Gothenburg has the largest tram network in Sweden with twelve lines, over 160 kilometres of track and around 200 trams in service. The tram system was started in 1879 by an English company with a horse-drawn service. The system was bought by the city in 1900 and hugely extended over the following forty years. When Sweden converted to driving on the right in 1967, the system required extensive changes to stock, signalling and tracks.
In the late 1960s, there were plans to convert the tram system to an underground network and extensions were built with tunnelled sections. This idea was abandoned soon afterwards on cost grounds but there are some remains to be seen of the plan.
Just before Hjällbo station the trams switch to left-hand running; it turns out that the last four stations were built with island platforms to save money and the trams therefore have to left-hand run as they only have doors on the right-hand side. Mystery solved, we then entered another tunnel and eventually arrived at the underground Hammarkullen station. This was built in 1972 and refurbished in 2002 and is attractively finished in unlined granite.
Hammarkullen also features the longest escalator (rulltrappa) in Gothenburg of 58 metres. The inclined shaft also cleverly features a parallel inclined lift for the disabled (and Sub Brit members!)