Rotterdam and trams are inseparably linked. For almost 150 years, trams have been running through our city. This year, the tram network in Rotterdam has undergone significant changes, with different routes and new numbers. Change and progress are part of it, as shown by a brief history of the tram in Rotterdam.
In 1878, the Rotterdamsche Tramweg Maatschappij (RTM) was founded. This company provided the first public transport in Rotterdam with horse trams. The first horse tram ran from Crooswijk via Jonker Fransstraat to Binnenrotte. From 1882, the steam tram was added.
First Electric Tram
In 1905, the first electric tram ran through Rotterdam. The ceremonially opened line 1 ran from Honingerdijk in Kralingen, via Beurs towards the Park. For 7.5 cents, people could take a ride. A return ticket cost 10 cents. By 1906, all steam trams were replaced by the electric variant. Despite this technological progress, the horse tram continued to run.
Not until 1925 was the last horse tram, which went to Overschie, replaced. The electric trams were from a new company that took over almost all tram lines from the RTM: the Rotterdamsche Electrische Tramweg Maatschappij (RETM). The RTM continued to run with steam trams between Rotterdam-Zuid and the South Holland and Zeeland islands.
Part of the Municipality
By now, the tram network had expanded significantly throughout the city. So much so that in 1927, the Municipality of Rotterdam fully acquired the RETM and renamed it the Rotterdamsche Electrische Tram, or RET. All employees joined the municipality. The house color became ocher yellow, and the logo red with black. The RET pushed through and replaced all trams between 1929 and 1931. The Rotterdam trams were now among the most modern in the world and continued to run until the 1960s.
During the reconstruction, not only did the city and the port grow, but also the tram network in Rotterdam. In the 1960s and 1970s, the RET kept up with the times and got new, larger trams. From 1981, these were again replaced by striking, angular trams. The ocher yellow of the RET then became bright yellow. These trams were repainted in green-white in the 1990s, the new house color of the RET.
TramPlus
From 2003, the bulky 80s trams were replaced by the silver-gray Citadis trams. They are quieter, have a lower entry, and can go much faster. The main lines were converted to so-called TramPlus lines, where these modern trams would run. The TramPlus also came to neighborhoods where trams had not run until then. The first line under this new concept was line 20 over the Erasmus Bridge. Every new TramPlus line thereafter received a number from 20. And the house color of the RET gradually became gray. Since 2014, only these types of trams run throughout the city.
New Numbers
At the beginning of 2025, the RET drastically changed the tram lines. For example, the former TramPlus lines were renumbered to short numbers with a logical sequence. Tram 21 and 23, for instance, received numbers 1 and 3. Some lines were also shortened, and other routes were driven. According to the RET, this results in more frequent trams and also causes fewer delays.
And the RTM?
The steam tram was a staple in the South and surrounding areas. It had the gruesome nickname the little murderer due to the many accidents. After the flood disaster of 1953, the steam tram lines to the islands were gradually replaced by bus services. In 1966, the last steam tram of the RTM ran to Hellevoetsluis. On Rosestraat, near De Hef, you can still see a former station and headquarters of the RTM.
Facts and Figures
- Since January 1, 2007, the RET has been an independent company.
- There is 187 km of tram track throughout the city.
- The Rotterdam trams transport about 150,000 passengers per day.
- 79 trams run daily in Rotterdam.
- All these trams together travel about 6 million kilometers per year.