The Lyon tramway () comprises eight lines, seven lines operated by TCL and one by Rhônexpress in the city of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. The original tramway network in Lyon was developed in 1879, and the modern network was built in 2001.
Lines T1 and T2 opened in January 2001; T3 opened in December 2006; line T4 opened in April 2009; line Rhônexpress (airport connector) opened in August 2010; line T5 opened in November 2012; line T6 opened in November 2019 and line T7 opened in February 2021. The tramway system complements the Lyon Metro and forms an integral part of the public transportation system (TCL) in Lyon. The network of 7 tram lines (T1-T7) operated by TCL runs ; the single line operated by Rhônexpress runs for (including approximately shared with the T3 tram line). The network is currently served by 73 Alstom Citadis 302 and 34 Alstom Citadis 402 trams.
Line T1 extends from Debourg to La Doua–IUT Feyssine via Perrache, Gare Part-Dieu–Vivier Merle and Charpennes. Line T2 runs from Hôtel de Région–Montrochet to Saint-Priest - Bel-Air via Perrache, Jean Macé, Grange Blanche and Porte des Alpes. Line T3 goes from Gare Part-Dieu–Villette to Meyzieu–ZI (on weekends) and Meyzieu–Les Panettes (on weekdays) via Vaulx-en-Velin–La Soie. Line T4 runs from La Doua–Gaston Berger to Hôpital Feyzin Vénissieux via Charpennes, Gare Part-Dieu–Villette, Jet d'Eau–Mendès France and Gare de Vénissieux. Line T5 runs from Grange Blanche to Eurexpo. Line T6 runs from Debourg to Hôpitaux Est–Pinel via Beauvisage–CISL, Mermoz–Pinel and Desgenettes. Line T7 links Vaulx-en-Velin–La Soie to Décines–OL Vallée.
History: the original network (1879 - 1957)
The first steam-driven tram line, the number 12, linked Lyon and Vénissieux in 1888. The network was electrified between 1893 and 1899. Extensions to the suburbs were built until 1914. This was the height of the network - high quality service, low price, high frequency and high profitability for shareholders. The inflation between World War I and World War II made the network unprofitable. Beginning in the 1930s, tramways were progressively replaced with trolleybuses and later buses. A modernization plan, including underground sections in the city centre, planned in the 1940s was rapidly abandoned. The last urban tram ran on line 4 in January 1956 and the last suburban tram, the "Train bleu" in Neuville-sur-Saône, was abandoned in June 1957.
Original OTL network
The first tram network was built and operated by the Compagnie des Omnibus et tramways de Lyon (OTL), founded in 1879. It consisted of ten (standard gauge), horse-drawn lines with a total length of 44 km serving Lyon, Villeurbanne, La Mulatière et Oullins .
In 1894, new electric trams were in service with these lines: 1 : Bellecour – Monplaisir via Pont de la Guillotière and Grande Rue de la Guillotière 2 : Bellecour – Montchat 3 : Cordeliers – Villeurbanne 4 : Parc de la Tête d'or – La Mouche (now Jean Macé), extended to Perrache 5 : Bellecour – Pont d'Écully via Pont du Change 6 : Terreaux – Gare de Vaise via Quai Saint-Vincent 7 : Perrache – Les Brotteaux via Pont Morand 8 : Pont Morand – Saint-Clair 9 : Bellecour – Saint-Paul via Pont Tilsitt (now Pont Bonaparte) 10 : Bellecour – Oullins.
The first line to open was line 5, from Place Bellecour to Vaise along the Saône river, competing with riverboats. Lines 1 and 7 followed the approximate routes of the current metro lines D and A, respectively. The network was gradually extended, by the OTL and by acquisitions of competing operators, between 1894 and 1914.
OTL extensions
11 : Bellecour - Bon-Coin (Villeurbanne) 12 : Bellecour - Saint-Fons, extended to Vénissieux 13 : Cours Bayard (south of Perrache) - Place Commandant Arnaud (at the Croix-Rousse) 14 : Pont d'Oullins - Chaponost 15 : Charité - Pierre-Bénite 16 : Bellecour - Meyzieu - La Balme (Isère) 17 : Tolozan - Montluel (Ain) 18 : Gare Saint-Paul - La Mouche, extended to Gerland 28 : Cordeliers - Brotteaux 31 : Pont-Mouton - Saint-Rambert-l'Île-Barbe 32 : Charité - Vitriolerie.
La Société du Tramway d'Écully
(Metre gauge) lines to the northwest, acquired by the OTL in 1894. 19 : Pont-Mouton - Écully 20 : Pont-Mouton - Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-d'Or 21 : Pont-Mouton - Champagne-au-Mont-d'Or, extended to Limonest. 22 : Pont-Mouton - Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or.