Tram services in London began in earnest after the passing of the 1870 Tramways Act.
Royal Commission on London Traffic: Tramways (1905-07-17)TfL Corporate Archives
Early Tramway Companies
These included the North Metropolitan Tramways, the London Tramways Company, and the London Street Tramways
The first trams were all horse-drawn
Steam and electric trams soon arrived
Tramways Map and Timetable: London County Council Trams (1932-06-15) by London County Council TramwaysTfL Corporate Archives
167 miles of track
By 1909 most lines within the County of London had been taken over by the London County Council (LCC). By 1933 they ran 167 miles of track with the focus on what was then the suburbs
From 1923 there was a steady decline in the number of trams, due to the arrival of the motor bus
On 5 July 1950 it was announced that London’s remaining 830 trams would be replaced by 928 buses. This marked the end of trams and in July 1952, London’s last trams ran their last journeys. Or so we thought....
Diagram of Proposed Route of Croydon Tramlink (1992-07-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Hello Tramlink!
In 1990, Croydon Council and London Regional Transport (LRT) began consultations on a proposed new ‘tramlink’ for the Croydon area
In 1994 the Croydon Tramlink Act was passed, giving London Regional Transport the power to build and run Tramlink.
Croydon Tramlink Route Map (2001-06-01) by TramlinkTfL Corporate Archives
In May 2000 Tramlink opened
It was the first time trams had run in London since 1952
London Trams Route Map (2018-02-16)TfL Corporate Archives
28km of track serving 39 stops
Transport for London took over full responsibility for the running of Tramlink in 2008
The numbering of the tram fleet starts at 2530 – because the last original London tram was numbered 2529!
Story compiled by TfL using information in records at the Transport for London Corporate Archives. The Corporate Archives seeks to preserve and make accessible records, not to interpret them. A wider range of material is available for physical consultation.
Permission is granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only.
