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.

Algeria[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
el-Jazair ولاية الجزائر /Algiers   Steam 12 Sep 1894 1935  
Electric 14 Apr 1898 3 Sep 1959  
Algiers tramway Electric 8 May 2011    
Annaba عنّابة   Steam ? ?  
Qacentina قسنطينة /Constantine Constantine tramway Electric 4 July 2013    
Biskra بسكرة   Horse ? ?  
Sidi Bel Abbès سيدي بلعباس Sidi Bel Abbès tramway Electric 26 Jul 2017    
Blida البليدة   Steam ? ?  
Miliana مليانة   Steam ? ?  
Mestghanem مستغانم
/Mostaganem
Mostaganem tramway Electric 18 Feb 2023    
Wahrān وهران /Oran   Steam ? ?  
  Electric 1898 1950  
Oran tramway Electric 1 May 2013    
Ouargla ورقلة   Horse 1911 1941 Narrow gauge. From Ksar to Bordj Lutaud, around 1500 metres.
Ouargla tramway Electric 20 Mar 2018    
Sétif سطيف   Horse ? ?  
Sétif tramway Electric 8 May 2018    
Touggourt تقرت   Horse ? ?  

Democratic Republic of the Congo[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Boma   Steam 4 Mar 1890 ca. 1900  

Egypt[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
el-Iskandariya الإسكندرية /AlexandriaUrban system Alexandria Tram Horse 1860 1902?  
Electric 1902    
Ramleh (suburban) system Alexandria Tram Horse 1869 ?  
Steam ? ?  
Electric Dec 1903    
el-Qāhirah القاهرة /Cairo Trams in Greater Cairo Electric 12 Aug 1896 ca. 2015 In 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 Electric 9 May 1908 July 2018[1] Cairo system extended to serve Heliopolis in 1908. Express tramway between Cairo main station and Heliopolis opened 11 Jul 1910.
Hulwan /Helwan   Electric 19 Feb 1981 ca. 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   Horse 22 Sep 1900 1932 Metre gauge

Eritrea[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Massawa   Steam ? ?  

Ethiopia[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa Light Rail Electric 20 September 2015    

Ghana[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Accra   Steam 1906 1941  

Kenya[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Mombasa   human 1890s 1921 In Mombasa's Fort Jesus you can find a historic car

Libya[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Banġāzī بنغازي /Benghazi   Horse ? ?  

Madagascar[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Antananarivo   (Steam)     Construction started after 1921, not completed.
Toamasina   Horse ? ?  

Mauritius[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Port-Louis Metro Express Electric Dec 2019[2]    

Morocco[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Casablanca Casablanca tramway Electric 12 Dec 2012    
Marrākiš مراكش /Marrakech   Steam ? ?  
Rabat   Steam 1917[3] 1930  
Rabat-Salé tramway Electric 23 May 2011[4]    

Mozambique[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Maputo   Electric Feb 1904 30 Nov 1936  

Nigeria[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Lagos   Steam 23 May 1902 31 Dec 1913  

Sierra Leone[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Freetown   Steam ? ?  

South Africa[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Cape Town – Urban Trams in Cape Town. Horse 1 May 1863 ?  
Electric 6 Aug 1896 28 Jan 1939  
  ♦ Suburban tramway Electric Nov 1901 17 Feb 1930 Sea PointCamps Bay – Burnside Road
See also Trams in Cape Town.
Durban Trams in Durban Horse 1881 ?  
Electric 1 May 1902 1 Aug 1949  
Isipingo   Horse 1905 1910s Closed during World War I.
East London   Electric 25 Jan 1900 25 Oct 1935  
Johannesburg Trams in Johannesburg Horse 2 Feb 1891 ?  
Electric 14 Feb 1906 18 Mar 1961  
Kimberley Trams in Kimberley, Northern Cape Mule 1887 ?  
Steam 1900 ?  
Electric 1906 1947  
Electric Heritage tram 1985    
Pietermaritzburg Trams in Pietermaritzburg Electric 2 Nov 1904 Dec 1936  
Port Elizabeth Trams in Port Elizabeth Horse 1881 ?  
Electric 16 Jun 1897 16 Dec 1948  
Pretoria   Horse 1897 ?  
Electric 1910 19 Aug 1939  

Spain (Islas Canarias / Canary Islands)[edit]

See List of town tramway systems in Spain.

Sudan[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
al-Ḫarṭūm الخرطوم /Khartoum   Steam 1904 ?  
Electric 16 Jan 1928 Feb 1962  

Tanzania[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Zanzibar   Animal 1907 ? Domesticated zebras used at opening.
See also History of rail transport in Zanzibar.
Steam 1911 1928  

Tunisia[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Manzil Bourgueeba منزل بورقيبة /Menzel Bourguiba   Steam ? ?  
Tūnis تونس /Tunis   Horse 1885 ?  
  Electric 1900 20 Apr 1960  
Métro léger de Tunis Electric 15 Sep 1985    

Zimbabwe[edit]

Location Name of System Traction
Type
Date (From) Date (To) Notes
Mutare   Horse 22 Aug 1901 by 1920  

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  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.