At the second round of public dialogue on the scheduled tram line for North Mannheim, the City of Mannheim and Rhine-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (RNV – regional public transport operator) informed over 400 interested citizens on the current status of the project.The local residents also learnt of the activities of the “Forum Stadtbahn Nord”, a 30-strong committee of members of the public, working with Mannheim and RNV on a voluntary basis to find a sustainable solution to the scheduled tram line. “We want to involve the public in order to improve preparation for political decision-making”, stated Lord Mayor Dr. Peter Kurz as he thanked the forum for their work. Its results will help the District Advisory Council form its opinion on the project in October. The forum has already suggested many changes to the original project plan. First Mayor Christian Specht told the audience: “RNV has reviewed the technical and financial feasibility of a large number of route proposals", as RNV chairman Martin in der Beek presented plans and illustrations of the changes. Mayor for City Development Lothar Quast reported: “Experts have calculated that the new tram line will attract an extra 3 300 passengers. Forecasts of this kind made for other new development projects in Mannheim have always been exceeded”.

At the end of the meeting the public was invited to have their say as the three-hour event ended in a controversial discussion. Many local residents of Gartenstadt were up in arms about the so-called “west wing” of the scheduled rail network. The Lord Mayor drew the evening to a close, concluding, “Mannheim has broken new ground with its tram line forum. (…) We now have to assess open questions and possible alternatives in order to make a final assessment – this decision will be made by the District Advisory Council”.