 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(April 2008) |
This is a list of cities and towns in Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere in Oceania that have, or once had, town tramway (urban tramway, or streetcar) systems as part of their public transport system.
| Location | Name of system | Traction type | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canberra | Light rail in Canberra | Electric | 20 April 2019 | Light rail | |
| Location | Name of system | Traction type | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broken Hill | Silverton Tramway | Steam | 15 February 1902 | 31 December 1926 | |
| Maitland | Steam | 8 February 1909 | 31 December 1926 | ||
| Newcastle | Trams in Newcastle | Steam | 19 July 1887 | 2 November 1930 | |
| Electric | 15 December 1923 | 10 June 1950 | , | ||
| Newcastle Light Rail | Electric | 17 February 2019 [1] | Light rail | ||
| Sydney | Trams in Sydney | Horse | 23 December 1861 | 31 December 1866 | Also 16 – 29 September (?) 1879, May (?) – 30 June 1894. |
| Steam | 30 September 1879 | 1910 | |||
| Cable | 1894 | 14 January 1905 | |||
| Electric | 9 November 1890 8 December 1899 | 20 April 1892 25 February 1961 | |||
| Light rail in Sydney | Electric | 1 September 1997 (Trial service 11 August 1997) | Light rail | ||
| ♦ Arncliffe – Bexley | Steam | 13 October 1909 | 31 December 1926 | ||
| ♦ Ashfield – Burwood – Concord | Steam | 1891 | 1912 | ||
| ♦ Campbelltown – Camden | Steam | 10 March 1882 | June 1901 | Replaced by railway stock (railway passenger service withdrawn 31 December 1963). | |
| ♦ Enfield | Steam | 23 September 1891 | 1912 | ||
| Electric | 4 February 1912 | 21 August 1948 | |||
| ♦ Kogarah – Sans Souci | Steam | 10 September 1887 | 4 July 1937 | Electrification started, not completed. Replaced by trolleybuses. | |
| ♦ Manly | Steam | 14 February 1903 | 1911 | ||
| Electric | 1 May 1911 | 12 October 1939 | |||
| ♦ North Sydney | Cable | 22 May 1886 | 10 February 1900 | ||
| Electric | 19 September 1893 | 28 June 1958 | Extended over new Sydney Harbour Bridge to underground terminal at Wynyard station, Sydney, 20 March 1932. | ||
| ♦ Parramatta – Castle Hill | Steam | 18 August 1902 | 31 December 1926 | ||
| ♦♦ Parramatta (Wharf) | Steam | 1 October 1883 | 31 March 1943 | Last steam tramway in Sydney area. | |
| ♦ Rockdale – Brighton-le-Sands | Steam | 9 November 1885 | 1900 | ||
| Electric | 27 July 1900 | 3 September 1949 | |||
| ♦ Sutherland – Cronulla | Steam | 12 June 1911 | 3 August 1931 | ||
| Yass | Steam | 1 April 1891 | 1907 | Rebuilt as a railway and operated with railway stock (railway passenger service withdrawn 17 May 1958). | |
| Location | Name of system | Traction type | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane | Trams in Brisbane | Horse | 1885 | 1899 | |
| Electric | 1897 | 1969 | |||
| Gold Coast | G:link | Electric | 2014 | ||
| Rockhampton | Trams in Rockhampton | Steam | 1909 | 1939 | Restored heritage route from 1988. |
| Location | Name of system | Traction type | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | Trams in Adelaide | Horse | 10 July 1878 | 25 June 1914 | |
| Electric | 9 March 1909 | 22 November 1958 | |||
| ♦ Port Adelaide | Trams in Adelaide | Steam | 1879 | 1882 | |
| Horse | 1882 | 2 April 1917 | |||
| Electric | 3 April 1917 | 27 July 1935 | |||
| ♦ Glenelg | Trams in Adelaide | Horse | ? | 1914 | |
| ♦♦ Adelaide – Glenelg | Trams in Adelaide/Glenelg tram line | Steam | 4 August 1873 | 1929 | |
| Electric | 14 December 1929 | Light rail | |||
| Victor Harbor | Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram | Horse | 1894 | 1956 | |
| Horse | 14 June 1986 | Replica tram cars | |||
| Location | Name of system | Traction type | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Trams in Hobart | Electric | 21 September 1893 | 21 October 1960 | |
| Launceston | Trams in Launceston | Electric | 4 August 1911 | 13 December 1952 | |
| Location | Name of system | Traction type | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballarat | Trams in Ballarat | Horse | December 1887 | 1905 | |
| Electric | 1905 | 19 September 1971 | |||
| Ballarat Tramway Museum | Electric | 1 February 1975 | , heritage tram, a company founded in 1971, from 1971 to 1975 the construction of the track | ||
| Bendigo | Trams in Bendigo | Accumulator (storage battery) | 14 June 1890 | 23 September 1890 | |
| Steam | 1 February 1892 | June 1902 | |||
| Electric | 15 April 1903 | 16 April 1972 | |||
| Bendigo Tramways | Electric | 9 December 1972 | Part of system reopened as heritage/tourist tramway. | ||
| Geelong | Trams in Geelong | Electric | 10 March 1912 | 23 March 1956 | |
| Melbourne | Trams in Melbourne | Horse | 20 December 1884 | November 1923 | |
| Cable | 11 November 1885 | 26 October 1940 | |||
| Electric | 11 October 1906 | Ranked as largest operating tram system in world (by system length). | |||
| ♦ Box Hill – Doncaster | Electric | 14 October 1889 | 6 January 1896 | ||
| ♦ St Kilda – Brighton Beach (Victorian Railways) | Electric | 7 May 1906 | 28 February 1959 | ||
| ♦ Sandringham – Black Rock (Victorian Railways) | Electric | 10 March 1919 | 5 November 1956 | ||
| ♦ Footscray | Electric | 6 September 1921 | 10 March 1962 | Connection with Melbourne tramway system opened 2 May 1954, service by Melbourne system continues. | |
| Portland | Cable/ombustion engine | 2 March 2002 | old vintage Melbourne cable trams | ||
| Sorrento | Steam tram | 1889 | 1921 | ||
| Location | Name of system | Traction type | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalgoorlie | Trams in Kalgoorlie | Electric | 10 May 1902 | 10 March 1952 | |
| Leonora | Steam | 1901 | 1908 | ||
| Electric | November 1908 | 25 June 1914 | Fleet: one car. | ||
| Petrol (gasoline) | 1915 | 1921 | Fleet: one car , | ||
| Perth | Trams in Perth | Electric | 28 September 1899 | 19 July 1958 | |
| Whiteman Park (major tourist destination located 28 km from the Perth) | Perth Electric Tramway Society Operator of Western Australia's Heritage Tramway | Electric | 1980 | heritage tram | |
| Fremantle | Trams in Fremantle | Electric | 30 October 1905 | 8 November 1952 | - |
| Location | Name of system | Traction type | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levuka | Horse | 1884 | ? | see Rail transport in Fiji | |
| Suva | Horse | 1880s | ? | see Rail transport in Fiji | |
| Location | Name of system | Traction type | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | City of Auckland Tramways | Horse | 11 August 1884 | 1903 | |
| Auckland Electric Tramways (subsidiary of British Electric Traction) | Electric | 24 November 1902 | 29 December 1956 | Official opening 17 November 1902. Public service commenced on 24 November | |
| ♦ Devonport (North Shore) | Devonport and Lake Takapuna Tramway | Horse | September 1886 | 1888 | |
| ♦ Takapuna | Takapuna Tramways and Ferry Company | Steam | 22 December 1910 | 26 April 1927 | |
| Gisborne | Accumulator (storage battery) | 13 April 1913 | 8 July 1929 | ||
| Napier | Electric | 8 September 1913 | 3 February 1931 | Closed because of earthquake damage (see 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake). | |
| New Plymouth | Electric | 10 March 1916 | 23 July 1954 | ||
| Thames | Steam | 2 December 1871 | November 1874 | ||
| Wanganui | Electric | 11 December 1908 | 24 September 1950 | ||
| Wellington | Wellington tramway system | Steam | August 1878 | 1882 | |
| Horse | August 1878 | 1904 | |||
| Electric | 30 June 1904 | 2 May 1964 | |||
| Location | Name of system | Traction type | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christchurch | Christchurch tramway system | Steam | March 1880 | by 1914 | |
| Horse | 1882 | by 1914 | |||
| Electric | 6 June 1905 | 11 September 1954 | |||
| Preservation era | Horse, Steam, Electric | 6 January 1968 | Heritage tramway | ||
| Modern era | Electric | 4 February 1995 | Heritage tramway | ||
| Dunedin | Steam | July 1879 | 1884 | ||
| Horse | July 1879 | 1905 | |||
| Cable | 24 February 1881 | 2 March 1957 | see Dunedin cable tramway system. | ||
| Electric | 24 December 1903 | 29 March 1956 | . | ||
| ♦ Maori Hill | Horse | 1882 | 1900 | ||
| Electric | 23 October 1900 | 1 July 1936 | First electric tramway in New Zealand.[ citation needed ] | ||
| Invercargill | Horse | 3 December 1881 | 15 March 1908 | ||
| Electric | 26 March 1912 | 10 September 1952 | World's southernmost electric town tramway.[ citation needed ] | ||
| Nelson | Horse | 7 May 1862 | 1901 | ||
See List of town tramway systems in the United States (Hawaii section)
A tram is a type of urban rail transit consisting of a rail vehicle, either individual railcars or self-propelled trains coupled by a multiple unit, that runs on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are called tramways or simply trams/streetcars. Many recently built tramways use the contemporary term light rail.
Light rail transit (LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit characterized by a combination of tram and rapid transit features. While its rolling stock is similar to that of a traditional tram, it operates at a higher capacity and speed and often on an exclusive right-of-way. In many cities, light rail transit systems more closely resemble, and are therefore indistinguishable from, traditional underground or at-grade subways and heavy-rail metros.
Urban rail transit is a wide term for various types of local rail systems providing passenger service within and around urban or suburban areas. The set of urban rail systems can be roughly subdivided into the following categories, which sometimes overlap because some systems or lines have aspects of multiple types.
Guided Light Transit was the name of guided bus technology and associated infrastructure designed and manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. It was installed in two French cities: Nancy and Caen. The Caen system was closed in 2017 and replaced by conventional trams, while the Nancy system was closed in March 2023 and is to be replaced by trolleybuses.
The Light Rail Transit Association (LRTA), formerly the Light Railway Transport League (LRTL), is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to advocate and encourage research into the retention and development of light rail and tramway/streetcar systems. The LRTA publishes the monthly magazine Tramways & Urban Transit, and is based in the United Kingdom but with an international membership and remit.
Although tram 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.
These lists of urban rail transit systems are sorted by the type of system:
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 enthusiasts and to persons working in the tram transport field or studying tramways. It has been issued monthly from the beginning. Although published in Britain, the magazine's coverage is international, and its regular "World News" column includes detailed news on electric trams and light rail worldwide.
Tramway Review, initially known as The Tramway Review, is a British quarterly magazine about the history of tramways in Great Britain and, to a lesser extent, neighbouring countries, published since 1950. Its content is intended for tramway enthusiasts interested in the history of the town tramway systems of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
