Editing Ludwigshafen (section)

==Transport==
[[File:Mh RHB GT6 mit gelenkbeiwagen.jpg|thumb|Tramway from the 1960s in regular service]]
Although Ludwigshafen has no airfield, it is well connected with several airports in the region. There are small airfields near [[Speyer]], [[Bad Dürkheim]] and [[Worms, Germany|Worms]], a medium-sized regional [[airport]] in Mannheim, and the [[Frankfurt International Airport]] in about an hour's driving distance.

Ludwigshafen is the most important German harbour west of the Rhine. The local industry depends on shipping their raw materials and products on the river. The harbour of Ludwigshafen consists of several basins in the South of the city near Mundenheim ([[Luitpoldhafen]], [[Kaiserwörthhafen]], [[Mundenheimer Altrheinhafen]]), the wharfs along the river parallel to the city centre and the BASF, and, finally, of the [[Landeshafen]] basin in the North that connects the BASF.

Ludwigshafen has excellent [[Autobahn]] (motorway/highway) connections to all directions. Most important are the A 650 in west–east direction, the A 61 in north–south direction. But there are also A 6, A 65 and B 9 to be mentioned. Bundesstraße 37 and 44 pass the city center on elevated expressways. Parts of them are closed because of structural deficiencies. They continue across the Rhine to Mannheim ond [[Konrad Adenauer Bridge]] and Kurt Schumacher Bridge.

[[Ludwigshafen Hauptbahnhof]] is a huge train station, its impressive pylon bridge pier serving as the city's landmark. The extraordinary architecture of the station complex is caused by the need to connect three joining tracks (to [[Frankenthal]]/Worms/Mainz, to [[Neustadt an der Weinstraße|Neustadt]]/Speyer and to Mannheim) and to work in the underground [[Trams in Germany|Straßenbahn]] station and the massive road bridge above the concourse. The station has fallen into disuse due to its remote location and bad layout. The new more central [[Ludwigshafen (Rhein) Mitte station]], near Berliner Platz, was opened in 2003 and has become the busiest station in Ludwigshafen. [[Mannheim Hauptbahnhof]], one of the most important stations in Germany, is in easy reach of Ludwigshafen's center, just across the Rhine, and serves as Ludwigshafen's long-distance station. Other railway stations are at Oggersheim, Mundenheim, and Rheingönheim. The [[S-Bahn Rhein-Neckar]] suburban train system started operations in 2003; it serves all these stations.

Ludwigshafen's public transport system is run by the VBL ([[Verkehrsbetriebe Ludwigshafen]]) and the holding companies [[Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr]] (RNV) and VRN. There is an integrated [[Trams in Mannheim/Ludwigshafen|Mannheim/Ludwigshafen tramway network]]. Lines 4, 4a, 6, 6a, 7, 8, 9, and 10 operate in Ludwigshafen; they all serve Berliner Platz in central Ludwigshafen, adjacent to Ludwigshafen Mitte train station. Except line 10, which runs through Ludwigshafen only, the lines all cross one of the two Rhine bridges between the two cities. Lines 4, 4a, 6, 8, and 9 also serve Mannheim Hauptbahnhof. Furthermore, there is a [[Interurban|cross-country tram link]] to [[Bad Dürkheim]], used by lines 4, 4a, and 9. The bus network consists of about ten municipal lines and further regional lines.

A rather strange feature of Ludwigshafen's public transport system is the existence of four underground tram stations (Rathaus, Danziger Platz (closed since late 2008), Hauptbahnhof, Hemshofstraße). They go back to the 1970s, when a common underground network in Mannheim and Ludwigshafen was planned. The rash construction of these first stations in Ludwigshafen became superfluous when Mannheim cancelled the project due to its enormous costs.