in
Crich. The first tramways in Leicester started horse-pulled operation in 1874, by the
Leicester Tramways Company. The first route was from the
Clock Tower to
Belgrave. This was soon followed by lines to
West Humberstone and to
Victoria Park, which opened in 1875. 1878 saw further extensions, of the Victoria Park line along London Road to Knighton Road, and new arterial routes along Aylestone Road in the south, and to Woodgate in the north. In 1902 there were 403 horses and 76 vehicles which covered 948,525 miles, and carried 10,743,841 passengers bringing in £47,074 of revenue.
Leicester Corporation took over the tramways in 1901, under the
Leicester Corporation Act 1897. The work to convert to electric traction started in April 1903. The work involved lowering the roadway under seven railway bridges by up to The track was relayed with rails from Hadfield’s Steel Foundry of 110 lbs per yard on the straight sections with the steepest gradient being 1 in 16, and the sharpest curve having a radius of . Interlaced track was installed for short lengths on Belgrave Gate, Humberstone Road and Aylestone Road. The track was paved with granite setts from local quarries except in the centre of town where Jarrah and Karri hard wood blocks were used. The relaying cost in the region of £27,000. The first section of newly electrified route opened on 18 May 1904. The power station was erected on Belgrave Road by the canal which along with a tramway laid along Painter Street into the site, provided two options for the delivery of fuel. The main car depot was erected on a 4.5-acre site on Abbey Park Road comprising 3 tracks with accommodation for 56 cars. Altogether the new system cost £650,000 (). The expansion in 1904 provided links to
Highfields,
Clarendon Park,
Western Park, and
Narborough Road. Another depot stood next to the Bell Hotel on Humberstone Gate. ==Network and routes==