By: Yikai Markus Chen
So I never thought I’d care about trams this much. But after working on my Geography EE (which is all about sustainability in cities like Düsseldorf), I started seeing buses and trains completely differently. Especially here in NRW.
Düsseldorf has actually made some quiet but serious moves toward making its public transport greener. It’s not like Berlin or Hamburg where it’s all over the news — but it’s happening.
They’ve already replaced a bunch of older diesel buses with electric or hybrid ones. You’ll see them everywhere now, and some even have little green leaves printed on the side. And the tram network? It’s growing fast. The fact that you can get from a suburban stop to the center without touching a car says a lot.
And they’ve made it cheap. There’s this monthly climate ticket that makes taking the train or U-Bahn way easier than owning a car, especially for students. I’ve used it so much I honestly forgot what full-price tickets cost.
What stood out to me most, though, was that they’re trying to fix access. Like, it’s not just about being green — it’s about making sure low-income neighborhoods also get proper connections to jobs, schools, and healthcare. That’s something I didn’t think about at first.
For me, it’s personal. I’ve grown up between two cultures — one where metro systems are massive (like in China) and one where cars are still the default (Germany). I really believe that how people move changes how cities live. And Düsseldorf’s proving that better transport isn’t just about movement — it’s about the future.
Yikai Markus Chen 