List of town tramway systems in Africa

Last updated

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 TramDiesel2012

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tram</span> Street-running light railcar

A tram is a type of urban rail transit consisting of either individual railcars or self-propelled multiple unit trains that run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or tram networks operated as public transport are called tramways or simply trams/streetcars. Due to their close similarities, trams are commonly included in the wider term light rail, which also includes systems separated from other traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RATP Group</span> French public transport operator

The RATP Group is a French state-owned enterprise (EPIC) that operates public transport systems. Headquartered in Paris, it originally operated under the name Régie autonome des transports parisiens. Its logo represents, in a stylized version, the Seine's meandering through the Paris area as the face of a person looking up. The company had described itself as the fourth-largest presence in public transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tram-train</span> Tramway routes which share track with main-line railways

A tram-train is a type of light rail vehicle that both meets the standards of a light rail system, and also national mainline standards. Tramcars are adapted to be capable of running on streets like an urban tramway but also be permitted operation alongside mainline trains. This allows services that can utilise both existing urban light rail systems and mainline railway networks and stations. It combines the urban accessibility of a tram or light rail with a mainline train's greater speed in the suburbs.

Keolis is a French transportation company that operates public transport systems all over the world. It manages bus, rapid transit, tram, coach networks, rental bikes, car parks, water taxi, cable car, trolleybus, and funicular services. Based in Paris, France, the company is 70% owned by SNCF and 30% owned by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tramways in Île-de-France</span> Tram system serving the immediate vicinity of Paris, France (the Ile-de-France region)

The Île-de-France tramways is a network of modern tram lines in the Île-de-France region of France. Fourteen lines are currently operational, with extensions and additional lines in both construction and planning stages. Although the system mainly runs in the suburban regions of Paris, lines T3a and T3b run entirely within Paris city limits, while lines T2 and T9 start their routes within Paris' borders. While lines operate independently of each other and are generally unconnected, some connections do exist: between lines T2 and T3a, T3a and T3b, T1 and T5, T1 and T8, T8 and T11 Express, T3a and T9 and T6 and T10. However, the final design of the entire planned tram network is fairly integrated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rouen tramway</span>

The Rouen tramway is a tramway / light rail network in the city of Rouen, Normandy, France. Construction began in 1991 and the network opened for service on 17 December 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strasbourg tramway</span> Tramway network in Strasbourg

The Strasbourg tramway, run by the CTS, is a network of six tramlines, A, B, C, D, E and F that operate in the cities of Strasbourg in Alsace, France, and Kehl in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the few tram networks to cross an international border, along with the trams of Basel and Geneva. The first tramline in Strasbourg, which was originally horse-drawn, opened in 1878. After 1894, when an electric-powered tram system was introduced, a widespread network of tramways was built, including several longer-distance lines on both sides of the Rhine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SYSTRA</span> French transit company

SYSTRA is a multinational engineering and consulting group in the mobility sector, whose fields of activity include rail and public transport. SYSTRA employs about 10,300 people worldwide, and is a limited company which shareholders include French national railway company SNCF, RATP, and various banks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reims tramway</span> French tram system

Reims tramway is a tram system in the French city of Reims, which opened in April 2011. It travels north to south, through the city, along 11.2 kilometres (7.0 mi) of route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of tram and light rail transit systems by country</span>

Although tram and Heritage streetcar 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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casablanca Tramway</span> Tram system in Casablanca, Morocco

The Casablanca Tramway is a low-floor tram system in Casablanca, Morocco. As of 2019, it consists of two lines - T1 from Sidi Moumen to Lissasfa, and T2 from Sidi Bernoussi to Aïn Diab—which intersect at two points and form a 47 km (29 mi) network with 71 stations. Two additional lines, T3 and T4, are scheduled to open in 2024.

The CAF Urbos is a family of trams, streetcars, and light rail vehicles built by CAF. The Spanish manufacturer CAF previously made locomotives, passenger cars, regional, and underground trains. In 1993, CAF started building trams for Metrovalencia, with the delivery of 16 trams until 1999. This was a variant of a Siemens design and some components were delivered by Siemens, including bogies and traction motors. This design was also sold to Lisbon Trams in 1995; CAF then decided to design and build the Urbos in-house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algiers tramway</span> Algers tram system (opened 2011)

The Algiers Tramway is a tram system which commenced service on 8 May 2011 in the Algerian capital, Algiers. By June 2012, the opened sections had a length of 16.2 kilometres (10.1 mi) and 28 stops and were operated by ETUSA, the public transport operator for the Algiers metropolitan area, using Alstom Citadis trams. Two extensions, to take the tramway to a total length of 23.2 kilometres (14.4 mi), opened on 16 April 2014 and 14 June 2015 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rabat–Salé tramway</span> Tram system in the Moroccan agglomeration of Rabat and Salé cities

The Rabat–Salé tramway is a tram system in the Moroccan agglomeration of Rabat and Salé cities which opened on 23 May 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vélez-Málaga Tram</span>

The Vélez-Málaga Tram was operating between October 2006 and June 2012 connecting the Spanish town Vélez-Málaga with the coastal town Torre del Mar. It is the first modern low-floor tramway system service that has been taken out of service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urban rail transit in Africa</span> Overview of Africas urban rail transit system

Urban rail transit in Africa has emerged as a growing form of transit due to rapid urbanization that has occurred in recent decades across the continent. Some of these transit systems are older and more developed, such as the metro in Cairo which opened in 1987. Others such as the light-rail system in Addis Ababa are much more recent, which opened in 2015. A variety of technologies are being used ranging from light-rail, bus rapid-transit, and commuter-rail etc. Africa for several decades saw minimal investment in rail infrastructure, but in recent years due to urban population growth and improved financing options, investment in rail networks has increased.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alstom APS</span> Alternative method of third rail electrical pick-up for street trams

Alstom APS, also known as Alimentation par Sol or Alimentation Par le Sol, is a form of ground-level power supply for street trams and, potentially, other vehicles. APS was developed by Innorail, a subsidiary of Spie Enertrans, but was sold to Alstom when Spie was acquired by Amec. It was originally created for the Bordeaux tramway, which began construction in 2000 and opened in 2003. From 2011, the technology has been used in a number of other cities around the world.

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.