Downtown DistrictAlexandria Governorate
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Squares & streetsThe Alexandria Tram

Squares & streetsThe cosmopolitan city

The Alexandria Tram

Since 1863, the tram has been part of Alexandria’s transport history. The Raml line has been suspended for its upgrade since 4 April 2026.

The cosmopolitan city
1863
Opening hours
The Raml line has been suspended for its upgrade since 4 April 2026; reopening expected in 2028
Tickets
No tram fares while it is closed; replacement buses run
Administrative section
El Attarin — Mahatet El Raml
Open in maps(External link)Watch the filmIts place in time

Image credits

What sets it apart

Blue-and-white Raml cars, some with two decks, beside the yellow city trams

6 documented memories

The documentary

The Alexandria Tram — First run: January 1863

Picture and music credits

Picture and music credits

Chapters

  1. 0:34A railway to Ramleh
  2. 2:07The electric age
  3. 3:33The riders
  4. 4:47A line in waiting

Narrated by a synthetic voice (Google Gemini) reading a script written from documented sources. Arabic and English subtitles are in the player’s captions menu.

Its place in time

The cosmopolitan city · 1860 – 1950

The district at the height of its plurality: Greek, Italian, French, Levantine, Jewish and Armenian communities; the tram, theatres, hotels and cafés; classical, Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings.

  1. Fouad Street — the Canopic Way331 BC — the Canopic Way
  2. Roman Theatre at Kom El DikkaRoman era, most likely 4th century — uncovered in 1964
  3. Shallalat GardensOn the line of the 9th-century wall, under Ibn Tulun
  4. Remains of the Alexandria City Wall9th century — under Ibn Tulun
  5. Misr Railway StationThe railway from the 1850s — present building 1927
  6. Mahatet El Raml & Saad Zaghloul SquareFrom 1863 — the Ramleh line’s terminus
  7. The Alexandria Tram1863
  8. Eliyahu Hanavi SynagogueRebuilt in the 19th century — foundation plaque dated 1881
  9. Graeco-Roman Museum1892
  10. The Statue of Nubar PashaUnveiled in 1904, according to a museum record
  11. The Windsor Palace Hotel1906, by the hotel’s own account
  12. Cavafy MuseumCavafy’s home from 1907 to 1933
  13. The Lycée Al-Horreya1909–1910 — the Shatby building from 1913
  14. Sayed Darwish Theatre — Alexandria Opera House1921 — the Mohamed Ali Theatre
  15. Alexandria National MuseumLate-1920s palace — museum since 2003
  16. The Cecil Hotel1929
  17. Museum of Fine Arts1954
  18. Bibliotheca Alexandrina2002
  • Ancient Alexandria331 BC – 7th century AD
  • The Islamic centuries7th century – 1805
  • The Mohamed Ali revival1805 – 1860
  • The cosmopolitan city1860 – 1950
  • Contemporary Alexandria1950 – today
Mahatet El Raml with its yellow trams, platforms and the clock tower behind the square
Before it in timeMahatet El Raml & Saad Zaghloul SquareFrom 1863 — the Ramleh line’s terminus
The nave of the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue with its tall marble columns
After it in timeEliyahu Hanavi SynagogueRebuilt in the 19th century — foundation plaque dated 1881

Highlights

  • 1The blue Raml line, the oldest
  • 2The yellow city lines, from the late 1890s
  • 3The double-deck cars
  • 4Mahatet El Raml as the starting point

The story

  1. The Raml line began as a railway. In 1860 the Egyptian government engaged the British engineer Sir Edward St John Fairman to build it, and on 8 January 1863 the first train, pulled by four horses, left the station. Steam locomotives replaced the horses that August, and the line went electric in 1903–1904.

  2. The system had two families: the blue Raml line, the older of the two, which ran east from Mahatet El Raml for the suburbs, and the yellow city lines, electric from their start in the late 1890s, serving the inner quarters.

  3. The tram’s history includes double-deck cars on some routes and views of the city from their windows. Read this as a story of transport, and consult the transport guide for alternatives during the upgrade.

  4. The Raml line was partly suspended on 11 February 2026 and stopped entirely on 4 April 2026 for the development and upgrade project run by the National Authority for Tunnels; reopening is expected in 2028, according to the National Authority for Tunnels. Replacement buses and minibuses run along the Corniche, Abu Qir Road (Gamal Abdel Nasser Street) and Bakos routes while the work goes on.

Memories of the place

Every memory is taken from a published, documented source.

  1. 6 August 1860

    The Egyptian government engaged the British engineer Sir Edward St John Fairman to build a railway between Alexandria and Ramleh; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs granted him the concession on 31 October.

  2. 8 January 1863

    The first Ramleh train, pulled by four horses, left the station; in August that year steam locomotives replaced the horses.

  3. 1898Sources differ on this date

    Shortly after Cairo opened Egypt’s first electric tramway, Alexandria acquired a similar network in the town centre. Another account dates its first run to 11 September 1897.

  4. 1903–1904

    The Raml line went electric: conversion began in March 1903, the first electric trains ran on 31 December 1903, and electrification was complete on 25 January 1904.

  5. 6 October 2020

    A restored heritage tram began a daily service, departing roughly every 90 minutes from Saad Zaghloul Square.

  6. 4 April 2026

    The Raml tram stopped entirely for its development and upgrade project; Friday 3 April was the blue cars’ last official day of service. The chairman of the National Authority for Tunnels gives July 2028 as the target for the rebuilt line to start running.

Around it

© OpenStreetMap

Nearby landmarks

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