List of town tramway systems in Africa

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This is a list of African cities and towns that have, or once had, town tramway (urban tramway, or streetcar) systems as part of their public transport system.

Contents

Algeria

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
el-Jazair ولاية الجزائر /Algiers Steam12 Sep 18941935 
Electric14 Apr 18983 Sep 1959 
Algiers tramway Electric8 May 2011  
Annaba عنّابة  Steam ? ? 
Qacentina قسنطينة /Constantine Constantine tramway Electric4 July 2013  
Biskra بسكرة  Horse ? ? 
Sidi Bel Abbès سيدي بلعباس Sidi Bel Abbès tramway Electric26 Jul 2017  
Blida البليدة  Steam ? ? 
Miliana مليانة  Steam ? ? 
Mestghanem مستغانم
/Mostaganem
Mostaganem Tramway Electric18 Feb 2023  
Wahrān وهران /Oran Steam ? ? 
 Electric18981950 
Oran tramway Electric1 May 2013  
Ouargla ورقلة  Horse19111941Narrow gauge. From Ksar to Bordj Lutaud, around 1500 metres.
Ouargla tramway Electric20 Mar 2018  
Sétif سطيف  Horse ? ? 
Sétif tramway Electric8 May 2018  
Touggourt تقرت  Horse ? ? 

Democratic Republic of the Congo

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Boma  Steam4 Mar 1890ca. 1900 

Egypt

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
el-Iskandariya الإسكندرية /AlexandriaUrban system Alexandria Tram Horse18601902? 
Electric1902  
Ramleh (suburban) system Alexandria Tram Horse1869 ? 
Steam ? ? 
ElectricDec 1903  
el-Qāhirah القاهرة /Cairo Trams in Greater Cairo Electric12 Aug 1896ca. 2015In autumn 2015 the operation very short path length of about 3 km, which was supposed to close at the end of that year. It was finally closed in 2019.
Metre gauge
 See Transport in Cairo
Miṣr el-ǧidīdah مصر الجديدة /Heliopolis Trams in Greater Cairo Electric9 May 1908July 2018 [1] Cairo system extended to serve Heliopolis in 1908. Express tramway between Cairo main station and Heliopolis opened 11 Jul 1910.
Hulwan /Helwan Electric19 Feb 1981ca. 2011 Metre gauge; Ceased operation in the aftermath of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. By the end of 2015, trams were finally removed from the depot, located in Arab al-Fawarsa.
Būr Saʻīd بور سعيد /Port Said Horse22 Sep 19001932 Metre gauge

Eritrea

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Massawa  Steam ? ? 

Ethiopia

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa Light Rail Electric20 September 2015  

Ghana

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Accra  Steam19061941 

Kenya

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Mombasa  human1890s1921In Mombasa's Fort Jesus you can find a historic car

Libya

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Banġāzī بنغازي /Benghazi Horse ? ? 

Madagascar

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Antananarivo  (Steam)  Construction started after 1921, not completed.
Toamasina  Horse ? ? 

Mauritius

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Port-Louis Metro Express ElectricDec 2019 [2]   

Morocco

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Casablanca Casablanca tramway Electric12 Dec 2012  
Marrākiš مراكش /Marrakech Steam ? ? 
Rabat  Steam1917 [3] 1930 
Rabat-Salé tramway Electric23 May 2011 [4]   

Mozambique

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Maputo  ElectricFeb 190430 Nov 1936 

Nigeria

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Lagos  Steam23 May 190231 Dec 1913 

Sierra Leone

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Freetown  Steam ? ? 

South Africa

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Franschhoek Franschhoek Wine Tram

Diesel

(Since 1904) 2012

Present

Two double deck trams and one single deck tram operate on the 27km Paarl-Franschhoek branch line

Cape Town – Urban Trams in Cape Town.Horse1 May 1863 ? 
Electric6 Aug 189628 Jan 1939 
 ♦ Suburban tramwayElectricNov 190117 Feb 1930 Sea PointCamps Bay – Burnside Road
See also Trams in Cape Town.
Durban Trams in Durban Horse1881 ? 
Electric1 May 19021 Aug 1949 
Isipingo  Horse19051910sClosed during World War I.
East London  Electric25 Jan 190025 Oct 1935 
Johannesburg Trams in Johannesburg Horse2 Feb 1891 ? 
Electric14 Feb 190618 Mar 1961 
Kimberley Trams in Kimberley, Northern Cape Mule1887 ? 
Steam1900 ? 
Electric19061947 
Electric Heritage tram 1985  
Pietermaritzburg Trams in Pietermaritzburg Electric2 Nov 1904Dec 1936 
Port Elizabeth Trams in Port Elizabeth Horse1881 ? 
Electric16 Jun 189716 Dec 1948 
Pretoria  Horse1897 ? 
Electric191019 Aug 1939 

Spain (Islas Canarias / Canary Islands)

See List of town tramway systems in Spain.

Sudan

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
al-Ḫarṭūm الخرطوم /Khartoum Steam1904 ? 
Electric16 Jan 1928Feb 1962 

Tanzania

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Zanzibar  Animal1907 ?Domesticated zebras used at opening.
See also History of rail transport in Zanzibar.
Steam19111928 

Tunisia

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Manzil Bourgueeba منزل بورقيبة /Menzel Bourguiba Steam ? ? 
Tūnis تونس /Tunis Horse1885 ? 
 Electric190020 Apr 1960 
Métro léger de Tunis Electric15 Sep 1985  

Zimbabwe

LocationName of SystemTraction
Type
Date (From)Date (To)Notes
Mutare  Horse22 Aug 1901by 1920 

See also

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References

  1. EJOLT. "Heliopolis Municipality Completely Removes Tram Line, Egypt | EJAtlas". Environmental Justice Atlas . Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  2. "Metro Express Limited launches Free Passenger Service" (Press release). Government Information Service – Mauritius govt. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  3. "Rabat. Les lignes de "tramway" en ville". Les chemins de fer au Maroc au temps du protectorat. Serre Éditeur. 1 October 2012. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  4. "Rabat Trams: Routes and times". railwaysafrica.com. Railways Africa Magazine. 14 June 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2011.