This is a list of town tramway systems in the United Kingdom divided by constituent country and by regions of England. It includes all tram systems, past and present. Most of the tram systems operated on (SG) or track, although there were a small number of other gauges used. Where known, the track gauge is indicated in the 'Notes' column.
Most of these systems have closed, but a list of the remaining systems can be found at List of modern tramway and light rail systems in the United Kingdom. At the peak of Britain’s first-generation tramways, it was possible to travel all the way from Pier Head at Liverpool to the Pennines in Rochdale by tram.
England, by region
East Midlands
Location Name of system Tractiontype Date (from) Date (to) Notes Alford Alford and Sutton Tramway Steam 2 April 1884 December 1889 Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent Corporation Tramways Electric 3 August 1903 31 December 1929 Burton and Ashby Light Railways Electric 13 June 1906 19 February 1927 Chesterfield Chesterfield and District Tramways Horse 8 November 1882 end of 1904 SG Chesterfield Corporation Tramways Electric 20 December 1904 23 May 1927 SG Derby Derby Tramways Company Horse 6 March 1880 1 June 1907 Derby Corporation Tramways Electric 27 July 1904 29 June 1934 Ilkeston Ilkeston Corporation Tramways Electric 16 May 1903 15 January 1931 Leicester Leicester Tramways Company Horse 24 December 1874 31 October 1904 SG Leicester Corporation Tramways Electric 18 May 1904 9 November 1949 SG Lincoln Lincoln Tramways Company Horse 8 September 1882 22 July 1905 SG Lincoln Corporation Tramways Electric 23 November 1905 4 March 1929 SG Mansfield Mansfield & District Light Railways. Electric 16 July 1905 9 October 1932 SG Matlock Matlock Cable Tramway Cable 28 March 1893 30 September 1927 SG Northampton Northampton Street Tramways Horse 4 June 1881 18 August 1904 Northampton Corporation Tramways Electric 21 July 1904 15 December 1934 Nottingham Nottingham and District Tramways Company Limited Horse 17 September 1878 30 April 1902 SG Steam 1885 1889 SG Nottingham Corporation Tramways Electric 1 January 1901 5 September 1936 SG Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Tramways Company Electric 4 July 1913 5 October 1932 SG Nottingham Express Transit Electric 9 March 2004 SG
East of England
Location Name of system Tractiontype Date (from) Date (to) Notes Cambridge Cambridge Street Tramways Horse 28 October 1880 18 February 1914 SG Canvey Island Canvey Island Tramways Horse 1901 c.1904 Monorail. Colchester Colchester Corporation Tramways Electric 28 July 1904 8 December 1929 Ipswich Ipswich Tramway Horse 13 October 1880 6 June 1903 Ipswich Corporation Tramways Electric 23 November 1903 26 July 1926 Lowestoft Lowestoft Corporation Tramways Electric 22 July 1903 8 May 1931 Luton Luton Corporation Tramways Electric 21 February 1908 16 April 1932 SG Norwich Norwich Electric Tramways Electric 30 July 1900 10 December 1935 Peterborough Peterborough Tramways Electric 24 January 1903 15 November 1930 Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea Corporation Tramways Electric 19 July 1901 8 April 1942 Wisbech Wisbech and Upwell Tramway Steam/Diesel 20 August 1883 31 December 1927 SG Great Yarmouth Yarmouth and Gorleston Tramways Horse 25 March 1875 4 July 1905 then Great Yarmouth Corporation Tramways Electric 19 June 1902 14 December 1933
Greater London
Location Name of system Tractiontype Date (from) Date (to) Notes London Horse 23 March 18612 May 1870 186130 April 1915 SG Cable 1884 1909 . SG. Accumulator (storage battery) 1889 1892 SG Electric 4 April 1901 5 July 1952 SG. see Trams in London. Tram tunnel (Kingsway tramway subway), 24 February 1906 – 5 April 1952.
Note: Horse tramways existed as several unconnected systems north of the Thames, a system (owned and operated by several undertakings) south of the River Thames, and two unconnected systems at Croydon.
Location Name of system Tractiontype Date (from) Date (to) Notes Kew Bridge–Richmond West Metropolitan Tramways Company Horse 1883 1912 SG. Not electrified.
Electric tramways – Inner London
Location Name of system Tractiontype Date (from) Date (to) Notes London County Council 15 May 1903 5 July 1952 To London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) from 1 July 1933. Nationalised on 1 January 1948 as the London Transport Executive.
Note: The LCC tramway system was assembled from predecessors including fourteen municipal and three company undertakings. Tramways were not built in the City of London and the West End of London because of local opposition. The South London system had segments north of the Thames, notably the Victoria Embankment. However, this system was not connected to the North London system until construction of the Kingsway tramway subway. Reintroduction planned: (Cross River Tram scheme), Camden Town / Kings Cross–Euston–Waterloo–Brixton / Peckham .
Other electric tramway operators
Location Name of system Tractiontype Date (from) Date (to) Notes Tramways absorbed by the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB), or closed previously. Clockwise from north: Walthamstow Walthamstow Urban District Council Light Railways Electric 3 June 1905 1939 SG. To LPTB from 1 July 1933. Leyton Leyton Urban District Council Tramways Electric 1 June 1905 1939 SG West Ham West Ham Corporation Tramways Electric 27 February 1904 1940 SG East Ham East Ham Corporation Tramways Electric 22 June 1901 1940 SG Ilford Ilford Urban District Council Tramways Electric 14 March 1903 1938 SG Barking (Town) Barking Town Urban District Council Light Railways Electric 1 December 1903 16 February 1929 SG. (Last tramway line in Barking closed prior to creation of LPTB.) Bexley Bexley Urban District Council Tramways Electric 3 October 1903 24 November 1935 SG Erith Erith Urban District Council Tramways Electric 26 August 1905 9 November 1935 SG Dartford Dartford Urban District Council Light Railways Electric 14 February 1906 23 November 1935 SG. Taken over by London Transport on 1 July 1933 and closed 23 November 1935 Croydon Croydon Tramways Company Horse 9 October 1879 3 January 1902 SG Croydon Corporation Tramways Electric 26 September 1901 7 April 1951 SG South Metropolitan Electric Tramways Electric 14 February 1906 September 1937 West and South London London United Tramways Electric 4 April 1901 1931 SG Middlesex, Hertfordshire Metropolitan Electric Tramways Horse 2 May 1870 1904 (?) SG Electric 22 July 1904 1939 SG Currently operating or proposed: Croydon/South London Tramlink Electric 10 May 2000 SG. Camden–Peckham/Brixton Cross River Tram Electric Proposal shelved since 2008 SG Uxbridge–Shepherd's Bush West London Tram Electric Proposal shelved since 2007 SG
North East England
Location Name of system Tractiontype Date (from) Date (to) Notes Darlington Darlington Street Railroad Company Horse 1 January 1862 1 January 1865 SG Stockton and Darlington Steam Tramway Company Horse 1880 1904 . Horse operated despite the company title. Not connected to the Stockton system operated by this company. Darlington Corporation Light Railways Electric 2 June 1904 10 April 1926 . . Teesside Middlesbrough and Stockton Tramways Company Horse 20 January 1875 1898 SG. Sold out to Imperial Tramways Company in 1878 Stockton and Darlington Steam Tramway Company Steam 17 November 1881 1893 . Not connected to the Darlington system operated by this company. Sold to the Stockton and District Tramways Company in 1893 Stockton and District Tramways Company Steam 1893 1896 . Sold out to Imperial Tramways Company Middlesbrough, Stockton and Thornaby Electric Tramways Company Electric 21 May 1898 2 April 1921 . Operated by Imperial Tramways Company Middlesbrough Corporation Tramways Electric 3 April 1921 9 June 1934 . Middlesbrough, Stockton and Thornaby Electric Tramways Company until 1921 Stockton-on-Tees Corporation Tramways Electric 3 April 1921 9 June 1934 . Middlesbrough, Stockton and Thornaby Electric Tramways Company until 1921 Thornaby on Tees Corporation Tramways Electric 3 April 1921 1 August 1930 . Middlesbrough, Stockton and Thornaby Electric Tramways Company until 1921 Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle and Gosforth Tramways and Carriage Company Horse 5 December 1878 13 April 1901 SG Steam 1882 1897 SG Newcastle Corporation Tramways Electric 16 December 1901 4 March 1950 SG. . Through workings to Gateshead from 1923. Newcastle served by Gateshead tramway system to 4 August 1951. Gosforth–Wallsend–North Shields (Tyneside) Tyneside Tramways and Tramroads Company Electric 22 September 1902 6 April 1930 SG North Shields–Tynemouth–Whitley Bay (Tynemouth) Tynemouth and District Tramways Horse 1883 1884 . Taken over by North Shields and District Tramways Company in 1884 and North Shields and Tynemouth District Tramways in 1897 Steam 1884 1900 Tynemouth and District Electric Traction Company Electric 18 March 1901 4 August 1931 Gateshead Gateshead and District Tramways Company Steam October 1883 8 May 1901 SG Electric 8 May 1901 4 August 1951 SG. . Through working to Newcastle from 1923. South Shields South Shields Tramways Horse 1 August 1883 Mar 1887 1885 31 January 1906 South Shields Corporation Tramways Electric 30 March 1906 31 March 1946 SG. . Jarrow Jarrow and District Electric Tramway Electric 9 November 1906 30 June 1929 SG. . Sunderland Sunderland Tramways Company Horse 28 April 1879 19 February 1901 SG Steam 1880 1880 Sunderland Corporation Tramways Electric 15 August 1900 1 October 1954 SG. . Grangetown–Ryhope–Philadelphia–Hetton-le-Hole (Sunderland District) Sunderland District Electric Tramways Electric 10 June 1905 12 July 1925 SG. West Hartlepool Hartlepools Steam Tramways Company Steam 2 August 1884 21 February 1891 Hartlepool Electric Tramways Electric 19 May 1896 25 March 1927
North West England