When streetcar drivers try to hit some foam poles with an oversized ball, when participants from Brazil and Scotland chat amicably with each other and the vehicles race past a cardboard couple by mere centimeters - then you know you're at the Tram World Cup.
On September 13, 2025, thousands of spectators gathered at Vienna's City Hall Square, not wanting to miss this event. After all, it was the very first Tram World Championship. More than twenty teams from all over the world gave each other no quarter - the streetcars accelerated, braked and pushed as hard as they could.
The streetcar drivers competed against each other more than ten years ago.
The concept of putting the streetcar drivers' skills to the test through various tasks has been around for some time. The first European Tram Championship took place in Dresden in 2012. Ten nations took part in the event and competed for first place in front of 30,000 spectators. Incidentally, Budapest won back then. Since then, the competition has been held annually, but there has never been a world championship.
Ten years after Vienna had already put streetcar drivers to the test at the European Championships in 2015, the first World Championships were held here. A total of 25 teams from six nations competed in eight different disciplines.
It was possible to practice on site for a whole day.
To ensure that all participants had the same opportunities, the drivers were able to practice with the competition streetcars for a day. After all, the controls, braking behavior and the arrangement of the switches were different compared to the streetcars at home. Nevertheless, some of the teams had already practiced diligently at home, such as the participants from Ukraine. They spent more than two months training in Kiev beforehand. With 15 and 18 years of professional experience respectively, the drivers had the best prerequisites for a place on the podium.
What did the participants have to do?
But there were also competitions where all the experience didn't help. Attacking two-metre high pins with a 1.5-metre ball does not prepare you for everyday driving. The only thing that helps is practicing.Bowling " was the favorite competition for some teams. The "exact stop" was particularly feared. Every centimeter counted when stopping at a fixed point. It wasn't just the drivers who held their breath when the exact distance was measured. How far is the middle of the second door from the finish position?
During the "Stop & Go ", a water-filled container was attached to the streetcar. The driver had to ensure that as little water as possible was spilled by moving off very carefully. A good sense of proportion was required for "target braking". Here, the streetcar had to be brought to a halt precisely within the ground markings.
A good team spirit was particularly required whendriving in reverse: While one of the two drivers took the wheel, their partner was on the outside and used a whistle to signal how far away the stop was. The shorter the intervals between the whistles, the closer the destination was. It was somewhat reminiscent of the warning system in a car when a collision is imminent. A dancing cardboard couple played a major role in the "lateral distance". Based on the driver's instructions, his team member placed the figure to the side of the track. The streetcar then drove past them: the less distance, the better. Of course, the couple was not allowed to be touched or even run over.
The drivers also had to estimate their speed correctly and drive as constantly as possible at 25 km/h for twenty meters. The speedometer was of course concealed. Sensitivity was particularly required for the "curling". A bicycle trolley was pushed by the streetcar and had to come to a stop within a marked area. And all of this happened under time pressure. After completing the tasks, the riders sprinted to the bright red finish button.
There were two rounds.
The international teams competed against each other once in the morning and again in the afternoon. This gave each of the two participants the opportunity to give their best. In addition to thousands of spectators on site, over 50,000 people watched the event via livestream.
Around five o'clock in the afternoon, the winners were announced: first place went to the Tram Dream Team from Austria (Vienna). Elisabeth Urbanitsch and Florijan Isaku from Wiener Linien took the win. Right behind them came Poland (Poznań) and bronze went to Norway (Oslo).
Next year, the drivers will have the opportunity for a rematch: a European Tram Championship will take place in Warsaw.
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References:
https://tramwm.wienerlinien.at/
https://www.tramwm.com/blog/informationen-zur-tram-wm-in-wien
Own experiences and interviews on September 13, 2025 in Vienna
Photos: Ingrid Müller
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