French Tramway Systems
Gauges and Dates

A Short Guide to French Tramways

The following lists give basic information on French tramways, including main towns/cities served, track gauge and opening and closing dates. Tramways are electric unless otherwise stated, and the dates refer to operating dates of electric traction. Note that many of these electric tramways started life prior to these dates with horse-drawn cars or, occasionally, were operated by steam or compressed air. Standard gauge is 1435mm. Narrow gauge is 1000mm (or 600mm where stated). The non-electrified steam tramways were mostly of a rural light railway nature, and many had become petrol or diesel worked 'goods only' by the time of their closure. The 'Second Generation' tramways are standard gauge unless otherwise stated. The links in the tables are to photographs, postcard histories or webcams showing the system.

For their history, see the article Compressed Air Trams.

For additional views, see the French Tramway Postcard Album.

Standard Gauge Electric Tramways


City/Town/District Opened-Closed
Aix-Marseille 1903-1948
Bordeaux 1893-1958
La Ciotat 1935-1955
Douai 1898-1950
Dunkerque1898-1952
Elbeuf 1898-1926
Hagondange 1913-1964
Le Havre1894-1951
Lille (T.E.L.B.) 1902-1966
Lyon (also metre gauge) 1893-1957
Marseille (1430mm)1892-2004
Metz 1902-1948
Nancy 1898-1958
Nantes 1913-1958
Nîmes 1899-1950
Novéant 1911-1933
Orléans 1899-1938
Paris1892-1938
Rouen1896-1953
St.Quentin 1908-1956
Toulon 1897-1955
Toulouse 1905-1957
Versailles 1896-1957

Narrow Gauge Electric Tramways


City/Town/District Opened-Closed
Amiens 1899-1940
Alps-Maritimes 1909-1932
Angers 1896-1949
Angoulême 1900-1935
Annemasse (from Geneva) 1883-1958
Arcachon 1911-1930
Ardèche/Aubenas 1898-1932
Armentière 1901-1914
Avignon 1901-1932
Avranches 1907-1914
Beaucourt 1904-1935
Belfort 1898-1952
Besançon 1897-1952
Béziers 1901-1948
Biarritz/Bayonne1914-1948
Blois 1910-1934
Boulogne1897-1951
La Bourboule 1904-1914
Bourges 1898-1949
Brest 1898-1945
Caen1901-1935
Calais1906-1940
Cambrai 1903-1914
Cannes 1899-1933
Cannes-Grasse/Côtes d'Azur1915-1926
Cassel1900-1938
Cauterets-Pierrefitte(-Luz until 1932)1901-1949
Cauterets-La Raillère1897-1970
Châlons-sur-Marne 1897-1938
Chamonix-Mer de Glace (Cog-wheel)1954-date
Charleville-Mézières1900-1914
Cherbourg1910-1944
Clermont-Ferrand1890-1956
Colmar 1902-1960
Dijon 1895-1961
Épinal 1906-1914
Étaples-Le Touquet Paris Plage1900-1935
Évian-les-Bains (600mm 3-phase)1898-1908
Eu-Le Tréport1902-1935
Fountainbleau 1896-1953
Forbach 1912-1950
Grenoble 1897-1952
Grenoble-Chapareillan 1899-1947
Grenoble (V.F.Dauphiné)1902-1948
Gérardmer-Schlucht-Hohneck1905-1938
Hendaye 1908-1935
Langres (Cog-wheel) 1935-1971
Laon (Cog-wheel braked) 1899-1971
Libourne-St.André-de-Cubzac1913-1949
Lille (Mongy)1894-date
Limoges1897-1951
Longwy 1902-1935
Lorient1901-1944
Lourdes 1899-1930
Lyon (also standard gauge)1893-1957
Le Mans1897-1947
Maubeuge 1903-1951
Melun 1901-1914
Monaco1898-1931
Mont Blanc (Cog-wheel) 1956-date
Montpellier 1897-1949
Moutiers-Salins 1899-1929
Mulhouse 1894-1956
Munster-Schlucht (Cog-Wheel)1907-1914
Nice (T.N.L.)1900-1953
Pau 1900-1929
Perpignan 1900-1955
Poitiers 1899-1947
Le Puy 1896-1914
Reims 1900-1939
Rennes 1897-1952
Roanne 1901-1935
Rodez 1902-1920
Sables d'Olonne 1898-1925
St.Avold 1910-1940
St.Chamond 1906-1931
St.Étienne1897-date
St.Gervais-Vallorcine 1901-date
St.Malo/St.Servan1927-1948
Salève (Cog-wheel) 1892-1937
Sedan 1899-1914
Sète 1901-1935
Strasbourg 1895-1960
Tergnier 1910-1939
Thionville/Diedenhofen 1911-1953
Tours 1899-1949
Troyes 1899-1950
La Turbie (Cog-wheel) 1903-1914
Turckheim-Trois Épis/Drei Aehren1899-1937
Valence-Saint-Peray 1927-1950
Valenciennes1913-1966
Villiers-Le-Bel 1928-1949
Viricelles-St.Symphorien1899-1935

Narrow Gauge Tramways Never Electrified


City/Town/District (Type) Opened-Closed
Aigues Vives (600mm Steam) 1892-1901
Ajaccio (Electric never opened - Horse?)1914?
Anjou (Steam/Petrol/Diesel) 1893-1955
Annecy (Steam) 1898-1930
Andres (Steam) 1902-1955
Argeles (600mm Horse) ?-1912
Artois/Béthune (Steam) 1899-1932
Aude (Steam/Petrol) 1901-1933
Ay (Horse/Steam) 1895-1914
La Baule (600mm Petrol) 1904-1914
Berck Plage (600mm Horse) 1899-1910
Berck Plage (Steam) 1902-1914
Bussy (Steam) 1897-1954
Calvados/Caen (600mm Steam/Petrol)1892-1944
Chambéry (600mm Steam/Petrol)1892-1932
Challans (Steam/Petrol/Diesel)1896-1949
Chalosse/Dax (Steam) 1902-1938
Châteaubriant (Steam/Petrol)1888-1947
Cogolin (Steam/Diesel) 1894-1948
Cormeilles (Steam/Petrol) 1901-1944
Correze (Steam/Petrol) 1912-1959
Côtes du Nord (Steam/Petrol/Diesel)1904-1956
Côtes d'Or (Steam/Petrol/Diesel)1891-1955
Dannes-Camiers - St.Cécile Plage (600mm Horse)1898-1914
Dax (600mm Human) ?-?
Deauville (600mm Horse) 1876-1905
Deux Sèvres (Steam/Petrol)1897-1947
Dinard (Steam/Petrol) 1901-1929
Disneyland Paris (914mm Horse)1992-date
Dordogne (Steam/Diesel) 1911-1949
Doubs (Steam/Petrol/Diesel) 1900-1952
Eure et Loir/Chartres (Steam/Petrol)1899-1935
Ferney (Steam) 1900-1938
Fourmies (Steam) 1893-1914
Gargan (Steam) 1890-1930
Gérardmer-Remiremont (Steam)1900-1934
Hellemmes (Steam) 1897-1932
Herimoncourt (Steam) 1886-1932
Ille et Vilaine (Steam/Petrol/Diesel)1897-1950
Indre (Steam/Petrol) 1902-1938
Indre et Loir (Steam/Petrol/Diesel)1884-1949
Isère (Steam/Petrol) 1899-1922
Jura (Steam/Petrol) 1898-1948
Laboutarié (600mm Horse)1901-1933
Lens (Steam) 1894-1947
Loir et Cher (Steam/Petrol) 1888-1934
Loiret (Steam/Petrol) 1905-1934
Lot et Garonne (Steam/Petrol)1911-1933
Luneville (Steam/Petrol) 1902-1942
Meux (Steam) 1910-1958
Morhange (Steam) 1911-1914
Normandie (Steam/Petrol) 1901-1937
Orne (Steam/Petrol) 1913-1934
Paris Plage-Casino-Golf (600mm Battery/Petrol) 1910-1925
Périgueux (Steam/Diesel)1889-1949
Phalsbourg/Pfalzburg (Steam)1883-1914
Pithiviers (600mm Steam/Now Museum)1892-1965
Pontarlier (Steam) 1901-1952
Pontcharra (Steam) 1895-1947
Pont de Beauvoisin (Steam/Diesel)1897-1933
Pont de Vaux (Steam) 1901-1930
Quercy (Steam/Petrol) 1907-1934
Quend (600mm Steam) 1899-1931
Raon (Steam/Petrol/Diesel) 1907-1950
Ribeauville/Rappoltsweiler (Steam)1879-1938
Riom (Steam/Petrol) 1890-1936
Rothéneuf (600mm Steam)1896-1914
Royan (Horse/Petrol) 1868-1924
Royan (600mm Steam) 1890-1945
St.Galmier (Steam) 1911-1954
St.Romain (Steam) 1897-1929
St.Victor (Steam) 1882-1934
Saumur (Steam) 1896-1930
Seine et Marne (Steam/Petrol)1899-1965
Soissons (Steam) 1905-1914
Tarascon (Steam) 1911-1932
Tarn (600mm Steam/Petrol) 1895-1936
Tarn et Garonne (Steam) 1913-1933
Trinité (Steam) 1923-1935
Trinité (600mm Steam) 1901-1914
Vendée (Steam/Diesel) 1900-1959
Vienne Isère (Horse/Steam/Petrol)1891-1939
La Vienne (Steam/Petrol) 1895-1933
Voiron (Steam/Petrol) 1894-1938

Compressed Air Tramways


City/Town/District Opened-Closed
Aix-les-Bains1897-1908
Nantes1879-1913
Paris - CFN1887-1900
Paris - CGO1894-1914
Paris - PA1895-1901
Paris - TN1876-1876
Paris - TSM1894-1900
La Rochelle1901-1929
St.Quentin1899-1908
Vichy-Cusset1895-1927

Transporter Bridges


City/Town/District Opened-Closed
Brest1909-1944
Rouen1899-1940
Marseille1905-1944
Martrou1900-date
Nantes1903-1957
St.Malo-St.Servan (rolling bridge)1873-1923

Traditional Trolleybus Systems Still In Service


City/Town/District Opened
Limoges 1943
Lyon1935
St.Étienne1942

'Second Generation' Tramways


City/Town/District Opened
Angers2011
Aubagne 2014
Avignon 2019
Besançon 2015
Bordeaux2003
Brest 2012
Caen (Guided trolleybus)2002-2017
Caen2019
Clermont-Ferrand (Translohr guided vehicle)2006
Dijon 2012
Grenoble 1987
Le Havre 2012
Lyon2001
Lyon - Airport (Rhônexpress)2010
Le Mans 2007
Marseille 2007
Montpellier 2000
Mulhouse2006
Nancy (Guided trolleybus)2001
Nantes1985
Nice 2007
Orléans2000
Paris1992
Reims2011
Rouen 1994
Strasbourg1994
Toulouse 2010
Tours2013
Valenciennes 2006

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