Tram systems in Porto
Porto is a city in northern Portugal, situated on the north bank of the River Douro close to its mouth on the Atlantic coast. It is a major commercial, cultural and transport centre, with a historic core built on steep slopes above the river. Together with Vila Nova de Gaia on the opposite bank and the surrounding municipalities, it forms an extensive metropolitan area. The city is closely associated with the port wine trade, whose historic cellars line the waterfront in Gaia.
Public transport includes the Metro do Porto light rail network, urban and metropolitan buses, suburban trains and historic trams. Metro services connect central Porto with surrounding municipalities and the airport, while buses provide more extensive coverage of neighbourhoods beyond the rail network. Suburban trains link the city with destinations farther afield, with São Bento and Campanhã serving as important railway gateways.
The Andante integrated ticketing system covers Metro services, participating bus networks and suburban trains within its area of validity. Porto’s steep terrain also gives a role to the Guindais funicular, which links the riverside with the higher ground near Batalha. The historic trams provide a distinctive way of travelling through parts of the city centre and along the Douro waterfront.
Porto has two distinct tram and light rail networks: the traditional street tramway operated with historic vehicles, and the modern Metro do Porto system. The historic network comprises three lines. Line 1 follows the Douro waterfront between Infante and Passeio Alegre, while Line 18 connects Passeio Alegre with Carmo via Massarelos and the climb towards the city centre. Line 22 serves the central area between Carmo and Batalha, following a circular routing through streets around Clérigos, Aliados and the eastern part of the historic centre.
Metro do Porto comprises six lines, identified by letters A–F and individual colours. Its modern articulated light rail vehicles run through central tunnels and along surface routes extending into the surrounding municipalities. The network serves destinations including Matosinhos, Póvoa de Varzim, Maia, Gondomar, Vila Nova de Gaia and the airport. Several lines share the main east–west corridor through central Porto, with Trindade providing the principal interchange with the north–south Yellow Line.
The two networks fulfil different roles: the Metro carries substantial everyday traffic across the metropolitan area, while the historic trams combine local journeys with a strong visitor role. They operate separately, without through-running between the traditional tramway and the modern light rail system.
Porto currently has 9 tram lines. Further information is available in the Lines tab.
The historic tram network is operated by STCP — Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos do Porto, which also operates an extensive urban bus network in Porto and neighbouring municipalities. Its tram services are promoted as the Porto Tram City Tour.
Metro do Porto is responsible for the modern light rail system, with day-to-day operation and maintenance undertaken by ViaPorto, part of the Barraqueiro Group, under a subconcession. Passenger information, network maps and journey-planning resources are provided through Metro do Porto, while Andante supplies information about integrated tickets and fares.
Useful official links:
Porto’s tramway history began on 15 May 1872, when the city’s first animal-drawn tram service was inaugurated. Known locally as carros americanos, these vehicles introduced rail-based public transport to the streets of Porto. Steam traction was subsequently introduced on part of the network, before electric operation gradually replaced both earlier forms of propulsion.
The first electric tram service opened on 12 September 1895, linking the riverside area with Carmo via Massarelos. Electrification expanded under the Companhia Carris de Ferro do Porto, replacing animal traction by 1904 and steam operation by 1914. Electric trams became an important means of negotiating the city’s steep streets and connecting the centre with its growing suburbs.
During the early twentieth century, the electric tramway developed into an extensive network serving Porto and neighbouring communities. Routes reached Matosinhos and Leça along the coast, extended towards the northern and eastern suburbs, and crossed the Luís I Bridge into Vila Nova de Gaia. The Massarelos power station, built in 1915, supplied electricity for the expanding system.
On 1 July 1946, responsibility for the network passed from the private tramway company to the municipality through the newly established Serviço de Transportes Colectivos do Porto, or STCP. This marked the beginning of municipal operation and a gradual change in the balance between trams and other forms of public transport.
Over the following decades, buses progressively replaced tram services, reducing the once extensive network to a small number of routes. Closures continued into the 1990s: the coastal section to Matosinhos disappeared in 1993, and the remaining Line 1 service was replaced by buses in 1994. Line 18 became the last surviving route of the traditional network. Although complete closure was considered, tram operation was retained and gradually developed into a heritage service.
Preservation gained a permanent home with the opening of the Museu do Carro Eléctrico on 18 May 1992, housed in the former Massarelos power station. Restored vehicles and electrical equipment tell the story of the tramway, while operating historic cars maintain its presence on the city’s streets.
Track reconstruction and street improvements subsequently established the heritage network around the waterfront, the climb to Carmo and the city centre. The present Line 22 between Carmo and Batalha opened in September 2007, bringing historic tram services back to a wider circuit through central Porto.
A separate modern light rail system emerged from planning undertaken during the late twentieth century. Construction began in 1999, combining new infrastructure with former railway corridors. Following trial passenger services earlier in the year, the first Metro do Porto line opened on 7 December 2002, connecting Trindade with Senhor de Matosinhos.
Expansion followed rapidly. The Red and Green lines opened in 2005, initially reaching Pedras Rubras and Fórum Maia. The Yellow Line also opened that year, introducing a north–south route across the upper deck of the Luís I Bridge into Vila Nova de Gaia. In 2006, extensions brought services to Póvoa de Varzim, ISMAI and Hospital de São João, while the Violet Line established the airport connection.
The Orange Line to Fânzeres opened in January 2011, extending the Metro into Gondomar. Later that year, the Yellow Line reached Santo Ovídio in Vila Nova de Gaia. Its next southern extension opened on 28 June 2024, continuing to Vila d’Este and adding the intermediate stations at Manuel Leão and Hospital Santos Silva.
Construction of the Metro’s Pink Line temporarily disrupted the historic tramway, including the suspension of Line 22 from November 2021 and restrictions on Line 18 around Cordoaria. As surface works were completed, Line 18 returned to its normal Carmo terminus on 1 July 2026, followed by the reopening of Line 22 on 1 August 2026. These restorations reunited the three-line heritage network alongside the modern metropolitan light rail system.
Porto currently has 9 tram lines, which are listed below.
| Line | Description |
|---|---|
| A | The A line runs between Estádio do Dragão and Senhor de Matosinhos via Trindade, Casa da Música and Senhora da Hora. |
| B | The B line runs between Estádio do Dragão and Póvoa de Varzim via Trindade, Senhora da Hora and Vila do Conde. |
| C | The C line runs between Campanhã and ISMAI via Trindade, Casa da Música and Fórum Maia. |
| D | The D line runs between Hospital São João and Vila d’Este via Trindade, São Bento and Santo Ovídio. |
| E | The E line runs between Trindade and Aeroporto via Casa da Música, Senhora da Hora and Verdes, with some services extended to Estádio do Dragão. |
| F | The F line runs between Senhora da Hora and Fânzeres via Casa da Música, Trindade and Estádio do Dragão. |
| 1 | Line 1 runs between Infante and Passeio Alegre via Alfândega, Massarelos and the Douro waterfront. |
| 18 | Line 18 runs between Carmo and Passeio Alegre via Hospital de Santo António, Massarelos and the Douro waterfront. |
| 22 | Line 22 runs between Carmo and Batalha via Clérigos and Praça da Liberdade, returning via Santa Catarina and Aliados. |
Porto’s historic tramway and Metro do Porto both use standard-gauge track (1,435 mm), but operate as separate systems. The historic network uses 600 V DC overhead electrification, with current collected by trolley pole, while the Metro uses 750 V DC overhead electrification and pantographs.
The historic tramway combines street-running track through the city centre with sections alongside the Douro waterfront. Its alignment includes tight curves, steep gradients and single-track sections with passing places. The three routes are connected, allowing vehicles to move between the waterfront and central streets, with depot and workshop facilities at Massarelos.
The Metro combines underground sections beneath central Porto with surface routes, reserved railway corridors, bridges and viaducts. Several northern routes incorporate former suburban railway alignments, while the Yellow Line crosses the Douro on the upper deck of the Luís I Bridge. This mixture of infrastructure allows the system to serve both closely spaced urban stops and longer suburban journeys.
Metro stations provide level access between platforms and vehicle entrances. Surface platforms have ramps, while lifts provide access to underground platforms. The historic tramway retains traditional street stops and stepped vehicle entrances, which do not offer the same level of accessibility.
The historic network uses restored traditional electric cars, retaining wooden interiors, opening windows and manually operated driving controls. The fleet reflects Porto’s long tradition of constructing and rebuilding trams in its own workshops, alongside vehicles and equipment supplied by manufacturers such as J. G. Brill. These compact, high-floor cars operate individually and preserve the appearance and character of the city’s earlier tramway.
The modern Metro fleet comprises Bombardier Eurotram, Bombardier Flexity Swift and CRRC Tram vehicles. These articulated light rail vehicles can operate individually or in coupled pairs, allowing capacity to be adjusted to demand. The published fleet comprises 72 Eurotrams, 30 Flexity Swifts and 18 CRRC vehicles.
The Eurotrams formed the original Metro fleet. Approximately 35 metres long, they have a fully low-floor passenger interior, wide automatic doors and designated wheelchair spaces. Their maximum speed is 80 km/h, and their layout is suited to frequent boarding and alighting on urban services.
The Flexity Swift vehicles entered service in 2009 and are intended primarily for the longer suburban journeys on the Red and Green lines. They provide 100 seats per vehicle, air conditioning and areas for wheelchairs and bicycles. Their maximum speed is 100 km/h, giving them greater capability on the outer sections of the network. Although commonly described locally as tram-trains, they operate within the Metro system.
The CRRC Tram, abbreviated to CT, entered passenger service in December 2023. These vehicles are approximately 35 metres long, have a maximum speed of 80 km/h, and accommodate 244 passengers, including 64 seated. They supplement the earlier fleets and can be seen on the shared central corridor and services including the Green and Violet lines.
A further 22 CRRC vehicles have been ordered, principally to support the future Ruby Line and increase capacity across the network. These form a separate procurement from the initial fleet of 18 CT vehicles.
Construction is nearing completion on the Pink Line (G), a new underground route between Casa da Música and São Bento, with intermediate stations at Galiza and Hospital Santo António. The approximately three-kilometre line will provide a direct connection between the Boavista area and the historic centre, linking the existing routes at Casa da Música with the Yellow Line at São Bento. It will also improve access to hospitals, cultural destinations and residential areas west of the city centre.
Technical running over the full route began in October 2026. Passenger services are currently expected to begin by the end of March 2027, following further testing, driver training and safety certification. The opening has been delayed from earlier schedules, so this remains a target rather than a confirmed inauguration date.
The Ruby Line (H) is under construction between Casa da Música and Santo Ovídio in Vila Nova de Gaia. The approximately 6.4 km route will have eight stations, serving Campo Alegre, Arrábida, Candal, Rotunda, Devesas and Soares dos Reis between its termini. It will provide connections with the wider Metro network at Casa da Música, suburban and mainline trains at Devesas, and the Yellow Line at Santo Ovídio.
A central feature is the new D. Antónia Ferreira bridge, also known as the Ferreirinha bridge, across the Douro. Reserved for Metro services, pedestrians and cyclists, it will create a second Metro crossing between Porto and Gaia and bring rail access to districts away from the existing Yellow Line corridor.
The revised construction programme extends to July 2028, replacing earlier expectations of completion in 2026 or 2027. Passenger opening will depend on completion of the infrastructure, testing and approval for operation.
A new route is planned between Estádio do Dragão and Souto, serving central Gondomar. The project comprises approximately 7 km and nine stations, extending Metro coverage beyond the districts already served by the Orange Line to Fânzeres.
In September 2026, the government approved €237 million for the project. The investment programme runs from 2027 to 2031, providing a basis for design and construction. A firm passenger opening date has not yet been announced.
The approved Trofa project combines an extension of the Green Line from ISMAI to Muro with a connecting bus rapid transit route from Muro to the Trofa railway interchange. The rail section is planned to add stations at Ribela and Muro. Beyond Muro, passengers would transfer to buses operating on a dedicated corridor towards Trofa, where connections would be available with the national railway network.
Government investment approval was granted in September 2026, with expenditure programmed between 2027 and 2031. Public consultation on the environmental assessment ended in October 2026, and the project remains subject to the subsequent assessment and delivery process. Although often described as the Metro’s return to Trofa, the currently approved scheme does not provide a continuous rail service beyond Muro.
Further network development includes the proposed Maia II and São Mamede lines, for which preliminary studies and environmental assessment work have been authorised. Wider proposals also include a connection between Casa da Música and the Asprela/Hospital de São João area, and a link between Fânzeres and the planned Gondomar line. These remain at an earlier stage than the projects described above, without confirmed passenger opening dates.