If you’re a fan of trams (or streetcars, or trolleys), then Lisbon, Portugal is the place for you. Tram lines run all through the downtown area, and the vehicles are a delightful mix of relatively modern units and classic Brill streetcars.
The first trams in Lisbon, in late 1873, were pulled by horses. Later, these were augmented by cable-driven trams where the tram “grasped” a continuously running cable under the roadway (this is how the San Francisco trams operate). The first electric tram ran in Lisbon in 1901.
At its peak, the system had more than 20 tram routes. Today it has six, covering 31 km, with just over sixty trams in the fleet. Most of the trams are the historic Remodelados.
The Praça do Comércio (Commerce Plaza) is a great place to view trams. Two lines (15 and 25) run through there, providing a lot of traffic in a very beautiful area.
The modern trams cannot operate on all six routes, because of the tight curves and close quarters on some lines (like 28). The long articulated vehicles can’t make the turns!
I admit that I spent a LOT of time photographing trams in Lisbon. I have no regrets.
We didn’t ride the trams very much when we were in Lisbon. Most of the sights we wanted to see were within walking distance, or we took a train. I remember we took line 15 west to Belém, and in another post I’ll describe taking line 28 through the twisty narrow streets of Lisbon. That was an experience.
Wikipedia tells me that the Lisbon transit system, Carris, has four types of vehicles:
- Articulado trams made by Siemens (like the one above)
- CAF Urbos trams – delivered after our visit to Lisbon
- Remodelado trams
- Ligeiros trams
As far as I can understand, the differences between the Ligeiros (lightweight) and the Remodelado (remodeled) trams are the trucks under the car body and the motors. The Remodelado have rebuilt or new trucks, motors, etc. while retaining the 1930s era car bodies.
The Brill cars are “single ended” meaning there is a cab at only one end, so they cannot operate in both directions. The operator is somewhat isolated from the rest of the car, more so during COVID times with a plastic shield.
On one trip, my wife and I were crammed into one of the Brill cars, just barely able to get on board, so I was able to peek over the driver’s shoulder as she operated the vehicle.
The hand brake wheel is very visible on the operator’s right side; there’s a fire extinguisher mounted underneath it. I think that’s a radio just in front of her cell phone and I imagine the various buttons and switches are for the horn, lights and such. The horn gets blown pretty frequently.
There’s a rotary controller that controls the speed – it goes faster or slower by turning the handle, with dynamic braking built in. I believe the tram also has air brakes. There’s a lot of detail on Lisbon’s trams here.
Like a lot of European city transit, Lisbon’s trams operate pretty frequently so there is no need to consult a schedule. What you do need to be careful about is which direction the tram is going!
I tried to capture the trams with some of Lisbon’s scenery.
Portugal is known for its tiles, and Lisbon does not disappoint. The sidewalks are tiled in patterns, and many buildings have at least some tile detail on them.
On one morning, I rented an e-bike and took a ride along the Tagus river. Naturally, I had to pose the bike with a tram…
I hope you have enjoyed this look at the trams of Lisbon.
In my third and last post about trams in Portugal, I’ll share my experience riding the famed line 28 in Lisbon. This line climbs and descends some hills, and winds its way through some pretty tight turns. It’s popular with tourists and you’ll see why!
Other Portugal posts: