Electric tramway in Jihlava

 Even before Jihlava mayor Vinzenz Inderka (1855–1934) took office, the city council was considering building a public tram system. Inderka reiterated the need for interconnection in 1904. With the opening of the new train station, it was necessary to provide passengers with transport to the main square in the city centre, about three kilometres away. In support of the project, the Iglauer Volksblatt newspaper wrote at the time: "Jihlava also wants to have its own tramway when even smaller towns in the monarchy can have one."

A year later, a proposal for a steam railway was presented to the city council. However, it was rejected by the Electricity Commission, as were two other proposals with a track gauge of 1,435 mm. In 1906, the city council approved a narrow gauge railway with a track gauge of 1,000 mm according to a design by Friedrich Ross. The city council decided that this branch line would only be used for passenger transport and that a power station would be built to supply the entire line with electricity. The new plan also included the construction of a depot for the tramcars. Construction work began in June 1907. The city was granted a loan of CZK 1 million from the German Savings Bank in Prague. The installation of the single track line cost CZK 300,000, while the construction of the power station amounted to CZK 500,000.

Two Viennese companies were involved in the project. The track was built by Leo Arnoldi while AEG Union provided the power lines and supplied the cars. The design of the power station was probably provided by the building authority, which at that time was headed by Johann Schlögl, the building authority’s chief engineer. The façade was designed by Kajetán Malnati. In 1908, a depot was built in the vicinity of the power station on Havlíčkova Street.

The construction of the tramway was also connected with the building of the new U Jánů bridge. The original wooden bridge was demolished and replaced by a sturdy one designed in 1908 with a reinforced concrete skeleton and steel railings designed by Josef Melan (1853–1941) and Konrad Kluge (1878–1945). Melan made use of his own patent from 1892, which incorporated rigid steel truss girders instead of the concrete reinforcement used before. Pittel & Brausewetter was the contractor for the construction.

The bridging length is 43 metres. The load-bearing structure consists of two arches with a supporting pillar decorated with an Art Nouveau element. The bridge deck, reinforced with eighteen rail bars, carries three concrete pillars. They are connected by a steel railing in a shape that complements the pillar decoration.

Prior to commissioning, the bridge was subjected to a load test using stacked bricks and a test run was carried out. In the morning of 26 August 1909, two festooned tramcars stood ready in Hlavní Square near Krecl and the first passengers could enjoy the opening ride. In the presence of hundreds of Jihlava residents, the electric tram service was inaugurated.

The 2,734-metre line, originally with three switches, included eight stops: Severozápadní nádraží, Viadukt, Dřevěné mlýny, Jatky, Elektrické podniky, Josefské Square (today's Svobody Square), Schillerova (today's Komenského), and Hlavní Square (today's Masarykovo Square). Including the entrance to the depot, 3,102 metres of rail was used for the construction. In 1934, the forked end of the line was replaced by a track loop with a branch to the railway ticket office by the main train station. The passing loop was extended at the final stop at Masarykovo Square. The number of switches used on the single-track line was increased to ten. The journey from the train station to Masarykovo Square took 14 minutes, and the timetable followed the schedule of train departures and arrivals. The line was mainly used by visitors arriving by train. Apparently, the line was not very practical for regular journeys around the city.

Jihlava obtained a concession to operate the tramway line for ninety years, commencing in 1909. However, the line only served for 39 years. In 1945, the city council decided to replace the tramway with a trolleybus system due to the line’s technical incapacity and heavy wear and tear. Jihlava's inhabitants waved goodbye to the last tram on 12 November 1948 and on 19 December of the same year the first four VETRA-ČKD trolleybuses set off along the same route. The city of Jihlava has recently acquired one of the tramcars operated in Jihlava, which has become a mobile cultural monument.

MP