Tram Route 5 Once Again Runs to Iļģuciems
After several months of work, the reconstruction is now completed and on 28 February tram route 5 "Iļģuciems – Mīlgrāvis" was restored. To improve accessibility, ensure faster trams as well as safer traffic, the tram track was renovated and the platforms rebuilt to make them more passenger-friendly – they are now higher – from the Slokas iela crossing to the final stop – "Iļģuciems".
With the resumption of tram operations on the main route, the previous timetables from the final destinations and the volume of services were also updated – 114 services on weekdays and 68 services on weekends. Currently, the old trams continue to run on tram route 5, while work is also underway on modelling new routes so that when the construction works on route 7 are completed, as well as on the section of Slokas iela from Kalnciema iela to Jūrmalas gatve, low-floor trams will also run on the renewed section of tram route 5. This has been a long-awaited development – the following works have been carried out on this stretch since April 2023, while the reconstruction took place:
Reconstruction of the contact system structures with the construction of new supports and reconstruction of the overhead contact system, allowing the operation of trams equipped with both pantographs and contact bars;
Reconstruction of the low-voltage cables powering the contact system and construction of new cables, with connections to the “Rīgas satiksme” substation at Slokas iela 54B and to the electrical cable connection point at Jūrmalas gatve;
Reconstruction of the tram tracks in the section of Slokas iela from Jūrmalas gatve to Pulka iela;
Construction of boarding-disembarking and stop platforms on tram route 5 from the intersection of Slokas iela and Jūrmalas gatve to the terminus “Iļģuciems”.
With the tram track renewal, both the names and the locations of the stops have been changed. The stops "Dārza iela" and "Eiženijas iela", going in either direction, have been merged and relocated. They have been given a new name – "Pulka sēta". The name of the stop has been changed in accordance with its historical name. Not far from the "Dārza iela" stop there is a monument to the soldiers of the Autotank Regiment of the Latvian Army, which is a tribute to the fallen fighters of the 1st Armoured Division (later Autotank Regiment) of the Latvian Army. For many years, this stop was also the historical final destination of the tram route, and it was called "Pulka sēta". Other locations have also changed – the stop "Saldus iela", in the direction from Mīlgrāvis, retains its name, while the stop "Slokas iela" has been renamed to "Saldus iela". The most significant change to these stops is their new location.
The stops "Buļļu iela" (in both directions), "Lilijas iela" (in the direction from Mīlgrāvis) and "Bēnes iela" (in the direction from Iļģuciems) have been merged and allocated the name "Buļļu iela". At the tram terminus in Iļģuciems, separate stops have been built for boarding and disembarking passengers, both named "Iļģuciems". The project is still in the midst of reconstruction on tram route 7, and construction works have also not been completed on a one-kilometre stretch from Kalnciema iela to Jūrmalas gatve. They are to be completed in August this year, when low-floor trams could also start running on tram route 5 from the centre to Iļģuciems.
As part of the reconstruction of tram route 5, one substation was built, equipped with modern electrical equipment that will ensure adequate power supply for the low-floor tram.
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