After six months of renovation, tram line 15 is finally open for traffic
Today, on August 4, at 7:00 A.M., the reconstructed tram line Mihaljevac - Dolje (Tram 15) has finally opened for traffic, reports Zagrebancija.
The renovation works, which started in February this year, modernized the tramway tracks, the total of 5200 metres, with the aim of increasing the passenger capacity for future needs, when the new Sljeme cable car finishes with the reconstruction, sometime in 2019. The City paid 24 million kunas for the renovation, which lasted over six months.
Yesterday, mayor Milan Bandić opened the tram line for traffic by riding the tram from Mihaljevac turnaround to Dolje.
Zagrebancija team of reporters took a ride in the new tram on the renovated and improved tram tracks. They reported that it took eight minutes from Mihaljevac turnaround to Dolje, a tunnel where passengers once boarded the cable car and were transported to the top of Medvednica mountain.
"This is the first stage [of the cable car construction] because people need to be efficiently transferred from Mihaljevac to Dolje. The old "beauty" has retired and replaced by the modern one, technologically advanced and of the highest standards in Europe. We are waiting for the decision of the appeals commission. Two companies, Doppelmayr and Leitner, have competed for the construction of the cable car. One has filed a complaint, and when that is settled, we can start working. The old track of the cable car has been removed. We will visit the site in 10 to 15 days,” Zagreb mayor Milan Bandić said.
“We didn’t want to hurry with the renovation works because we wanted it to be done properly, assuring the top quality," said Bandić, adding that the possible shortcomings will be imrpoved in the next month, such as the extension of sidewalks on tram stations.
Excerpts translated from Zagrebancija.hr
