Informatsioon
The Druzhkivka city tram system operated from 5 December 1945 to 1 November 2025. It was permanently suspended due to infrastructure damage caused by military actions.
Soviet Period (1945–1991)
The first tram route in Druzhkivka opened on 5 December 1945, connecting Lenin Square (now Soborna) with the railway station (Odessa stop). In the following decades, the network expanded continuously. The line was gradually extended into the city center, reaching the Central City Hospital, and new branches were later built to newly developed neighborhoods: the Municipal Gas Authority, the Mashynobudivnykiv district, the “Mayak” department store, and the porcelain factory in Donskyi Settlement. In 1977, a new tram depot with a capacity of 50 vehicles was commissioned. The system reached its peak in the late 1980s, when six tram routes covered all major directions. Due to the 1990s crisis, some planned expansions were not realized; the network was to be extended along Druzhby and Chapayeva Streets (now Kazatskoi Slavy) to connect the depot with the turning loop in the “Solnechnyj” district.
Crisis of the 1990s and 2000s (1991–2010)
After the collapse of the USSR, the Druzhkivka tram system, like in many cities, fell into a long period of decline. Starting in 2002, lines were gradually closed. First, the section to the Mashynobudivnykiv district and Rostok Market was suspended, followed by the line to Donskyi Settlement. By March 2003, only Route 1 remained in operation, connecting the Central City Hospital with the railway station. The tram fleet and infrastructure deteriorated.
Restoration and Development (2010–2022)
From the 2010s, a positive trend emerged. Previously closed lines were restored: in 2013 service resumed to Donskyi Settlement, and in 2014 to the Mashynobudivnykiv district. A key milestone was the introduction of Czech Tatra T3 cars in 2015. By June 2018, the city had received enough of these trams after major overhauls to fully modernize the fleet. In February 2022, an ambitious development programme with investments exceeding 56 million hryvnias was announced, including track repairs, vehicle upgrades, and the restoration of Route 6. Implementation of these plans was prevented by the outbreak of full-scale hostilities.
War (2022–2025)
From February 2022, the tram system operated under wartime conditions. In April 2023, a fire broke out at the depot, and in April 2025, a direct UAV strike on the tram enterprise caused damage and the destruction of one tramcar. Despite rapid restoration of service after each incident, the cumulative effects of regular shelling, the deteriorating overall security, and the energy crisis made further operation impossible. On 1 November 2025, Druzhkivka’s tram services were permanently suspended, just one month short of the system’s 80th anniversary.
Linnade elektritransport
