Tram systems in Most and Litvínov
Most and Litvínov are neighbouring cities in the Ústí nad Labem Region of northwestern Czechia. They lie beneath the Ore Mountains in an area whose development has been closely connected with lignite mining, electricity generation and the chemical industry.
Most has an unusual urban history. Much of the historic city was demolished between the 1960s and 1980s to allow the expansion of an open-cast lignite mine, and its population was transferred to a newly constructed city nearby. The medieval Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was preserved by moving it approximately 841 metres to a new location in 1975.
Litvínov lies to the north of Most at the foot of the Ore Mountains. The city is associated particularly with the large refinery and petrochemical complex at Záluží, which occupies the industrial corridor between Most and Litvínov.
Railway stations in Most and Litvínov are served by regional trains, while Most is also served by longer-distance services. Urban and regional bus routes connect the two cities with their surrounding districts and neighbouring communities.
Local public transport is operated by Dopravní podnik měst Mostu a Litvínova (DPmML) and is integrated with the wider Doprava Ústeckého kraje regional transport system. The tramway provides the principal public transport connection between Most, the Záluží industrial area and Litvínov, as well as serving urban journeys within Most.
Most and Litvínov share a standard-gauge tram network approximately 18.6 kilometres long. Much of the route between the two cities is built on a segregated alignment, giving the system some of the characteristics of an interurban or light-rail line.
The normal daytime network comprises lines 1, 2, 3 and 4. Line 2 operates entirely within Most, while lines 1, 3 and 4 connect Most with Litvínov. Night line 40 provides an overnight connection between the two cities.
The core services are line 2 between Most railway station and Velebudická and line 4 between Litvínov Citadela and the DPmML depot in Most. Lines 1 and 3 provide additional through journeys between Litvínov and different destinations in Most.
Proposals for a transport link between Most and Litvínov emerged during the rapid industrial development of the area at the end of the nineteenth century. An early proposal for a steam tramway was made in 1893, and authorisation to construct the line was granted in February 1899.
The metre-gauge electric tramway opened on 7 August 1901. It was initially a predominantly single-track route connecting Most with Litvínov and provided an important link between the growing settlements and industrial workplaces of the district.
The Brüxer Strassenbahn-und Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was established in 1902 to operate the tramway and associated electricity infrastructure. The system subsequently developed into a local and interurban network serving Most, Litvínov and communities between them.
The tramway was extended to the industrial complex at Záluží in 1938. The chemical works became strategically important during the Second World War because they produced synthetic fuel from lignite.
Allied bombing of the industrial area in 1944 and 1945 caused extensive damage to the works, surrounding settlements and tramway. The route was temporarily divided into separate Most and Litvínov sections, but repairs allowed through operation to be restored within months of the end of the war.
Increasing industrial traffic and the limitations of the old metre-gauge system led to plans for a modern replacement. Rather than simply converting the existing tracks, the authorities developed a new standard-gauge tramway with double track and extensive use of reserved alignments.
The first section of the new system opened between the Záluží chemical works and Litvínov on 1 April 1957. Further sections opened progressively towards Most, while new Tatra T1 and T2 trams replaced the older wooden-bodied vehicles.
The remaining metre-gauge services were gradually withdrawn as the standard-gauge network expanded. The final narrow-gauge tram operated on 24 March 1961, completing the replacement of the original system.
The new tramway was constructed shortly before the decision to demolish historic Most and replace it with a planned city farther south. Its alignment was subsequently adapted and extended to serve the new city centre, residential districts and railway station.
The largely segregated infrastructure allowed the tramway to remain the principal passenger transport corridor between the new Most, the industrial plants at Záluží and Litvínov. This also distinguished it from many conventional Czech urban tramways, with long sections operating through industrial and relatively undeveloped areas between the two cities.
Tatra T3 trams became the principal fleet type, supplemented at different times by KT8D5 articulated cars and experimental vehicles. Most was also used to test the two prototypes of the Tatra T5B6, although the type did not enter series production.
Dopravní podnik měst Mostu a Litvínova was established in its present joint-stock-company form in January 1995. The fleet has since been modernised through the rebuilding of Tatra cars and the introduction of low-floor Škoda 03T, VarioLF, EVO1 and EVO2 trams.
A comprehensive programme to renew the ageing interurban infrastructure began with the section between Záluží Chemopetrol and Litvínov railway station. Tram services were replaced by buses while approximately four kilometres of track, overhead equipment, stops and structures were rebuilt.
The reconstructed section reopened on 1 May 2023 following a closure lasting approximately two years. The project included the complete replacement of tram bridges at Záluží after their condition was found to be worse than originally anticipated.
A further major project is reconstructing the double-track route between Litvínov railway station and Poliklinika. Tram services between Citadela and Záluží Chemopetrol were suspended on 2 March 2026, with replacement buses introduced for lines 1, 3 and 4. Night line 40 is being replaced by buses over its complete route during the work.
The project includes renewed track and stops, reconstruction of the Poliklinika interchange and the creation of a new interchange on 9. května. Two junctions on Smetanova are being rebuilt, pedestrian and cycle connections are being improved and the connection to the tram depot is being renewed.
Completion of the project is planned for summer 2027. Further information is available from the City of Litvínov and the Czech Ministry of Transport's Operational Programme Transport.
DPmML began procuring the next stage of the interurban modernisation programme in 2026. This project covers approximately 3.6 kilometres of the route between Záluží and Kopisty and is intended to continue the renewal southwards towards Most.
The work is expected to require another substantial interruption to through tram services. A reliable construction and reopening timetable was not available when this page was prepared.
A later stage will address the remaining section between Kopisty and Most. Planning is being coordinated with the Czech road authorities because tram and road bridges in the corridor will need to be reconstructed together.
The scope and timing of this stage have not yet been finalised. Once completed, the successive projects will have renewed most of the strategically important interurban route between Most and Litvínov.
No funded extensions or new tram routes are currently confirmed. Development is therefore focused on completing the reconstruction of the existing network, improving accessibility and interchanges, and securing the long-term future of the interurban connection.