125 years of trams in Oberhausen

When on April 4, 1897 the first electric tram in the area of ​​today's city of Oberhausen went into operation, this was the birth of local public transport in Oberhausen and the founding date of the municipal utility. For the first time in the German Reich, a city is building an electric tram as a municipal company, i.e. not accepting an offer from a private company or taking over an existing private company.

An eventful history characterizes the development of the local transport company. As one of the few German cities, Oberhausen discontinued tram operations in the 60s and reintroduced it 28 years later - each time in connection with the development of a completely new transport concept. Both with the introduction of the tram in 1897 and with the reintroduction in 1996, the city experienced a growth spurt, a new quality of life developed - the tram in Oberhausen as a symbol of change.

"We are proud of 125 years of tradition and look forward to the future with expectation and optimism," emphasized STOAG Managing Director Werner Overkamp at the ceremony to mark the anniversary.
Today, STOAG presents itself as a modern transport company with 6 trams and 131 buses. Hybrid buses and electric buses were integrated into scheduled services early on, and an on-demand system with electric vehicles complements the range. And the further expansion of the tram is also planned. The extension of line 105 would represent a regionally important connection between the cities of Essen and Oberhausen, a project with great transport importance. "Then as now," says Werner Overkamp, ​​"it takes courage to implement future-oriented projects."