Trams in Oranjestad, Aruba

Oranjestad streetcar

View of the track on Caya B. Croes, near Plaza Chipi Chipi

Overview
Owner| Arubus
Locale| Oranjestad, Aruba
Termini|

* Welcome Plaza (Oranjestad)[1]
* Plaza Nicky (Oranjestad)[1]

Stations| 8 (regular service) 10 (total) [1]
Service
Type| Tramway
Operator(s)| Arubus
Rolling stock| 4 trams
History
Opened| 22 December 2012[2]
Technical
Line length| 1.9 km (1.2 mi)
Number of tracks| Single track
Track gauge| 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge[2]

Route map

schematic map

|  |  |

|  | Eagle line to Noord

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|  | Welcome Plaza
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|  | depot
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|  | Port of Call
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|  | Rancho
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|  | Royal Plaza
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|  | Plaza Museu
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|  | Renaissance Mall
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|  | Plaza Chipi Chipi
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|  | Watertoren
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|  | Plaza Bon Bini
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|  | Plaza Nicky
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Sources: Tramz.COM
OpenStreetMap.ORG
File:Map of Oranjestad Streetcar.png

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The Oranjestad Streetcar (Dutch: Tram van Oranjestad) and (Papiamento: Tranvia Oranjestad) is a single-track tram line in Oranjestad, the capital city of Aruba. It is owned and operated by Arubus, the national public transportation company.[2][3] It was built as a key component of a larger project to upgrade the main retail areas of the town, other aspects of which included pedestrianization of streets, planting of trees, installation of ornamental street lighting and resurfacing of streets and sidewalks.[4]

## History

[edit]

The line is the first and so far the only passenger rail service on the island and the rest of the Dutch Caribbean. Three industrial railways had been constructed on the island, but have all closed.[5] It was inaugurated on 22 December 2012, seven days after the arrival of the first single-deck car. Regular service started on 19 February 2013.[2] The second car, an open-top double-decker, was delivered in June 2013.[2] The heritage style streetcars were designed and manufactured by TIG/m Modern Street Railways in California, USA.

The line operates daily.[2] As of early 2016[update], service was operating from 9:00 to 17:00, with two cars in service after 11:00.[6]

## Route

[edit]

The line starts from a balloon loop near the Port of Call Marketplace and serves the downtown area with a route along Schelpstraat, Havenstraat and Caya Betico Croes, the main road, which is open to pedestrians only. Between Rancho and Plaza Chipi Chipi, eastbound trams (towards Plaza Nicky) run via Schelpstraat, and westbound ones (towards Welcome Plaza), run via Havenstraat. It ends at Plaza Nicky, with a stop also located on a loop.[1][7]

Route map

There are a total of 9 stops situated approximately 200 metres (660 ft) apart from each other. The depot is located between the stops at Port of Call and Rancho.

Station  | Notes

|

Welcome Plaza |  Port
Port of Call | Morning service stop, touring bus station
Rancho |  Oranjestad Bus Terminal, tram depot
Plaza Museo | Eastbound service,N1 Archaeological Museum
Royal Plaza | Westbound serviceN2
Renaissance Mall | Westbound serviceN2 Renaissance Mall
Plaza Chipi Chipi/Mango Plaza | Also named "Mango Plaza"
Caya Betico Croes/Watertoren | Near Aruba Bank, additional stop, name not yet defined, sometimes called Watertoren
Plaza Bon Bini | 2 rail tracks before the station
Plaza Nicky/Plaza Comercio | Also named "Plaza Comercio", loop

N1Eastbound trams "Port–Plaza Nicky" only

N2Westbound trams "Plaza Nicky–Port" only

## Rolling stock

[edit]

The fleet comprises four streetcars (AE) or trams (CE), of which two are single-deck (green and orange) and two are open-top double-deck (blue and red). They were designed and built by TIG/m Modern Street Railways in Chatsworth, USA,[8] to use  hybrid/electric technology: they do not take their power from external sources such as overhead wires when running but are self-powered by lithium batteries augmented by hydrogen fuel cells. Power consumption is reduced by regenerative braking.[2][9]

## Gallery

[edit]

| The blue open-top, double-decker trolley in 2016  |  |  |

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| Double-deck tram in 2016  |  | Single-deck tram in 2014

## See also

[edit]

* Transport portal

* List of town tramway systems in North America
* Queen Beatrix International Airport
* Transport in Aruba

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Oranjestad Tramway map (tramz.com)
2. ^ a b c d e f g Morrison, Allen "The Streetcars of Oranjestad, Aruba" (tramz.com)[failed verification]
3. ^ Arubus official website
4. ^ "Aruba tramway drives major street redevelopment" (July 2013). Tramways & Urban Transit, p. 279. UK: LRTA Publishing. ISSN 1460-8324.
5. ^ "The Railways of Aruba, 2014". International Steam. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
6. ^ "Worldwide Review" [regular monthly news section] (May 2016). Tramways & Urban Transit, p. 190. UK: LRTA Publishing.
7. ^ Oranjestad Streetcar on OpenStreetMap
8. ^ White, Ronald D. (May 27, 2015). "Chatsworth trolley maker is going places". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
9. ^ "TIG/m Modern Street Railways delivering world's greenest streetcars to Aruba in island's transition to 100% sustainability". altenergymag.com. 27 March 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2024.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trams in Oranjestad.

* Arubus official website
* Bo Aruba Nos Aruba - Arubus Streetcar - Programa 53 on YouTube
* TIG/m LLC Modern Street Railways official website[failed verification]

12°31′12.3″N 70°02′13.2″W﻿ / ﻿12.520083°N 70.037000°W﻿ / 12.520083; -70.037000
*[AE]: American English
*[CE]: Commonwealth English