Edinburgh's first tram began operation


1871 - 1956

The Edinburgh Street Tramways Company ran the first tram from Haymarket in the west of the city to Bernard Street in Leith on the 6th November 1871. The vehicle was horse-drawn and continued in operation until 1904. The Northern Tramways Company began a cable-hauled service in the city in 1888 and the first electric trams were introduced in Musselburgh (1904) and Leith (1905). Edinburgh Corporation took over the system in 1919 and electric trams were introduced across the city in 1922, with the last cable-hauled service withdrawn the following year. The service grew to encompass an extensive network of lines across the city. Edinburgh's original tram system was discontinued in 1956, having been replaced by buses, many of which have the same numbers and follow much the same routes as their predecessors. The new Edinburgh Tram Line opened in 2014.


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