Restaurant tram

A restaurant tram is a tram vehicle where meals can be served in a way of a full-service, sit-down restaurant. Customers consume the meals while the tram is following a route over an existing network of a tramsystem. Old trams are used with a rebuild interior with upholstered seats and tables. Most restaurant trams are equipped with a small kitchen used just before serving the meals, while a kitchen in a restaurant is used to do most preparations.

Examples

In 1976[1] the first restaurant of this type started running in Bern using a historic tramcar and trailer. In 1983[2] a business started running in Melbourne using three historic W-class trams, but the service had to close in 2018 because the trams were seen as too unsafe to operate between other traffic.[3] Milan followed; since 2005 two historic tramcars -Class 1500- from 1928 are in use as a restaurant.[4] Other cities with a restaurant tram are Brussels, The Hague, Rotterdam, Bern, Zurich, Timisoara,[5] Kolkota[6] and Christchurch. Helsinki has a variant since 1995, being a pub tram.

The U76/U70 tram line between the German cities of Düsseldorf and Krefeld used to offer a Bistrowagen ("dining car" in German), where passengers could order drinks and snacks. That practice dates back to the early 20th century, when interurban trams conveyed a dining car. Despite the introduction of modern tram units in 1981,[7] four trams still had a Bistrowagen that operated every weekday early 21st century.

  • W-class tram in Melbourne
    W-class tram in Melbourne
  • Class-1500 tram in Milan
    Class-1500 tram in Milan
  • Ce 4/4 type tram in Zurich
    Ce 4/4 type tram in Zurich
  • GTL-8 tram in The Hague
    GTL-8 tram in The Hague
  • Tram 411 in Christchurch
    Tram 411 in Christchurch

See also

References
  1. "Restaurant-Tram (1935)". website Stiftung BERNMOBIL historique (in German). Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  2. Gemina, Cody (8 November 2017). "The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant review". Good Food. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  3. Webb, Carolyn (23 November 2021). "Dream of Melbourne restaurant trams still alive for business owner". The Age. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  4. "Atmosfera – dineren in een tot rijdend restaurant omgetoverde tram in Milaan". Ciao tutti (in Dutch). 27 January 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  5. P., Mihaela (21 January 2018). "Dinner In A Tramway In Timisoara. The Only Tram-Restaurant In Romania". Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  6. Singh, Shiv Shahay (13 October 2018). "Dining in Kolkata in a tramcar named 'Victoria'". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  7. van 't Hoogerhuijs, Herman (2016). Metrotrams (in Dutch). p. 117. ISBN 978-90-5961-175-7.
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