Type Tramway Stations 9 Owner Arubus | Locale Oranjestad, Aruba Opened 22 December 2012 | |
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Termini Port of Call (Oranjestad)
Plaza Nicky (Oranjestad) | ||
The Oranjestad Streetcar (Dutch: Tram van 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. 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.
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History
The line is the first and so far the only passenger rail service on the island and the rest of the Dutch Caribbean, and the second of any kind, after an industrial branch that was closed in 1960. 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. The second car, an open-top double-decker, was delivered in June 2013.
The line operates daily. As of early 2016, service was operating from 9:00 to 17:00, with two cars in service after 11:00.
Route
The line starts from a balloon loop near the Port of Call 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 Port of Call), run via Havenstraat. It ends at Plaza Nicky, with a stop also located on a loop.
There are a total of 9 stops situated approximately 200 meters apart from each other. The depot is located between the stops at Port of Call and Rancho.
Rolling stock
The fleet is composed of 4 streetcars: 2 single-decker (green and orange) and 2 open-top double-decker (blue and orange) cars. The vehicles, assembled by TIG/m in Chatsworth, California, use hydrail technology: they are powered by batteries augmented by hydrogen fuel cells.