11 september 2009 - Arad, Calea Aurel Vlaicu. Po wieloletniej służbie na liniach miejskich, Ikarus wozi teraz ludzi do centrum Expo. To znaczy woził w 2009 roku, ale dokumenty do jakich się dokopałem świadczą o tym, że przynajmniej do końca 2011 roku ten pojazd jeszcze żył. Znalazłem też VIN i zastanawiam się, czy zawarte w nim litery "RU" oznaczają Rosję... Jeśli tak - skąd się tu wziął?
13 july 2011 - Arad, Zona Industriala Vest. Przewoźnik Pito Trans zaprasza na paradę ikarusów. Tylko nie raz do roku a w każdy dzień roboczy ;). Ex Szolnok?
13 july 2011 - Arad, Bulevardul Revolutiei. W Aradzie wciąż remonty. Tym razem padło na dwie trasy wychodzące z Piata Romana: do Nowego Aradu i wzdłuż ulicy Mihaila Kogalniceanu. W remoncie także klimatyczny odcinek wzdłuż ulicy Renasterii. Jak tak dalej pójdzie to wkrótce odnowią całą sieć.
2 april 2011 - Arad (RO) – Fat Frumos. An important terminus at the edge of town, where many routes come to lay over. This is another ex-Ludwigshafen GT-6.
2 april 2011 - Arad (RO) – Piata Romana. Car #1 in the Arad fleet is this pretty little GT-4 which came originally from Stuttgart, spent many years in the Ulm fleet (where it was conveniently numbered #1), then came here for a further lease of life. The red livery suits it well.
31 march 2011 - Arad (RO) - – Combinatul Chimic. Another look at a Line 9 tram – please look quickly, before it vanishes. I think the driver on this duty is going straight back to the depot when he’s been here, as he doesn’t waste a second in turning round and setting off again. Another empty trip, just like yesterday, the day before, etc..... why do they still bother to go here?
31 march 2011 - Arad (RO) – depoul/zajezdnia Micalaca. The first and probably last photo of an Arad Gotha T57. There were four of these obtained by Arad, three from from Halberstadt and this solitary specimen from Zwickau. In Arad, they used it latterly to cut the grass along their reserved tracks. Here it is in the dismantling shed, in the final stages of demolition. In a few days, it will just be a pile of scrap metal and its fifty-year career will have ended.
2 april 2011 - Arad (RO) – Primarie. The centre of Arad has some nice old Hungarian-style buildings, which set off the trams rather well. This ex-Essen tram seems to be out every day.
2 april 2011 - Arad (RO) – Primarie. Vasile Goldis looks down approvingly on ex-Innsbruck #42, which came here in 2008. Typically, Arad has done the absolute minimum to make this tram fit for service here – it still carries an Innsbruck fleet number, Innsbruck paint scheme and even Innsbruck advertisements (which must be a little confusing for passengers in Arad who don’t know the arrangement. Vasile Goldis was a noted politician and freedom fighter (aren’t they all?) who lived here in the 1930s.
31 march 2011 - Arad (RO) – Combinatul Chimic. Line 9 is one of the Arad tram lines which has only a very occasional service – three or four trams come here in quick succession in the early afternoon – then nothing. Unlike Platforma Vest (where the only tram to go there in the afternoon waits for over thirty minutes before returning to the city) trams coming here go straight back – empty in both directions, of course, apart from the odd tram enthusiast. This is the place to board a tram – hardly inviting. You have to move quickly here, or you will miss the tram going back and face a long walk.
4 april 2011 - Arad (RO) – Fat Frumos. This terminus on the northern edge of the city is very busy all day, as several lines come here. #301 is an ex-OEG car, still in original livery and complete with curtains, although now starting to look rather scruffy.
4 april 2011 - Arad (RO) – Primarie. Back to Arad today, where the amazing mix of old German trams makes this a favourite place for enthusiasts. Everything gets older, though, and I wonder how much longer these trams (many of which are now over fifty years old) can continue. I guess they can run almost forever, though, if the law allows – they were only replaced in Germany because EU low-floor requirements mandated it. Let us see if the new Romanian Astra cars are a success – and if money can be found for a major replacement project, like has happened with the tracks.
31 march 2011 - Arad (RO) – depou/zajezdnia U.T.A. This GT6 came here from Luwigshafen, but was originally supplied in 1963 to Mannheim, where the tramway systems are shared across the two cities.
31 march 2011 - Arad (RO) – depou/zajezdnia U.T.A. Another bi-directional, ex-BOGESTRA tram. Not all CTP cars have their number clearly displayed, but the car-style registration number can often be used to identify a particular tram, plus the paint livery (which rarely, if ever, changes).
31 march 2011 - Arad (RO) – depou/zajezdnia U.T.A. In the packed yard at Arad’s U.T.A. depot. There always seem to be twice as many trams here (and at the other CTP depot) than are actually needed for service. Perhaps they just had an eye for a bargain? This GT6 came here from Bochum and is double-ended – quite a few Arad trams are of this type, although there is no evidence they ever use this feature.
31 march 2011 - Arad (RO) - Piata U.T.A. This GT-6 came from Mannheim, via its twin city of Ludwigshafen. Other trams from the same batch can still be found in Lodz, Poland. CTP Arad is still in the market for any cheap, second-hand Düwag trams which come along and has recently purchased several from Innsbruck and Essen. The market of suitable vehicles is almost exhausted now, though.
31 march 2011 - Arad (RO) - Bulevardul Revolutiei. A double-ended Düwag which started life in Essen, Germany around 50 years ago. Although their mechanical condition seems reasonable, CTP Arad is less bothered about the appearance of their old trams. They run either in their original liveries or have been quite crudely hand painted, and the original fleet numbers are retained, leading to several duplicate numbers in the fleet.
31 march 2011 - Arad (RO) – Bulevardul Revolutiei. The city of Arad is still a great attraction for lovers of old German trams. Even though much effort is being made to upgrade and renovate the tracks, the very mixed fleet of classic Düwag GT-6 and GT-8 trams from several sources is becoming increasingly run down. There are hopes that the local manufacturer, ASTRA, will come to the rescue with a new, low floor design in a year or two, and these old workhorses can then be retired. At the moment, though, this is the place to go for any enthusiast!
31 march 2011 - Arad (RO) – Platform Vest. This terminus is at the edge of Arad city in a large industrial estate, at the end of a single track line several km long. There is no other traffic except for a tram that comes here just TWICE A DAY, once very early in the morning and once at lunch time. I never came here on the early morning trip, but at lunchtimes no-one comes and no-one leaves, although a few workers get on at intermediate stops nearer the city. In contrast, there are many buses going to the city, but the tram line isn’t used (although it goes to exactly the same place). The line was built with EU money in the mid-1990s – you have to ask why?
29 april 2010 - Arad, Bulevardul Revolutiei. Duewag GT8 263 vyráží od nástupní zastávky linky č. 16 na Piata Romana. Úsek, po kterém vůz jede, byl v loňském roce rekonstruován z peněz z EU.