The year 2020 marks, 150 years since the concession for a public transport service on rails was granted to the Baron of Trovisqueira, and 125 years since the first tram began running on the streets of Porto.


The Invicta city was at the forefront of public transport when, still in the 19th century, the collective passenger transport began having trams running on its streets. These replaced the first vehicles available for that purpose, which also ran on rails but used animal traction.


It was in 1895 when the inaugural trip of a tram took place along the streets of Porto. "It was the first tram to run in the Iberian Peninsula. It made the first trip up Rua da Restauração, on 12 September 1895", said the coordinator of Tram Museum, Carla Dias, in a news coverage by RTP.


It was a historic occasion for Porto, which became a ground-breaking city in this regard, although the novelty initially was surprising. "People, at the inauguration, were astonished. They asked themselves: Where are the horses? This tram was exactly the same as that of the trams that were pulled by horses", noted Carla Dias.


Currently, the network has only nine kilometres, three lines and five vehicles running, all on sightseeing courses: route 1 (Infante-Passeio Alegre), route 18 (circular Massarelos-Carmo) and route 22 (circular Carmo-Batalha). However, in its heyday, the network had over 150 kilometres of track, served by 193 vehicles, and distributed over 38 routes.


It was a resource that quickly gained popularity among the population, stressed Carla Dias: "The tram was part of people's daily lives. People commuted by tram, dated on the tram, went to the beach by tram and went for a Sunday ride by tram".


The first experiments with trams in the Invicta city was from the initiative of the manager of Companhia Carris de Ferro do Porto, José Ribeiro Vieira de Castro, who on 17 January 1894 sent a request to Porto City Hall asking for a license for a test that consisted in "replacing, in the traction of its trams, the animal power for the electric one", says on the blog of Museu do Carro Eléctrico.


"The permanent electrification of the lines started after obtaining, on 8 November 1894, the permit from Direção Geral dos Telégrafos, authorising an experimental installation on Rua da Restauração", adds the text. After a period of tests, the inaugural passenger transport trip took place in September 1895, 125 years ago, and contributed to the development of the city, its growth and that of the neighbouring towns.

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    Last updated 2022-12-06