Electric Tramway Spandau-Nonnendamm
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA short-lived German tramway company that connected Spandau with Siemensstadt and surrounding industrial settlements before being absorbed into the municipal tramway system.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Electric Tramway Spandau-Nonnendamm GmbH, commonly called the Nonnendammbahn, was a German tramway company associated with the industrial development of Siemensstadt in the western Berlin area. It operated a passenger tram route between Spandau Old Town, Haselhorst and the Siemens works on Nonnendamm, with later extensions toward Fürstenbrunn and a workers’ branch to Gartenfeld. Although the corporate undertaking existed only from 1909 until 1914, the transport corridor it created remained in service for more than half a century under successor municipal and Berlin tramway organizations. The line grew out of Siemens & Halske’s industrial expansion. In 1897, Siemens acquired a large tract on Nonnendamm for a factory complex that would become Siemensstadt. The works and nearby worker settlements were poorly served by existing public transport, while the city of Spandau hoped that industrial growth would enlarge its tax base and strengthen its territorial position. Initial plans in 1899 and 1900 envisaged a standard-gauge freight and passenger railway linking Spandau, Haselhorst, Nonnendamm and Charlottenburg. The projected cost and legal complexity delayed the scheme, but the rapid expansion of Siemens facilities revived it. Siemens obtained a concession from the Potsdam government on February 24, 1908. The tramway opened on September 30, 1908, before the operating company was formally established, running from the Nonnendamm and Reisstraße area through Haselhorst to Spandau Old Town. The initially single-track route used passing places and shared some infrastructure with Siemens’s freight railway. Four electric railcars were available at opening, with additional cars delivered shortly afterward. A depot at Nonnendamm and Grenzstraße opened in 1909 as the fleet and commuter demand expanded. To prepare for municipal ownership, Siemens & Halske and Siemens-Schuckertwerke established the Electric Tramway Spandau-Nonnendamm GmbH on March 23, 1909. Spandau acquired the company’s shares later that year, and the concession was transferred to the city in February 1910. From April 1, 1910, the Spandauer Straßenbahn operated the line. Siemens retained ownership of certain freight-related tracks and continued supplying electricity from its power plant, while the municipal tramway bore the costs of passenger operation. The route was extended approximately 800 metres through Reisstraße and Rohrdamm to Fürstenbrunn station in November 1911. A roughly 700-metre workers’ branch to Gartenfeld opened in early 1912 to serve Siemens’s cable factory. Traffic was heavily concentrated around factory shift changes, requiring additional cars during peak periods. In 1913, the line carried approximately 1.865 million passengers and ranked third among Spandau’s tram routes, but it remained financially loss-making because much of the route crossed undeveloped land, worker fares were low, and vehicles stood idle outside commuting peaks. The city made recurring payments to offset the deficit. Because the company had become operationally integrated into the Spandauer Straßenbahn, Spandau decided to dissolve it. The company was removed from the commercial register on October 1, 1914. The physical route continued under successor organizations. Spandau’s municipal tramway merged with the Große Berliner Straßenbahn in 1920, and the lines were incorporated into the Berlin tramway network in 1921. The Gartenfeld branch closed in 1960. The main corridor ultimately formed part of Berlin tram line 55, which was discontinued on October 2, 1967, making it the last tram line to operate in West Berlin.
History
The origins of the Nonnendammbahn lay in the industrial transformation of the area west of Berlin. Siemens & Halske acquired about 21 hectares on Nonnendamm in 1897 and gradually developed a major factory district later known as Siemensstadt. Worker housing and the army’s canned-food factory at Haselhorst created a potential passenger base, while Spandau wanted reliable access to new industrial settlements and the associated tax revenue. Spandau first considered a freight railway in 1899. A more ambitious standard-gauge freight and tramway project was prepared in 1900, but the estimated cost of 530,000 marks and unresolved legal and technical questions prevented immediate construction. The situation changed as Siemens expanded its works beyond the boundaries of the Spandau exclave. Siemens concluded an agreement with the military treasury for the freight railway in 1906 and reached an agreement with Spandau for the tramway in 1907. That agreement anticipated the eventual transfer of the passenger railway to the city. The Potsdam government granted Siemens & Halske a concession on February 24, 1908. Freight railway construction began first, and the passenger tramway was built largely during the summer. After delays connected with track work on the Berlin Bridge, electric service began on September 30, 1908. The original route was about 3.2 kilometres long, mostly single-track, and connected the Nonnendamm and Reisstraße area with Spandau Old Town through Haselhorst. It used street-running and median tracks, passing loops, and sections shared with Siemens’s freight railway. The line initially operated with four railcars, two of which were normally in service at 30-minute intervals. A third car was added for worker traffic between Spandau and Haselhorst in October 1908, and a fourth supported evening service from December. A depot at Nonnendamm and Grenzstraße opened in 1909. Trailer operation became possible after a track connection with the Spandau network was installed, although the original Spandau terminus lacked a proper turning facility. From May 1909, trains used a loop through Havelstraße, Potsdamer Straße, Markt and Breite Straße. The corporate vehicle for the planned handover was established on March 23, 1909, by Siemens & Halske and Siemens-Schuckertwerke. Spandau acquired the shares in October at a stated price of 463,000 marks, and the concession passed to the city on February 16, 1910. Passenger-only tracks transferred to the city, whereas tracks shared with Siemens freight operations remained with Siemens. Spandauer Straßenbahn assumed operation on April 1, 1910. Industrial growth drove further extensions. The line reached Fürstenbrunn station in November 1911, and a branch to Gartenfeld opened in early 1912 for shift-based workers’ trains. The city contributed to the branch’s construction, while Siemens participated because passenger and freight facilities were jointly used. By 1913, the Nonnendamm service carried about 1.865 million passengers, yet it ranked behind two other Spandau routes and remained unprofitable. Traffic was concentrated in commuting peaks, many passengers used discounted worker tickets, and the railway incurred high costs for capital, vehicles and electricity purchased from Siemens. The municipal tramway paid annual compensation for the line’s losses from 1910 through 1913, with an additional contribution in 1912. Since the company no longer functioned as an independent operator, Spandau decided in April 1914 to dissolve it. The company disappeared from the commercial register on October 1, 1914. Its routes survived through later organizational changes: Spandau’s tramway joined the Große Berliner Straßenbahn in 1920, and the lines became part of the Berlin tramway network in 1921. The Gartenfeld branch closed in 1960, while the main route continued intermittently until October 2, 1967, when Berlin’s line 55 was withdrawn as the last tram service in West Berlin.
- 1967
Final closure of the corridor
[1]Berlin tram line 55 ceased operation, ending service on the former Nonnendamm main route in West Berlin.
- 1921
Integration into Berlin tramway
[1]The former Spandau routes were fully incorporated into the Berlin tram network.
- 1914
Company removed from register
[1]The corporate entity was dissolved after integration into the Spandau tramway.
- 1912
Gartenfeld branch
[1]A worker-train branch opened to Gartenfeld and Siemens’s cable factory.
- 1911
Fürstenbrunn extension
[1]The passenger route was extended via Reisstraße and Rohrdamm to Fürstenbrunn station.
- 1910
Transfer to municipal operation
[1]The concession was transferred to Spandau and the municipal tramway took over service on April 1.
- 1909
Operating company established
[1]Siemens & Halske and Siemens-Schuckertwerke formed the Electric Tramway Spandau-Nonnendamm GmbH, and Spandau acquired its shares.
- 1908
Concession and passenger opening
[1]The operating concession was granted in February and the electric tramway opened on September 30.
- 1906
Freight railway agreement
[1]Siemens reached an agreement with the military treasury to construct the associated freight railway.
- 1897
Siemens acquires Nonnendamm land
[1]Siemens & Halske acquired a large site on Nonnendamm for the industrial complex that developed into Siemensstadt.
Products and positioning
A municipal-industrial tramway created to connect Spandau and Siemens’s expanding factory district with worker settlements and the wider rail and tram network.
Electric tram service · 1908
Spandau–Nonnendamm passenger service
The company’s principal service connected Spandau Old Town with Haselhorst and the Siemens industrial area on Nonnendamm. The route was approximately 3.2 kilometres at opening, mostly single-track, and used electric railcars with trailer cars during heavier periods. Its primary role was providing affordable access for industrial workers and residents of developing settlements.
Tram route extension · 1911
Fürstenbrunn extension
Opened in 1911, this extension continued through Reisstraße and Rohrdamm to Fürstenbrunn station on the Hamburg Railway. It strengthened the connection between Siemensstadt, the tram network and the regional rail system, although the route remained dependent on concentrated commuter traffic.
Industrial commuter tram · 1912
Gartenfeld workers’ branch
The approximately 700-metre Gartenfeld branch served Siemens’s cable factory and was intended for worker trains at the beginning and end of shifts rather than all-day public service. It was built with financial support from Spandau and cooperation from Siemens because of its relationship with the freight railway.
Tram vehicles · 1908
Electric tram fleet
The initial fleet comprised six ordered railcars and six sidecars, although only four railcars were available at opening. Seven additional railcars and ten sidecars were ordered in 1911. The vehicles used overhead electric collection, open platforms and compact seating arrangements suited to urban and worker traffic. After corporate integration, the cars were renumbered by successor Berlin tramway organizations.
Brand decisions
1914
Dissolution after integrationStrategyBackground
The city-controlled tramway had operated the service since 1910, leaving the separate corporate entity without an independent operating role.
Action taken
Spandau decided to dissolve the company, which was removed from the commercial register on October 1, 1914.
Aftermath
The routes continued under municipal and later Berlin tramway administrations rather than under the Nonnendammbahn company.
1912
Creation of the Gartenfeld branchProduct launchBackground
Siemens established a cable factory at Gartenfeld and required a practical shift-time connection for employees.
Action taken
A roughly 700-metre branch was built from the army canned-food factory area to Gartenfeld for worker trains.
Aftermath
The branch provided targeted industrial access but was not operated as a regular all-day route and closed in 1960.
Municipal construction subsidy. 250,000 marks (1912)
1911
Expansion toward FürstenbrunnStrategyBackground
Siemens’s continuing industrial expansion increased the need for connections to railway services and additional worker destinations.
Action taken
The tramway was extended about 800 metres via Reisstraße and Rohrdamm to Fürstenbrunn station.
Aftermath
The extension improved network access but did not eliminate the line’s structural financial deficit.
1909
Transfer of ownership to SpandauM&ABackground
The Siemens-backed company had been created to facilitate the promised handover of the passenger tramway to the city. Municipal ownership was intended to align the line with Spandau’s existing tramway system.
Action taken
Spandau acquired the company’s shares and subsequently received the operating concession, while Siemens retained certain freight-related infrastructure.
Aftermath
Spandauer Straßenbahn assumed operations in 1910, and the independent company was eventually dissolved in 1914.
Share acquisition price. 463,000 marks (1909)
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