DESCRIPTION
Despite its low number of inhabitants (50'000), Nordhausen has a metric gauge tram network articulated in 2 lines (plus a tram-train line: Line 10); the first sections of this original electric tram system opened in 1900. The last tram extensions were completed in 1983 (Am Alten Tor-Parkallee), 1993 (Theaterplatz-Nordhausen Ost) and 2004 (Ilfeld-Krankenhaus). The core point of the system is located at the railway station, where a double track ring allow urban electric trams (running over the internal track) and diesel trains serving Nordhausen-Ilfed railway line (running over the external track) to invert their route at the terminal. This local railway currently adopts a dual rolling stock (Siemens Combino-Duo tram-train cars, able to run both in tram mode at 600 V DC and both in diesel mode/DMU), in order to allow some of these trains (serving tram-train/Line 10) to continue their route over the tram tracks without any modal split at the railway station.