Trams in Wuppertal
The Wuppertal tramway network served Wuppertal, Germany for 114 years until its closure in 1987. History. The first horse-drawn tram line opened between what were then the twin cities of Barmen and Elberfeld in 1873. The network was expanded and electrified with overhead wires starting in 1896. The tram network was operated by a number of companies and starting in 1901 had to compete with the Wuppertal Suspension Railway for passengers travelling east-west through the region. In 1925 Barmen and Elberfeld merged to form the city of Wuppertal and in 1940 the numerous tram operators  were consolidated into a single system. By 1948, Wuppertal's tram network was the 6th most extensive in all of Germany and had a total route length of . After the introduction of public buses, tram lines in Wuppertal were gradually discontinued until the entire system was closed on May 30, 1987. Routes. In its last decade in operation, the Wuppertal tram network consisted of 5 tram lines as outlined below.