This is a list of town tramway systems in Chile by region. It includes all tram systems, past and present. Regions of Chile are arranged geographically, from north to south.
XV Arica-Parinacota
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Arica ? ? ? see note.
Note for Arica: Morrison (1992) states that old postcards show rails in the streets of this town, but no other evidence of a town tramway could be found.
I Tarapacá
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Iquique Horse 1885 192_ Accumulator (storage battery) 1916 (or 1917 ? Petrol (gasoline) ? 1930 Heritage tramway opened October 24, 2004. Pisagua Horse 1889 1917
II Antofagasta
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Antofagasta Horse 1893 1914 Tocopilla Horse 1904 1909 (?)
III Atacama
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Copiapó Horse 1890 1904 (?)
IV Coquimbo
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Coquimbo Horse 1895 1929 La Serena Horse 1887 1922
V Valparaíso
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Cartagena Horse 1909 ca. 1935 Los Andes Horse 1889 ? Limache Horse 1884 193_ Quillota Horse 1884 (?) 1923 (?) San Antonio Horse 188_ ? Steam ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? 193_ San Felipe Horse 1886 1933 (?) Valparaíso Horse March 4, 1863 1907 Electric December 26, 1904 December 30, 1952 . See also Trolleybuses in Valparaíso. ♦ Viña del Mar Horse 1888 1906 Electric see Valparaíso – Viña del Mar ♦ Valparaíso – Viña del Mar Electric January 28, 1906 1947 (Morrison (1992, page 33) states that horse trams worked much of the service until full electric operation began on November 11, 1906).
RM Región Metropolitana de Santiago
Neighboring and suburban tramway systems in the Santiago region, arranged anti- (counter-) clockwise, northwest to east.
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Santiago (de Chile) Horse June 10, 18581920 19121942 . Petrol (gasoline) 1922 1940 . Electric September 2, 1900 February 21, 1959 . Electric January 11, 1902 April 30, 1910 Electric rack tramway, on Cerro Santa Lucía hill. Renca Horse ? ? . Batuco Horse 194_ ca. 1975 Horse tramway operation on branch of Santiago – Valparaíso railway (Morrison (1992, page 54)) . ♦ Santiago – Pudahuel Horse, Steam 1903 192_ Petrol (gasoline) 192_ 1934 Part of line electrified in 1934; remainder of line to Pudahuel and branches to Cerro Navia and Resbalón. Electrified segment closed 1939 ♦ Quinta Normal Horse 1904 1929 . Electric 1929 after 1965 . ♦ Maipú Horse 1910 (?) 193_ ♦ Malloco – Peñaflor Horse 1915 (?) after 1936 . ♦ Melipilla Horse 1915 1932 . ♦ Santiago – San Bernardo Horse 1901 1907 (?) Electric February 9, 1907 May 15, 1948 , . ♦ La Cisterna – La Granja Horse 1907 1942 . ♦ Nos – Santa Inés Horse 1900 1948 . ♦ Santiago – Puente Alto Electric 1925 1962 . ♦ Buin – Santa Rita Horse ? 1938 (?) . ♦ Buin – Maipo Horse 1918 (?) ? . ♦ Puente Alto Electric 1925 195_ (by 1963) . ♦ Chacarilla Horse ? 1923 (?) .
VI O'Higgins
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Graneros Horse 1920 after 1934 (?) Rancagua Horse Jul 1905 1918 Electric July 8, 1918 1930 Morrison describes unsuccessful efforts to find photographs of the Rancagua tramway. Rengo Horse 1872 1918 (?) Electric March 14, 1918 1923 Petrol (gasoline) 1923 ca. 1927 Morrison states that no photographs of the Rengo tramway could be found.
VII Maule
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Cauquenes Horse 1900 1915 (?) Constitución Horse ca. 1915 1934 Molina Horse by 1915 1927 Parral Horse ca. 1911 1928 San Javier Horse 1906 1927 Talca Horse ca. 1884 1916 Electric 1916 1933 Operation suspended December 1, 1928, because of damage caused by earthquake. Part of system restored December 25, 1928. Villa Alegre Electric August 29, 1915 November 26, 1926 Closed Oct 1923, reopened Sep 1925 by a new undertaking. Petrol (gasoline) 1926 1931 Horse traction also used during 1926 – 1931.
Curicó Morrison states that Chilean government statistics reported an animal-powered tramway in Curicó Province, but that histories of Curicó town state that no tramway was built.
VIII Bío-Bío
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Chillán Horse 1877 (or 1884) 194_ Electric 1921 1936 Concepción Horse 1886 1910 Electric July 4, 1908 November 21, 1941 See note. ♦ Concepción – Talcahuano Electric July 4, 1908 November 21, 1941 See note. ♦ Talcahuano Horse 1898 1928 Connected Talcahuano and San Vicente. Electric 1908 November 21, 1941 See note. Pemuco Horse 1909 192_ San Carlos Horse 1894 1928
Non-public tramway:
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Lebu Electric 1914 ?
Note for Concepción, Concepción – Talcahuano and Talcahuano: Operation suspended January 24, 1939 – Feb 1939 because of damage caused by earthquake.
IX Araucanía
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Curacautín Horse (?) 192_ (?) 192_ (?) Temuco Horse 1881 1920 Electric Mar 1919 1936 Southernmost electric tramway system in South America. Traiguén Electric 1903 1929 Passenger service on electric goods (freight) railway (Morrison ).
Collipulli: Morrison states that the tramway listed here in Chilean government statistics was in fact a goods (freight) railway, worked by electric traction.
X Los Lagos
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Puerto Montt Horse 1921 1931
XII Magallanes y Antártica Chilena
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Ferrocarril Mina Loreto Punta Arenas Horse January 29, 1902 1950 Passenger service on railway, connecting docks to coal mine, with part of line built in streets.
References Books, Periodicals and External Links
See also List of town tramway systems List of town tramway systems in South America List of light-rail transit systems List of rapid transit systems List of trolleybus systems