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
Location Name of System TractionType 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
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Boma Steam 4 Mar 1890 ca. 1900
Egypt
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes el-Iskandariya الإسكندرية /Alexandria – Urban 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 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
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Massawa Steam ? ?
Ethiopia
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Addis Ababa Addis Ababa Light Rail Electric 20 September 2015
Ghana
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Accra Steam 1906 1941
Kenya
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Mombasa human 1890s 1921 In Mombasa's Fort Jesus you can find a historic car
Libya
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Banġāzī بنغازي /Benghazi Horse ? ?
Madagascar
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Antananarivo (Steam) Construction started after 1921, not completed. Toamasina Horse ? ?
Mauritius
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Port-Louis and Plaines Wilhems Metro Express Electric Dec 2019
Morocco
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Casablanca Casablanca Tramway Electric 12 Dec 2012 Marrakesh Steam ? ? Rabat Steam 1917 1930 Rabat-Salé tramway Electric 23 May 2011
Mozambique
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Maputo Electric Feb 1904 30 Nov 1936
Nigeria
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Lagos Steam 23 May 1902 31 Dec 1913
Sierra Leone
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Freetown Steam ? ?
South Africa
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) NotesFranschhoek Franschhoek Wine tramDiesel(Since 1904) 2012PresentTwo double deck trams and one single deck tram operate on the 27km Paarl-Franschhoek branch line 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 Point – Camps Bay – Burnside RoadSee also Trams in Cape Town.Milnerton Century City tramwayElectric2023PresentIt was old Rantanga Junction Railway line. it single track tramway with 1.5km opened in 2023 the Century City, Cape Town, as a tourist attraction, the Ratanga Junction them park now closed. 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 14 July 1906 The Randtram line was railway which opened on 17 March 1890, then 1 year later became Rand Tram in 1891 first tramway Electric 14 Feb 1906 18 Mar 1961 Kimberley Trams in Kimberley, Northern Cape Mule 1887 ? Steam 1900 ? Electric 1906 1947 Electric 1985 Heritage tram 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 Pretoria tramway Horse 1897 ? Church Square to the Union Buildings Electric 1910 19 Aug 1939
Spain (Islas Canarias / Canary Islands)
See List of town tramway systems in Spain.
Sudan
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes al-Ḫarṭūm الخرطوم /Khartoum Steam 1904 ? Electric 16 Jan 1928 Feb 1962
Tanzania
Location Name of System TractionType 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
Location Name of System TractionType 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
Location Name of System TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Mutare Horse 22 Aug 1901 by 1920
See also
List of town tramway systems in Africa List of town tramway systems in Asia List of town tramway systems in Central America List of town tramway systems in Europe List of town tramway systems in Oceania List of town tramway systems in South America List of town tramway systems List of tram and light rail transit systems List of metro systems List of trolleybus systems Template:Suburban railways in Africa – current rail based systems in Africa.
References