Modern German rail history officially began with the opening of the steam-powered Bavarian Ludwig Railway between Nuremberg and Fürth on 7 December 1835. 

Almost 189 years later, the citizens of Erlangen, just north of Nuremberg, have voted in favour of one of the largest tram projects in Germany.  The people of Erlangen have voted by a majority in favour of the construction of the urban-urban railway in a referendum. 

The so called “Stadt-Umland-Bahn” is intended to extend the existing tram in Nuremberg via Erlangen to Herzogenaurach over a distance of 26 kilometres. The costs are estimated at around 640 million euros - 90 per cent of which will be borne by the federal and state governments.

This is a very encouraging decision for 2 reasons:

Firstly, the alternative to the rail solution was to expand the roads which would have resulted in more individual car traffic as well as land usage.

And secondly,  the fact that it was also supported by business organisations and large corporates like Siemens means that it`s there is a broad alliance supporting sustainable transport solutions.