Tram systems in Lisbon
Lisbon is Portugal’s capital and largest city, situated on the northern bank of the Tagus estuary near the Atlantic coast. Its hilly landscape combines historic neighbourhoods such as Alfama, Baixa and Bairro Alto with newer residential and commercial districts. The riverfront extends west towards Belém, whose monuments reflect the city’s maritime history. Trams are a distinctive feature of Lisbon’s streets, particularly where narrow roads and steep gradients shape the historic centre.
Lisbon’s public transport combines metro, buses, trams, suburban railways and ferries across the Tagus. The metro provides connections across much of the city, while buses and trams serve neighbourhoods beyond its reach and provide local links through the historic centre. Suburban trains connect Lisbon with surrounding towns, including Cascais and Sintra, and ferries link the city with communities on the southern bank. Funiculars and lifts also form part of the transport system, helping passengers negotiate the city’s steep terrain.
Lisbon has six regular public tram lines: 12E, 15E, 18E, 24E, 25E and 28E. The network serves the historic centre and several western neighbourhoods, including Graça, Estrela, Campo de Ourique, Campolide and Ajuda, with the riverside corridor continuing through Belém to Algés in the neighbouring municipality of Oeiras. Details of the individual lines can be found on the Lines tab.
The system combines traditional street tramways with a busier riverside route. Compact, traditional trams negotiate the tight curves and steep streets of the older districts, while modern articulated vehicles provide greater capacity on line 15E. Although the trams are a major visitor attraction, they remain part of Lisbon’s everyday public transport network, connecting residential areas, local centres and other transport services.
CARRIS, the Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa, operates all six regular tram lines alongside the city’s bus network and its historic funiculars and Santa Justa lift. The metro, suburban railways and river ferries are operated separately.
Lisbon’s tramway began with horse-drawn services on 17 November 1873, following the establishment of the Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa in 1872. Known locally as americanos, these early vehicles introduced a permanent street railway that developed into an important part of the city’s transport system.
Electric operation began on 31 August 1901, after extensive work to install overhead wires, adapt the tracks and construct a generating station. Electrification transformed the railway and enabled the development of the tram system that became closely associated with Lisbon’s streets.
During the early twentieth century, the electric network expanded across the city. The first vehicles were imported from the United States, but CARRIS subsequently developed its own tram-building capability at its workshops. In 1924, the company introduced its first series with locally built bodies, followed in 1928 by the distinctive Standard design. These vehicles helped establish the traditional appearance still associated with Lisbon’s trams.
By 1959, the network had reached its greatest extent, with approximately 76 kilometres of routes and 27 numbered services, including circular lines. Trams served a much wider area than today, reaching districts subsequently served by buses and the metro.
The expansion of bus services and the opening of the metro in 1959 marked a change in the tramway’s role. Over the following decades, many routes closed as Lisbon increasingly relied on these other modes. A smaller network survived, retaining routes through the historic neighbourhoods and along the western riverfront.
Investment during the 1990s established the two contrasting types of operation seen today. Ten modern articulated trams entered service in 1995 on the riverside route, while a programme completed in 1996 rebuilt 45 traditional trams. These remodelados retained their familiar exterior while receiving equipment that improved performance and safety, allowing compact vehicles to continue working the older street routes.
A significant reversal of the earlier closures came on 24 April 2018, when line 24E reopened between Praça Luís de Camões and Campolide. The service had been suspended in 1995, and its restoration returned trams to the corridor through Príncipe Real, Rato and Amoreiras, bringing the regular network back to six lines.
Further fleet renewal began in September 2023, when a new generation of articulated trams entered passenger service on line 15E. This strengthened the riverside service while the traditional vehicles continued to serve the narrower streets and hills of the historic city. Lisbon’s tramway consequently remains both a working public transport system and a visible link with the city’s transport history.
Lisbon currently has 6 tram lines, which are listed below.
| Line | Description |
|---|---|
| 12E | Line 12E runs between Martim Moniz and Praça Luís de Camões via São Tomé, Portas do Sol, Sé and Chiado. |
| 15E | Line 15E runs between Praça da Figueira and Algés via Cais do Sodré, Alcântara and Belém. |
| 18E | Line 18E runs between Cais do Sodré and Cemitério da Ajuda via Santos, Alcântara, Alto de Santo Amaro and Palácio Nacional da Ajuda. |
| 24E | Line 24E runs between Praça Luís de Camões and Campolide via Príncipe Real, Rato and Amoreiras. |
| 25E | Line 25E runs between Praça da Figueira and Campo de Ourique (Prazeres) via Santos, Lapa and Estrela. |
| 28E | Line 28E runs between Martim Moniz and Campo de Ourique (Prazeres) via Graça, Portas do Sol, Sé, Chiado and Estrela. |
Lisbon’s tramway uses an unusual 900 mm track gauge and is electrified at 600 V DC through overhead wires. Modern articulated trams collect power using pantographs, while the traditional fleet is equipped with both pantographs and trolley poles, allowing operation beneath different overhead-wire arrangements.
Much of the network runs along existing streets, with rails embedded in the road surface and sections shared with other traffic. The historic districts present particularly demanding operating conditions, including narrow streets, tight curves and steep gradients. Track layouts accommodate these constraints through a mixture of double track, single-track sections and separate routes along neighbouring streets. The riverside corridor used by line 15E has a less restrictive alignment and can accommodate larger articulated vehicles.
The principal tram depot and workshops are at Santo Amaro in Alcântara. The site provides storage, servicing and maintenance facilities and also accommodates the CARRIS headquarters and museum. It remains the operational and engineering centre of the tram network.
The traditional street routes use compact two-axle trams, commonly known as remodelados. These retain the appearance of Lisbon’s older vehicles but were extensively rebuilt during the 1990s, with the programme covering 45 trams. Measuring approximately 8.4 metres long and 2.38 metres wide, they are suited to the restricted clearances and sharp curves of the historic network. Their high floors and entrance steps limit accessibility.
The rebuilt vehicles combine electrodynamic and pneumatic braking with electromagnetic track brakes, an important feature on the city’s steep routes. CARRIS lists a nominal capacity of 58 passengers, including 20 seated, although actual loading depends on operating conditions.
Line 15E uses articulated trams. The first modern generation entered service in 1995, comprising an original fleet of ten vehicles built through cooperation between Siemens, Duewag, CAF and Sorefame. These three-section trams are approximately 24 metres long and 2.4 metres wide, with a partially low-floor interior and air conditioning.
The newer CAF Urbos fleet comprises 15 five-section trams, introduced from September 2023. Each is approximately 28.5 metres long and 2.4 metres wide, with four passenger doorways, air conditioning and a fully low-floor interior. Wheelchair spaces and access ramps provide improved accessibility, while modern passenger-information and control systems support operation on the busy riverside corridor.
Lisbon is developing a major extension of its tram network along the eastern riverfront. The proposed line 16E would connect the city centre with Santa Apolónia, Marvila and Parque das Nações, continuing towards Parque Tejo near the northern municipal boundary. Designed to operate on a dedicated alignment with traffic-signal priority, it would provide a faster public transport corridor and connections with the metro, suburban railways and the planned Loures metrobus.
The project includes extending the existing riverfront tram infrastructure to Santa Apolónia, followed by the longer new section towards Parque Tejo. Public consultation on the approximately 11-kilometre Santa Apolónia–Parque Tejo section ran from August to September 2026. Several alignment alternatives were examined, and the environmental assessment remained under analysis in October 2026. The final route therefore remains subject to the assessment and subsequent design decisions.
A phased opening has been proposed, with the initial connection to Santa Apolónia targeted for 2029 and the continuation towards Parque das Nações and Parque Tejo for 2031. Delivery depends on the necessary approvals, construction arrangements and coordination with other works, including Lisbon’s drainage programme.
CARRIS’s development programme also includes extending line 15E west from Algés towards the Jamor sports complex. This forms part of a broader ambition to improve tram coverage along the riverfront, alongside measures to increase operating speeds on the existing route between the city centre and Algés. The extension remains a planned project, with no confirmed passenger opening date identified.
A separate tram corridor serving Alta de Lisboa is at an earlier stage. CARRIS is studying demand and feasibility for a line on a dedicated alignment, intended to improve public transport in this developing northern part of the city and strengthen connections towards the centre. Its detailed route and delivery timetable have yet to be established.