Viennese tram drivers shine: First tram World Cup comes!

Viennese tram drivers shine: First tram World Cup comes!

The Viennese lines are preparing for an exciting event: On September 13, the internal qualification for the first Tram World Championship will take place on Vienna's Rathausplatz. Already today, on April 6, 2025, the winners of the qualification were announced. A total of 40 employees took part in the competition, in which two champions prevailed: Elisabeth Urbanitsch from the Remise Rudolfsheim and Florijan Isaku from Hernals. The two winners were officially awarded Alexandra Reinagl, the managing director of the Viennese lines, and Mayor Michael Ludwig. This event not only serves to promote tram drivers, but also to present public transport as a connecting element.

The Tram World Cup, which will take place in Vienna in 2025, is the result of continuous development in the tram competition. The Tram European Championship has been held since 2012, in which tram drivers from different European cities take part. In 2023, the Viennese lines team won the title and thus secured the promotion to the World Cup that will bring participants from 24 cities and six continents together. The new event takes place exactly ten years after the last Tram European Championship, which was also held in Vienna.

disciplines of the Tram World Cup

The qualification tasks in Vienna included several demanding disciplines:

• exactly holding at a stop: the tram had to stop in the middle of a mark with the third door.
• Target braking: Detailed hold on a measuring plate at high speed.
• speed: keeping 20 km/h over 50 meters without a view of the speedometer.

The next TRAM European Championship will be held in Frankfurt on September 14, 2024. However, the World Cup in Vienna is particularly emphasized because it attracts the interest of international participants and spectators. Officially, the invitation will be sent to the first tram world championship in January 2024. It is expected that a total of 25 teams will participate, with the vehicles being provided for the competition from the host transport company.

The Mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, emphasizes the role of public transport for the quality of life in the city. Alexandra Reinagl also said positively about the daily performance of the tram drivers and emphasizes their importance. In addition, there is already interest in the Tram World Cup from South America, Southeast Asia and Africa, which underlines the international reach and attractiveness of this competition. Further information on the event will be announced in spring 2024.