastructure, whereas the need for a siding at both the place of departure and the destination is the only essential precondition for point-to-point-connections. Depending on the mode of operation, there are several kinds of vehicles that can be used as freight trams, such as former passenger trams made from existing rolling stock, new low-floor-trams or a traction unit and some freight cars. All tram vehicles must match technical standards for operation in designated areas and have to be equipped with devices to protect the cargo and to ease loading and unloading procedures. Adaptation work to infrastructure is necessary to simplify operations and to make stock turnover possible at many locations throughout the tram network. Thanks to Vienna’s widespread tram network, there is a large potential for introducing further freight trams; waste transport by tram is currently under consideration.