This is a list of street railways in Mexico by state. The list includes all tram systems, past and present.
Note for Mexico (in general): Approximately 1,000 towns had tramways. Most were worked by animal traction, and connected railway stations with town centers. Some lines were worked by small steam locomotives. Horse- or mule-drawn vehicles used on some lines were eventually equipped with petrol (gasoline) engines (Morrison). Opening and closing dates are difficult to establish because the Mexican government did not conduct surveys of tramway systems between 1907 and 1922 (Morrison).
Data for 1907 were published in 1912, by which time the Mexican Revolution (1910–1921) was underway. Thereafter, government statistics included only those tramway systems with federal concessions—e.g. intercity lines—for the years 1922–1934.
The tables below includes fewer than half the number of towns stated by Morrison. Peschkes (Part One, 1980, pages 10–38) tabulates 406 systems, and states (Part Four, 1998, page 140) that an additional 51 systems had been located. The list below excludes hacienda tramways, which transported crops, other goods and passengers to and from plantations.
Aguascalientes
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Compañía Productora y Abastecedora de Potencia Eléctrica de Aguascalientes Aguascalientes Horse Feb 1883 ? Electric 5 May 1904 1931 Asientos – Presa de la Huerta Steam ? ? Calvillo Mule ? ? Lagos Mule ? ? Rincón de Romos Mule ? ? ♦ Rincón de Romos – Tepezalá Mule ? ?
Baja California
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Ensenada Mule ? ? Mexicali Mule ? ? Tecate Mule ? ? Tijuana Mule ? ?
Baja California Sur
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes La Paz Mule ? ? Santa Rosalía Steam ? ? Todos Santos Mule ? ?
Campeche
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes (San Francisco de) Campeche – Lerma Mule ? ? Steam ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? 1941 Chencán – Morelos – Chumal Mule ? ? Ciudad del Carmen Mule ? ? El Pital – Matamoros Mule ? ? El Pital – Escarcega Mule ? ?
Chiapas
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Arriaga Mule ? ? Comitán (de Domínguez) Mule ? ? San Cristóbal (de las Casas) Mule ? ? Tapachula Mule ? ? Tonalá Mule ? ? Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mule ? ?
Chihuahua
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Casas Grandes Mule ? ? Cerrito (or Cerritos) Mule ? ? see note. Compañía Eléctrica y de Ferrocarriles de Chihuahua Chihuahua Mule 1887 1908 Electric 4 Oct 1908 1922 (Santa Rosalía de) Camargo Mule ? ? El Paso Electric Company, Transportation Division (El Paso City Lines) Ciudad Juárez Mule Oct 1882 ? Electric 11 Jan 1902 30 Jul 1973 Operation suspended Aug 1966 – Nov 1967, and Jul 1969 – Nov 1970. International tramway from El Paso, Texas. (See also: List of town tramway systems in North America#Texas.) Allen Morrison, The Tramways of Ciudad Juárez Delicias Mule ? ? Jiménez Mule ? ? Ojinaga Mule ? ? Ferrocarril Urbano de Hidalgo del Parral (Hidalgo del) Parral Electric Feb 1908 11 Oct 1908 , see note. San Francisco del Oro Mule ? ? San José Mule ? ?
Note for Cerrito: Peschkes (Part One, 1980, Page 28) states that the location of this town is "unknown." Note for (Hidalgo del) Parral: Peschkes (Part One, 1980, page 17) states that animal and electric traction was used in Parral. Morrison states that "Parral never had a horse tram line." Operation of electric tramway suspended (after fewer than nine months) because of electric substation equipment breakdown. It is not known whether the system reopened.
Coahuila
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Allende Horse ? ? Monclova Horse ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? ? ♦ Monclova – Pánuco, Coahuila Steam ? ? Piedras Negras Horse ? ? Saltillo Horse ? ? Accumulator (storage battery) ? ? Torreón Horse 1900 ? Electric Dec 1904 ca. 1940 ,. See also Lerdo (Durango) – Gómez Palacio (Durango) – Torreón. ♦ Torreón – San Pedro (de las Colonias) Horse ? ? ♦ San Pedro de las Colonias Horse ? ? ♦ Torreón – Matamoros (de la Laguna) Horse ? ? Viesca Horse ? ?
Colima
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Colima – Villa de Alvarez Mule ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Manzanillo Petrol (gasoline) ? ?
Durango
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Dinamita Mule ? ? Durango – Cerro de Mercado Mule ? ? Accumulator (storage battery) ? ? Lerdo – Gómez Palacio Horse 1890 ? Electric 3 Mar 1901 3 Mar, 1953, See note. Pedriceña Mule ? ?
Note for Lerdo – Gómez Palacio: Gómez Palacio – Torreón (Coahuila) opened 3 July 1901. See also Torreón, Coahuila.
Guanajuato
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Acámbaro Horse ? ? ♦ Acámbaro – San Pablo Horse ? ? Apaseo el Alto Horse ? ? Ferrocarril Urbano de Celaya Celaya Horse 188_ May 1954 . Believed to be the last town tramway in Mexico (and North America) worked by horse traction. Ferrocarril de Celaya a Santa Cruz Celaya – Roque – Plancarte / Santa Cruz (de Juventino Rosas) Horse ca 1893 ? Petrol (gasoline) ? 1940 Cortazar – Villagrán Horse ? ? Dolores Hidalgo (Cuna de la Independencia Nacional) Horse ? ? Guanajuato – Marfil Horse ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Irapuato Horse ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? ? León Horse ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Pénjamo Horse ? ? Salamanca Horse ? ? ♦ Salamanca – San Juan Horse ? ? (San Andrés de) Salvatierra – San José Horse ? ? San Felipe Horse ? ? San Francisco del Rincón Horse ? ? San Luis de la Paz Horse ? ? San Miguel de Allende Horse ? ? Silao (de la Victoria) Horse ? ? Steam ? ? Silva – Jerécuaro Horse ? ? Steam ? ? Valle de Santiago Horse ? ?
Guerrero
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Chilpancingo (de los Bravo) Horse ? ? Iguala (de la Independencia) Horse ? ?
Hidalgo
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Acopinalco – Chimalpan Horse ? ? Amaninalco – Iroló Horse ? ? Huichapan – San Juan del Río, Querétaro Horse ? ? Los Romeros Horse ? ? Pachuca Horse ? ? Steam ? ? Electric Sep (?) 1913 ca. 1940 San Agustín (Tlaxiaca) Horse ? ? San Idefonso Horse ? ? San Vicente – Estancia Horse ? ? Sandoval Horse ? ? Tetlapayac – Tetlapaya Horse ? ? Tula de Allende Horse ? ? Tulancingo de Bravo Horse ? ?
Jalisco
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Atenquique Horse ? ? Encarnación de Diaz Horse ? ? Guadalajara Horse Jan 1878 ? Electric 14 Sep 1907 1944 ♦ (San Pedro) Tlaquepaque Horse ? ? La Barca Horse ? 1953 Lagos de Moreno Horse ? ? Ocotlán Horse ? ? San Juan de los Lagos Horse ? ? San Marcos ? ? ? Tala Horse ? ? Tepatitlán (de Morelos) Horse ? ? Tequila Horse ? 1952 Zapotlán (del Rey) ? ? ? Zapotlanejo ? ? ?
Estado de México (State of Mexico)
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes El Oro de Hidalgo Horse ? ? Hueyapan – Ciudad Pelon ? ? ? Ixtlahuaca de Rayón – Mani Horse ? ? La Compañía Horse ? ? Otumba (de Gómez Farías) – San Lorenzo – Cuantento – Tlaquiltchan, Hidalgo Horse ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? ? San Felipe del Progreso Horse ? ? San Rafael – Zavaleta Steam ? ? Tecpatepec – Palma Steam ? ? Tenango del Aire Horse ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Teotihuacán (de Arista) – San Juan Horse ? ? Steam ? ? Diesel ? ? Tlalnepantla de Baz Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Toluca (de Lerdo) Horse ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Accumulator (storage battery) ? ? Toluca – San Juan Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Zacatepec Horse ? ? Zoquiapán Diesel ? ? Zumpango (de Ocampo) Horse ? ?
Mexico City
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos (Streetcars in Mexico City, Xochimilco Light Rail) Ciudad de México /Mexico City Horse 12 Dec 1857 24 Nov, 1932 Steam 1865 ? Accumulator (storage battery) 1896 1900 Petrol (gasoline) ? 1934 Electric 15 Jan 1900 19 May 1979 Operation suspended 1911–1915 because of revolution. Xochimilco Light Rail (south end of ex-Tlalpan line) continues in operation. Ferrocarril de Tacubaya Tacubaya Steam 1896 1910
Michoacán (de Ocampo)
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Lázaro Cárdenas – Río Grijalva Horse ? ? La Piedad de Cavadas Horse ? 1941 Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Los Reyes (de Salgado) Horse ? ? Mineral del Oro ? ? ? Morelia Horse ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Accumulator (storage battery) ? ? (Vista Hermosa de) Negrete Horse ? ? Pátzcuaro Horse 188_ 191_ Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Tacámbaro (de Codallos) Horse ? ? Uruapan Horse ? ? Yurécuaro Horse ? ? Zamora Horse 188_ 191_ Petrol (gasoline) ? ? (Heroica) Zitácuaro Horse ? ?
Morelos
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes La heroica e histórica Cuautla de Morelos /Cuautla Horse ? ? Cuernavaca Horse ? ? Nenampa – El Guarda (Tlalpan), Districto Federal Horse ? ? (Juan) Pagaza – Tlaquiltenango Horse ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Puente de Ixtla Horse ? ? Santa Ines ? ? ? Yautepec (de Zaragoza) Horse ? ? Zacatepec (de Hidalgo) – Jojutla (de Juárez) Horse ? ? ♦ Zacatepec (de Hidalgo) – Tlatizapan Horse ? ?
Nayarit
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Acaponeta Horse ? ? Compostela Horse ? ? Ruíz Horse ? ? San Blas Horse ? ? Tepic Horse ? ?
Nuevo León
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Anáhuac Horse ? ? Guadalupe – Minas Viejas Horse ? ? Linares – San José Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Los Aldamas Horse ? ? Montemorelos Horse ? ? Monterrey Horse 1883 ? Electric 15 Jul 1907 30 May 1932 Villa de Santa María de Los Aldamas /Villa Aldamas – Doctor Coss Horse ? ?
Oaxaca
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Ixtepec Horse ? ? Loma Bonita Horse ? ? Oaxaca (de Juárez) Horse ca. 1890 193_ Accumulator (storage battery) (?) ? ? Petrol (gasoline) (?) ? ? ♦ Oaxaca – Ejutla de Crespo Horse ? ? ♦ Oaxaca – Santa María del Tule Horse ? ? San Juan Chapultepec – San Pablo Etla Horse ? ? (San Juan Bautista) Tuxtepec – Sebastopol Horse ? ? (Santo Domingo) Tehuantepec Horse ? ?
Puebla
Name of System Location TractionType Date (From) Date (To) Notes Acatzingo (de Hidalgo) – Huizcolotla – Annatempan Steam ? ? Amozoc – Tepeaco Horse ? ? Apapasco – Tlaloc Horse ? ? Atlixco Horse 1898 ? Petrol (gasoline) ? after 1944 Atencingo – Tlancualpican ? ? ? Chachapa – Capulac ? ? ? Chietla Horse ? ? Ciudad Serdán – Chalchicomulas Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Ciudad Serdán – San Andrés – La Capilla Horse ? ? Esperanza – Xúchil Horse ? ? Galapaxco Horse ? ? see note. Izúcar (de Matamoros) Horse ? ? Compañía de Tranvías, Luz y Fuerza de Puebla Puebla Horse May 1881 ? Petrol (gasoline) ? 10 Oct 1926 Compañía de Tranvías, Luz y Fuerza de Puebla ♦ Puebla – El Valor, Tlaxcala Horse ca. 1890 ? , see note. Petrol (gasoline) ? Mar 1942 , see note. Compañía de Tranvías, Luz y Fuerza de Puebla ♦ Puebla – Cholula (de Rivadavia) – Huexotzingo Horse ca. 1890 ? , see note. Petrol ? 1928 , see note. Electric 27 May 1924 31 Dec, 1941 , see note. Tecamachalco Horse ? ? Tehuacán – El Riego Horse ? ? Petrol (gasoline) ? 1950 San Martín Texmelucan de Labastida /Texmelucan – Tetla – Huexotzingo Horse ? ? Teziutlán Horse ? ?
Note for Galapaxco: Peschkes (Part One, 1980, Page 34) states that the location of this town is "unknown."