Beginnings Various projects to introduce trams to Zurich were proposed from the 1860s onwards. It was not until 1882, however, that the first tram operated in the city. These initial trams were operated by the (ZStG), a private company, and were of
standard gauge ( gauge) and horse-drawn. By 1888 the first electric tramway in Switzerland (the
Vevey–Montreux–Chillon tramway) had opened, and, in 1894, another private company, the (EStZ), started operating
metre gauge ( gauge) electric trams in Zurich. The EStZ only survived for two years before it was taken over by the City of Zurich, who renamed it the
Städtische Strassenbahn Zürich (StStZ). The following year, the horse trams of the ZStG were acquired. • The Oerlikon to Schwamendingen and Seebach to Glattbrugg lines of the ZOS company, closed in 1931. • The Uster to Langholz line of the UOeB company, closed in 1949. • The Wetzikon to Meilen line of the WMB company, closed in 1950. In the city, the initial threat to the tram came from its perceived inflexibility and susceptibility to the growing traffic congestion in the city streets. One proposed solution was the conversion of the less busy tram lines to trolleybus lines, and the first step in this direction was the conversion of tram line 1, from Burgwies to Hardplatz (1954–56). This was followed by the Farbhof to Schlieren section of line 2 (1956–58) which became a westward extension of the same trolleybus line. In practice, the trolleybus service struggled to cope with peak loadings and punctuality did not improve. No further conversions of tram lines to trolleybuses have taken place. The arrival of new trams between 2001 and 2010 led to the retirement of older vehicles. The
Karpfen last ran in regular service in 2006, and the
Mirage in 2010. Many members of both classes have been transferred to
Vinnytsia in
Ukraine.
Tram Zürich West, an extension from
Escher-Wyss-Platz to
Bahnhof Altstetten Nord, in the city of Zurich, opened in December 2011. The resulting reorganisation of lines included a new line 17 from
Hauptbahnhof to
Werdhölzli via
Escher-Wyss-Platz, and the diversion of line 4, which had previously served
Werdhölzli, to Altstetten.
The procurement of more low floor trams tram to arrive in Zurich|256x256px While delivery of the cobra occurred, the VBZ prepared to order another batch of low floor trams to replace the Tram 2000. By 2010, it had conducted trials of three existing tram types on its network. These were the
Stadler Tango, the
Siemens Combino and the
Bombardier Flexity. by November 2012 requested tenders for the supply of 30 new trams, together with an option for the supply of a further 70 vehicles. The first trams were to be delivered in December 2016, and were to be 100% low floor with capacity for at least 225 passengers. In response, by April 2013 five suppliers had submitted bids. In May 2016, it was announced that VBZ had awarded a contract worth 358 million
Swiss Francs to
Bombardier Transportation for the supply of 70 7-section
Flexity 2 trams, with an option for a further 70, to be delivered between 2018 and 2023. The trams were long and wide, and were capable of carrying 90 seated and 186 standing passengers. Both
Stadler Rail and
Siemens filed complaints with the Administrative Court of the Canton of Zurich, causing the finalisation of the contract to be suspended, but the court ruled in February 2017 that VBZ could conclude the contract with Bombardier. After both Stadler and Siemens decided not to appeal this decision to the
Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, the contract was finally signed on 2 March 2017.
System extensions and network re-shuffling In 2017, line 8 was extended from
Hardplatz to
Hardturm, via a new track over Hardbrücke, the first tram line to cross the main railway line through Zurich (project
Tram Hardbrücke). An extension of the tracks from
Hardbrücke to
Bucheggplatz and
Milchbuck (project
Rosengartentram und Rosengartentunnel), along with the opening of two new tram lines, was rejected by a referendum in 2020, however. This project would have also included a loop tunnel for the cars between
Hardbrücke and
Bucheggplatz. In September 2019, city line 2 was extended from Farbhof to Geissweid (
Schlieren), a distance of with seven stops. The new line operates over the first section of the so-called Limmatalbahn, not to be confused with the defunct
Limmattal tramway, and replaces
trolleybus line 31 over that section (line 31 now terminates at
Hermetschloo station). The second section of the Limmattalbahn opened in December 2022. The
Limmattalbahn is a
light rail service (line 20) from
Altstetten railway station to
Killwangen-Spreitenbach railway station. It is operated by
Aargau Verkehr AG (AVA). The extension of line 2, together with a delay to the delivery of the
Bombardier Flexity trams on order, required a reorganisation of other lines in order to free up trams for line 2. In addition two
Mirage trams, withdrawn from service nearly ten years earlier but held in reserve, were reinstated to cover some peak workings. The first of the new Flexity trams arrived in Zurich on 13 November 2019, was not expected to enter passenger service until the summer of 2020. Service of the Flexity finally began on the 15th of October 2020.
Network revision December 2025 On 14 December 2025, Zurich's tram network underwent a major revision. This revision, dubbed the "biggest in the history of the VBZ", resulted from the combination of long-term network development and temporary rerouting due to construction. The expansion in this area is referred to as the . and serves twice as frequently, reducing the 7.5 minute intervals to 3.75 minutes during peak times. No trams are able to serve the stop during the construction. The stop will only re-enter service with the timetable change in December 2026. As a result, this temporarily disconnects most the "northern" and "southern" tram network of Zurich, with the line 7 remaining the only north-south connection for a year. In the northern network, the temporary 50 and 51 were created to take over the disconnected parts of the lines 4, 11, 13, and 14.
History preserved The
Zurich Tram Museum, located at the former tram depot at Burgwies (on tram line 4), preserves many examples of Zurich's former tramcar fleet, along with other related exhibits. == Current and historic operators ==