The beginning of the subway age in Duesseldorf:
the first metropolitan train arrives Almost five years after the council decided to divert the tram line underground, project realisation commenced on 24 th March 1973 when the first pile was driven on Fischerstrasse. Traffic and business were considerably impeded in the city centre as a result of the giant construction sites. Many people asked themselves why the Duesseldorf city council had embarked on this adventure, which was costing it billions of D-Marks.
The city council and the Rheinbahn originally planned to build the first underground railway on the track section between Moorenplatz and Heinrich Heine-Allee. This would have promptly relieved traffic congestion in the city centre and provided a link to the university. However, the central and regional governments, which were subsidising the project, demanded that the northern line between Kennedydamm and Heinrich-Heine-Allee was built first. This was associated with the Rhein-Ruhr Stadtbahn’s concept for creating a branch line linking Duesseldorf and Duisburg.
While the construction of the underground railway continued flat out, the Rheinbahn presented the first example of an ultra-modern tram, the GT8S. The high-performance eight-axle vehicle that was built by DUEWAG embarked on its maiden journey on 29 th August 1973, the year of the first oil crisis, with the press and supervisory board on board.
When the "TW 3001" wound its way through Duesseldorf city, it caused quite a stir. The appearance of the smart tram on the Rheinbahn tracks, with its new red and white design, was extremely eye-catching. All 50 trams were due for delivery by 1974. They were initially scheduled to operate on the "K" Line. This tram was a response to the increasing level of private traffic, and offered exemplary comfort to the driver and passengers.