Trams in Odesa

Odesa urban electric transport
Одеський міський електротранспорт
A K1 tram in Arcadia, 2013
Operation
LocaleOdesa, Ukraine
Infrastructure
Track gauge1,520 mm (4 ft 11+2732 in) Russian gauge
Electric tram era: since 1910
Status Operational
Routes 14 routes
Operator(s) OdesMiskElektrotrans KP
Propulsion system(s) Electricity
Depot(s) 2 depots
Track length (double) 196 km (121.8 mi)
January–July 201974.543 million 12.2%
Website www.oget.od.ua

As of mid-2011, trams have been one of the primary modes of public transportation in Odesa, Ukraine. The city operates 13 regular tram routes and one rush hour route. Electric trams have served Odesa since 1910.

The tram network primarily runs along main streets from the city center, providing convenient connections to outer neighborhoods. As of early 2011, Odesa operated 210 Tatra T3 tramcars, 106 of which had been modernized. In 2006, the city began receiving К-1 tramcars manufactured by the Yuzhmash plant in Dnipro, and Tatra-Yug trams are also produced there. Additionally, a heritage tram, the pseudo-Nivelles retro tram, was made from an MTV-82 tram.

Odesa's tram network is served by two depots: one near the railway station and another in the western part of the city, in Slobodka. A service tram depot near the Tovarnaja station used to house passenger service routes until 1996, but now only houses service trams.

As of November 2016, several lines along Preobrazhenska Street, Tiraspol Street, and Nizhyn Street were out of service due to ongoing construction of a new roundabout. The project involved excavation to a depth of one meter and the pouring of concrete slabs. Tracks were being fabricated on-site using straight rails, with work expected to take several more months. During this time, the track along Novoshepnoy Ryad Street was in poor condition, especially near the Privoz market. The asphalt road surface had deteriorated, and the pointwork at Preobrazhenska Street was also in disrepair, forcing trams and vehicles to travel at very slow speeds over the exposed rails.

By October 2018, the roundabout on Preobrazhenska Street was operational, allowing trams to travel in any direction. However, operational issues persisted, particularly with the tracks and pointwork in Novoshepnoy Street, which remained unchanged since 2016. In 2018, services along two routes ceased for extended periods on the same day due to the removal of turn-back facilities, which had previously allowed trams to continue partial service during breakdowns. The lack of cross-links to reroute trams in case of incidents, along with the continued use of single-ended trams, further exacerbated these issues. Unlike double-ended trams, which can reverse direction at shunts, single-ended trams require loops or turnouts to change direction.

On December 21, 2023, Odesa received the first of 13 Tatra-Yug K1T306 trams, ordered in December 2022. These new three-section trams are 26 meters long and feature a 100% low-floor design.