Although
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
systems date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many old systems were closed during the mid-20th century because of the advent of automobile (including bus) travel. This was especially the case in North America, but postwar reductions and shutdowns also occurred on British, French and other Western European urban rail networks. However, traditional tramway systems survived, and eventually even began to thrive from the late 20th century onward, some eventually operating as much as when they were first built over a century ago. Their numbers have been augmented by modern tramway or
light rail systems in cities which had discarded this form of transport.
Europe
Much tramway infrastructure was lost during the mid-20th century in many European cities, although not on the same scale as in other parts of the world (such as North America). Most of
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...
retained tramway systems until recently, but some cities are reconsidering their transport priorities. Some
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
an cities are rehabilitating, upgrading, expanding and reconstructing old tramway lines, and many Western European towns and cities are building new tram lines.
North America
In North America (especially the United States), trams are generally known as streetcars or trolleys; a "tram" is a
tourist trolley
A tourist trolley, also called a road trolley, is a rubber-tired bus designed to resemble an old-style streetcar or tram, usually with false clerestory roof. The vehicles are usually fueled by diesel, or sometimes compressed natural gas.
The ...
, an
aerial tramway
An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...
or a
people mover
A people mover or automated people mover (APM) is a type of small scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks. ...
. Streetcar lines were largely torn up during the mid-20th century for a variety of financial, technological and social reasons, and comparably few exist today. The
Sistema de Tren Eléctrico Urbano in
Guadalajara, Mexico
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalajar ...
has the highest annual ridership among light rail systems in North America.
Canada
Most of the country's streetcar systems disappeared after World War II, giving way to buses:
*
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
(1937)
*
Kitchener Public Utilities Commission (1946)
*
North Vancouver (1947)
*
Nova Scotia Light and Power Company, Limited,
Halifax (1949)
*
Edmonton Radial Railway
The Edmonton Radial Railway (ERR) (also known as the Street Railway Department) was a streetcar service that operated in Edmonton, Alberta, from 1908 to 1951. It was Edmonton's first public transit service, and later evolved into Edmonton Transit ...
,
Saskatoon Municipal Railway
Saskatoon Transit (formerly Saskatoon Municipal Railway) is the public transport arm of the Saskatoon, City of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It operates a fleet of Diesel engine, diesel buses. A total of 23 bus routes serve every area of the c ...
and
Hamilton Street Railway
The Hamilton Street Railway commonly known as the HSR is a public transport agency in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The name is a legacy of the company's early period, when public transit in Hamilton was primarily served by streetcars. Although stree ...
(1951)
*
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
(1955)
*
Ottawa Transportation Commission and
Montreal Tramways Company (1959)
Toronto's system grew with the abandonment of streetcar operations in the United States and the rest of Canada, as the
Toronto Transit Commission
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and larges ...
purchased cars from many former operators. The Toronto system grew to become the
largest streetcar system in the Americas.
During the late 20th century, several cities installed
light rail systems (partially along the same corridors as the streetcars). Some have restored their old streetcars and run them as a heritage ride for tourists; an example is the
Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway
The Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway was a heritage electric railway line that operated from 1998 to 2011 between Granville Island and Olympic Village Station (north of 6th Ave just east of Ash Street) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ...
.
United States
Horsecars were in use on New York City streets as early as 1832, and the St. Charles Avenue Line of New Orleans' streetcar system is the oldest continuously operating
street railway system in the world, beginning operation as a horse-drawn system in 1835. Motive power was eventually largely transitioned to
steam engine-hauled locomotives, then in 1873 the first practical cable car line was tested in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. As electric traction became popular, streetcar and
interurban
The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...
systems proliferated across the United States. Passenger interurban railways had largely declined in use by the late 1920s. The
Great Depression led to the closure of many streetcar lines, but
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
stopped the closure of many systems as they provided transportation during a time when gasoline and rubber tires were rationed.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
kept most of its streetcar system (serving the city and many suburbs) until January 27, 1967, making it the longest-lasting large-network U.S. streetcar system.
Exceptions to streetcar closures of the 1960s included the cities of New Orleans,
Newark,
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, Boston, and San Francisco. These systems generally had more lines and larger service areas which were replaced by buses or largely scaled back. These surviving "legacy" systems generally used preexisting tunnels, had exclusive
right of way
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
s, or were upgraded to light rail specifications around the 1980s.
The
San Diego Trolley
The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. It is known colloquially as "The Trolley". The Trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI), is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Tra ...
inaugurated service in 1981 as the first newly built light rail system in the United States since the 1950s. The
American Public Transportation Association
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit group of approximately 1,500 public and private sector member organizations that promotes and advocates for the interests of the public transportation industry in the United S ...
counts 33 light rail systems operating in the country .
Central America
Panama
Trams in Panama predate the country's founding; electric tram service began in 1893 in Panama City, in what was then
Colombia. In 1913, cable cars began operating in Colon.
Panama Metro
The Panama Metro ( es, Metro de Panamá) is a rapid transit system in Panama City, Panama. It links the south and the east of the metropolitan area to the city center. The metro was inaugurated on April 5, 2014, and it entered revenue service ...
began operating the first subway in mainland
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
, a 12-station system, on April 5, 2014.
Guatemala
Metro Riel
Metro Riel is a light rail line proposed for Guatemala's capital, Guatemala City.
Background
In October 2016, it was reported that Spanish consulting engineer IDOM conducted a feasibility study into a light rail system for Guatemala City, evalu ...
is the name given to the light rail system proposed for
Guatemala City
Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, ne ...
.
Nicaragua
Managua LRT is the name to the given light rail system proposed for
Managua
)
, settlement_type = Capital city
, motto =
, image_map =
, mapsize =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Nicar ...
.
South America
Argentina
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
(once known as the City of Trams) had one of the world's most extensive networks, with over 857 km (535 mi) of track. Most of it was dismantled during the 1960s in favor of bus transportation.
The
Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company
The Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company (Spanish: ''Compañía de Tranvías Anglo Argentina''), known simply as ''La Anglo'' in Argentina, was a large transportation company which operated the majority of the trams in the Buenos Aires network, wh ...
opened Latin America's first underground tram system,
Subte Line A, in 1913. The original route was underground and at street level until 1926, and
pantograph
A pantograph (, from their original use for copying writing) is a mechanical linkage connected in a manner based on parallelograms so that the movement of one pen, in tracing an image, produces identical movements in a second pen. If a line dr ...
cars—built by
La Brugeoise in Belgium—had low doors at the ends (for boarding from the street) and high doors in the middle (for boarding from a tunnel platform). Subte Line A is arguably one of the continent's first
light metro
A medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. MCS’s trains are usually 1-4 cars, or 1 lig ...
s. The vintage carriages (without the end doors) remained in operation until 2013.
Using Line A's surface
non-revenue track Non-revenue track (or trackage), or a non-revenue route, is a section of track or transport route that is not used to carry revenue-earning freight or goods nor for scheduled passenger services. The term is used to refer mainly to sections of track ...
s in the
Caballito
Caballito (; Spanish for "little horse") is a '' barrio'' (neighborhood) of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It is the only ''barrio'' in the administrative division ''Comuna'' 6.
It is located in the geographical centre of the city, limite ...
neighborhood, the
Asociación Amigos del Tranvía (Friends of the Tramway Association) operates a
heritage streetcar
Conservation and restoration of rail vehicles aims to preserve historic rail vehicles.
Trains
It may concern trains that have been removed from service and later restored to their past condition, or have never been removed from service, like UP ...
service with restored tram and metro cars on weekends and holidays from the
Polvorín Workshop
The Polvorín Workshop (Spanish: Taller Polvorín) is a rolling stock storage and maintenance workshop in Buenos Aires that primarily serves Line A of the Buenos Aires Underground. It also serves as the main storage and restoration area for the A ...
. The
Tren de la Costa (Coastal Train), a light-rail service running on a right-of-way formerly used from 1891 to 1961, began in 1995. Serving tourists and commuters, it runs from the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires to
Tigre along the
Paraná River for about . The
PreMetro E2 operates as a feeder at the end of Metro
Line E in the western suburbs. In central Buenos Aires, the
Tranvía del Este (or Puerto Madero Tramway) was an experimental tramway which operated on a route in the Puerto Madero District from 2007 to 2012 with a single-car
Alstom Citadis tram—two cars during the first year—on loan from Madrid. Planned extensions did not come to fruition, and low ridership led to a decision to discontinue service. The
Metrotranvía Mendoza (Mendoza Light Rail) opened for regular service in the city of
Mendoza in October 2012, operating on relaid tracks on a former
Ferrocarril General San Martín
Futbol Club Sonsonate is a Salvadoran professional football club based in Sonsonate, El Salvador.
The club plays its home games at Estadio Anna Mercedes Campos, a stadium located in the City suburb of Sonsonate, Sonsonate, since 2009. The team ...
mainline right-of-way with LRVs (light-rail vehicles) acquired from
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...
.
["Mendoza light rail service begins" (December 2012). '']Tramways & Urban Transit
''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusi ...
'', p. 451. UK: LRTA Publishing.
Bolivia
In 2020,
Bolivia's first light rail network, known as
Mi Tren, will begin operation.
Brazil
Brazil has the largest light-rail network in Latin America, with new systems under construction.
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
has the largest system, with three lines, 42 stations and of rail lines.
Santos, Maceio, Fortaleza, Recife, Cariri, Sobral and Cuiaba also have light rail. The city of
Santos has a line with 15 stations.
Fortaleza has a , 10-station
line.
Recife
That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15)
, image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg
, mapsize = 250px
, map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco
, pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...
has two lines with nine stations each and of track.
Sobral has a 12-station, line. The nine-station,
connects the twin cities of Crato and Juazeiro do Norte.
Maceió
Maceió (), formerly sometimes Anglicised as Maceio, is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state of Alagoas, Brazil. The name "Maceió" is an Indigenous term for a spring. Most maceiós flow to the sea, but some get trapped and form l ...
has a 15-station, line.
Cuiabá
Cuiabá () is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America. Also, it forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várzea Grande. The city ...
, with two lines, of track and 33 stations, is in the final stages of implementing its light-rail system.
Ecuador
The first line of a new tram system in the
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
ian city of
Cuenca, the Tranvía de Cuenca (Cuenca Tramway), opened in May 2020.
Asia
Although tram systems were well-established in Asia at the start of the 20th century, they began a steady decline during the mid to late 1930s. The 1960s marked the end of the continent's dominance in public transportation, with most major systems closed and their equipment and rail sold for scrap; however, a number of systems continue to operate in the Russian Far East and Japan.
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
has Asia's oldest operating electric tram system which currently runs 6 routes, operating since 1902. There is rekindled interest in tram transport with surviving systems being upgraded and new systems being constructed. In China, several new systems have opened in the past few years with several more under construction.
The first Japanese tram line began in 1895 as the Kyoto Electric Railroad. The tram reached its zenith in 1932, when 82 rail companies operated of track in 65 cities. Its popularity declined during the rest of the decade, a trend accelerated by the
Pacific War, the
occupation of Japan and the
rebuilding years. Although many of the remaining tramways were shut down and dismantled in favor of auto, bus, and heavy rail service during the 1960s, A few tram systems remained in smaller Japanese cities.
Australasia
In
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...
, trams are used extensively in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
; all other major cities largely dismantled their legacy networks by the 1970s.
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
retained
one line between the city and Glenelg (which has been extended), and work on a new line is in progress.
Sydney reintroduced tram service on the
Dulwich Hill Line
The Inner West Light Rail is a light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, running from Central railway station through the Inner West to Dulwich Hill and serving 23 stops. It is the original line of the Sydney light rail network ...
in 1997, with a second
CBD and South East Light Rail
The CBD and South East Light Rail is a light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Construction commenced in October 2015, with services between Circular Quay and Randwick commencing on 14 December 2019 as the L2 Randwick Line, and ...
line opened in 2019. A new
Parramatta Light Rail
The Parramatta Light Rail (often unofficially referred to as the Western Sydney Light Rail) is a project for a light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, which is under construction and due to start passenger services in 2024. The ...
line is currently under construction and will add to light rail in Sydney however will be separate from the other Sydney light rail lines.
The 2010s saw increased investment in new light rail construction with the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
opening the
G:link in 2014,
Canberra opening its first light rail line in 2019 and Newcastle opening a new line also in 2019.
Ballarat,
Bendigo,
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
and
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
have reintroduced trams as heritage operations.
A distinctive feature of many classic Australasian trams was their early use of a lowered central section between
bogies
A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transp ...
(wheel sets), intended to make passenger access easier by reducing the number of steps required to reach the inside of the vehicle. Cars with this feature were known as "drop-centres".
Africa
Egypt
Although
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...
and
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
have historic systems which still exist, the once-extensive Cairo urban system is nearly defunct. The express tram line to and within Masr el-Djedida (
Heliopolis) is still in operation. It is an example of a surviving
interurban
The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...
electric railway, the ancestor of light rail. A small 1970s system in the city of
Helwan, south, is still operational. Some of Cairo's cars are former
Toronto Transit Commission
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and larges ...
PCC streetcars.
Alexandria's urban system and express routes to its eastern suburbs are still in operation. The urban system operates yellow cars (including some acquired from
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
), primarily on street track. The express system (Ramleh routes) operates three-car blue trains, including some double-deck cars, on largely
reserved track
Reserved track, in tram transport terminology, is track on ground exclusively for trams (in the US, typically called a "private right-of-way").
Description
Unlike street running track embedded in streets and roads, reserved track does not need t ...
. There are also some dual-system routes.
Ethiopia
In
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, construction by
China Railway Group Limited was ongoing on
Addis Ababa Light Rail in 2013.
The Ethiopian Railway Corporation began construction of the double-track electrified light rail project in December 2011, funded by the
Export-Import Bank of China
The Export–Import Bank of China (Chexim - China Exim Bank) () is one of two institutional banks in China chartered to implement the state policies in industry, foreign trade, economy, and foreign aid to other developing countries, and pro ...
.
Initially, the system would have two lines. The project was expected to take three years to complete,
and trial operations began in early 2015.
Mauritius
In
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...
, the
Metro Express light rail system was inaugurated in 2019, and opened for general use in January 2020. This was the first rail system to operate on the island since the closure of the heavy rail system in the 1960s.
Nigeria
Abuja's
light rail network began operation in 2018, the first of its kind in West Africa.
Tunisia
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
, population_note =
, population_urban =
, population_metro = 2658816
, population_density_km2 =
, timezone1 = CET
, utc_offset1 ...
had traditional trams until about 1960. A new light-rail line began operation in 1985, and has been followed by other systems.
South Africa
Public transport in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
began in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
in May 1801, when a weekly coach service to
Simon's Town
Simon's Town ( af, Simonstad), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern ...
was announced. The Cape's first horse-drawn
omnibus was introduced, based on
George Shilbeer
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...
's model. The
Cape Town and Green Point Tramway Company
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck.
History
Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
was formed in September 1862, and began operations on April 1, 1863.
Single- and double-deck horse-drawn trams were used. Cape Town's electric tram system initially had ten cars which were built in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
. Lady Sivewright, the wife of
James Sivewright, opened the new system on August 6, 1896. At the time of Queen Victoria's
Diamond Jubilee
A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th anniver ...
in 1897, Cape Town and its suburbs had 32 electric trams running on about of track. The new power station was inadequate, and had to be expanded. Tram service also existed in
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...
,
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
and
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...
(where the Rand Tram, the suburban railway to
Boksburg
Boksburg is a city on the East Rand of Gauteng province of South Africa. Gold was discovered in Boksburg in 1887. Boksburg was named after the State Secretary of the South African Republic, W. Eduard Bok. The Main Reef Road linked Boksburg ...
, opened in 1890), but were replaced by petrol, diesel and
trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...
systems by the early 1960s.
World's largest tram and light rail systems
See also
*
List of tram and light rail transit systems
The following is a list of cities that have current tram, tram/streetcar (including Heritage streetcar, heritage trams/heritage streetcars), or light rail systems as part of their regular public transport, public transit systems. In other word ...
(existing, regular public-transit systems)
*
List of town tramway systems
This is a list of cities that have, or once had, town tramway (urban tramway, or streetcar) systems as part of their public transport system. Due to excessive size, the original list has been divided into separate articles, based on geographical l ...
(includes closed systems)
Notes
References
External links
A world of trams and urban transit(from
Light Rail Transit Association (LRTA))
UrbanRail.Net(website devoted to world metro and tram system from Robert Schwandl)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tram And Light-Rail Transit Systems
Light rail
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es:Tranvía#Tranvías en el mundo