Hauten Tram

In 2001, the Dutch Railways began construction of a third track on the Den Bos - Utrecht line . The first section of the third track was laid between the old Houten station and the new Houten-Castellum station (1.9 km away). Further work was postponed, at the same time, the railways decided to use the already laid path. Since the operation of an electric train on such a small route would be unprofitable, it was decided to use trams. Two trams were rented at The Hague . Initially, car drivers from The Hague worked on the line, but they were soon replaced by drivers from Utrecht. The Hague City Transport Company is responsible for the operation of the line and the maintenance of trams.

The official opening of the tram line in Houten took place on January 4, 2001 in the presence of the Minister of Transport of the Netherlands, but normal operation began on January 8 . The system was closed on December 14, 2008, as an additional route was laid along the entire Den Bos - Utrecht line, and the local tram replaced the trams.

The Houten tram network consists of one single-line line connecting Houten (old station) and Houten-Castellum (new station) stations. There is no directional development. There is practically no other infrastructure either. In June 2001, after a tram fell victim to graffiti draftsmen, an impromptu depot was created at the Houten-Castellum station: the rails were slightly extended, and the final dead end was fenced with a gate with night-locked gates.

Naturally, there is only one route. The operation of the tram on the instructions of the Dutch railways is carried out by the Hague transport company. The tram route is included in the Dutch national railway schedule marked “tram”. The logo of the Dutch railways is applied to the tram.

Initially, Üstra Tram No. 6021 came from the Hague for operation in Houten . The tram arrived in Houten in 2000 . Before the system was opened, the tram underwent re-equipment: the wheelsets were adapted to the rail profile of the rail. The electrical equipment has not undergone changes, since initially the line was supplied with reduced "tram" voltage . For this purpose, a special substation was created that converted the current to 1,500 volts of direct current (standard of the Dutch railways) into 600 volts of direct current ("tram" voltage).

In February 2001 , the same tram number 6016 returned to the Netherlands, which was converted into Hanover . During this modernization, the tram was equipped with choppers that lowered the voltage from 1500 volts DC to 600 volts DC, so a special step-down substation was no longer needed. After experiments with a converted tram in the Rotterdam area and in South Limburg, car No. 6016 arrived in Houten to replace tram No. 6021. On July 24, 2001 , the voltage on the tram line was raised from 600 to 1500 volts. Meanwhile, tram number 6021 was also equipped with a lowering chopper. This tram was transported to The Hague for storage there as a reserve.

On January 18, 2002 , tram number 6016 was sent for repair and was replaced by tram 6021, which returned from The Hague.

In November 2003 , the trams replaced each other again. Tram No. 6016 began operating on the line. Tram 6021 was in reserve until April 2005 , after which it was sent to Hanover, where a chopper was removed from it, which was then experimentally installed on a metro train from Rotterdam.

• BA Schenk, MR Van den Toorn, Trams 2002. De Alk. ISBN 90-6013-419-2
• BA Schenk, MR Van den Toorn, Trams 2003. De Alk. ISBN 90-6013-428-1
• BA Schenk, MR Van den Toorn, Trams 2004. De Alk. ISBN 90-6013-436-2
• BA Schenk, MR Van den Toorn, Trams 2006. De Alk. ISBN 90-6013-456-7