While six projects announced in February 2018 are still in the planning phase or under construction and are not due to be completed until 2023, the council has begun looking beyond this period to meet growing demand.
The proposals include an extension to the northwest of the city with a terminus at Gösting and to the southwest with a terminus at Strassgang. Studies of both new routes are underway, with the line to Gösting expected to have capacity for 55,000 passengers per day while the line to Strassgang could attract 30,000 to 40,000 passengers a day.
The total required investment is estimated at around €200m.
At the same time, the council has announced that the introduction of another mode of public transport such as a metro or a funicular along the river Mur is not currently under consideration.
The Graz tram system carries 170,000 passengers per day and is already quite congested, meaning further improvements in addition to the current projects need to be planned now.
