The funeral procession wound through Strasbourg's streets on May 1, 1960. Mourners followed the final tram as it made its last journey before the city ripped up the tracks. Like hundreds of cities across Europe and North America, Strasbourg had decided its future belonged to cars. The trams had to go.

Thirty-four years later, on November 26, 1994, Strasbourg opened a gleaming new tram line. The resurrection proved so successful that the city now operates over 40 miles of track across six lines, carrying 127 million trips in 2019. What changed? And why are cities across Europe now racing to bring back the very transit systems they once buried under asphalt?

The Great Tram Massacre

At their peak in 1930, around 900 cities worldwide operated trams. Then came the car. By the 1960s, nearly two-thirds of those systems had vanished. Cities convinced themselves that rubber-tired buses offered more flexibility. That cars represented progress and freedom. That overhead wires looked ugly.

The human cost of this shift has been staggering. Cars have caused at least 60 million deaths and 2 billion injuries globally. Many victims were pedestrians or cyclists who once shared streets safely with trams.

But not every city followed this path. Germany stands out as the great exception. Sixty German cities kept their tram systems running through the post-war decades. Hamburg and West Berlin eliminated theirs by the late 1960s, but most resisted the pressure to modernize by removing rails.

Post-war fuel shortages gave electric trams an economic advantage over diesel buses. German cities also had strong municipal transit operators with political clout. And perhaps most importantly, the public never fully embraced the idea that cars should dominate city streets.

France's Dramatic Return

France took the opposite journey. By the early 1990s, only four French cities still operated trams. Then Strasbourg's revival changed everything.

Mayor Catherine Trautmann, elected in 1989, championed the tram despite fierce opposition. Critics said it would cost too much. That it would disrupt traffic. That buses could do the job better. Trautmann pushed ahead anyway.

The results silenced the skeptics. Ridership exceeded projections. Property values along the tram route increased. The mayor won reelection in 1995, buoyed by the tram's success. And other French cities took notice.

Today, France has 29 modern tram systems, with two more under construction. Twenty-five cities have revived their once-shuttered networks. Nantes led the way in 1985, followed by Grenoble in 1987 and Paris in 1992. But Strasbourg's system became the model others studied and copied.

The pandemic tested these investments. Strasbourg's tram maintained 70% of pre-pandemic ridership in 2020. Paris metro managed only 50%. New York's subway fell to 38%. Trams proved more resilient than expected, partly because they serve neighborhoods rather than just commuters.

Building Neighborhoods Around Trams

Freiburg, Germany, demonstrates how trams can shape entire neighborhoods from the ground up. When the city planned the Rieselfeld district in the 1990s, it built a 1.3-kilometer tram line before most residents moved in. Three stops with grass track opened in 1997.

The Vauban eco-neighborhood followed a similar approach. A 2.5-kilometer tram line opened in 2006 at a cost of €18 million. The results are striking: 70% of Vauban households live without a car. The neighborhood designed itself around walking, cycling, and the tram connection.

Across Freiburg, only 30% of trips happen by car. The tram network carries over 80 million passengers per year. This didn't happen by accident. The city made a deliberate choice to prioritize transit over cars when planning new development.

This approach flips conventional planning on its head. Instead of building neighborhoods and hoping transit will follow, these cities install the tram first. Development then clusters around stations. People choose housing based on transit access rather than parking spaces.

The Economics of Rails

Every euro spent on local public transport in Germany generates around three euros in added economic value to GDP, according to a 2025 study by MCube and Technical University of Munich. This multiplier effect comes from several sources.

Trams reduce congestion, saving time for everyone on the road. They cut air pollution, reducing healthcare costs. They increase property values near stations. They enable denser development, which supports local businesses. And they reduce the need for expensive parking infrastructure.

Karlsruhe pioneered another economic innovation: the tram-train. Using dual-voltage vehicles, the system links street tramlines to regional rail tracks. Passengers can ride from suburban villages directly into the city center without transferring. This extends the tram's reach without building entirely separate systems.

The approach has spread across Germany and beyond. It maximizes the value of existing rail infrastructure while providing seamless urban and regional connections.

Redesigning Streets

Bringing back trams requires more than laying track. It demands rethinking how streets function.

Strasbourg established a pedestrian zone around its cathedral on August 5, 1973, two decades before the tram returned. This early step showed that streets could serve purposes beyond moving cars. When the tram arrived, it reinforced this vision rather than competing with it.

Modern tram systems integrate with pedestrian zones, traffic calming measures, and low-emission zones. In many cities, tram routes become linear parks. Grass grows between the rails. Trees line the tracks. Pedestrians cross freely at most points, not just designated crossings.

Barcelona introduced catenary-free APS technology in 2024, using Alstom's ground-level power supply system. This removes overhead wires for aesthetic reasons, particularly in historic districts. The trams draw power from segments embedded in the pavement, activated only when a train passes overhead.

These design choices reflect a fundamental shift. Cars no longer dictate street design. Instead, streets accommodate multiple uses: movement, gathering, commerce, and greenery. Trams enable this flexibility because they're predictable, quiet, and space-efficient.

The Continental Divide

Europe now has nearly 60% of global tram network length and generates almost 75% of total tram ridership worldwide. This concentration reflects different urban planning philosophies across continents.

A 2025 study by Rafael Prieto-Curiel found that cities with metro systems have significantly lower car journey shares than cities with only trams or no rail system. But trams still substantially reduce car dependence compared to bus-only cities.

Italy exemplifies the current momentum. The country has 250 kilometers of new tram lines under development as of April 2025. Italian cities are experiencing a tram renaissance after decades of car-centric planning.

East Berlin opened a 4.5-kilometer tram line in 1991 through the Hellersdorf housing estate after reunification. This demonstrated that even post-socialist cities could expand tram networks when political will existed.

Strasbourg's system expanded internationally in 2017, crossing the Rhine to Kehl, Germany. This cross-border line shows how trams can knit together metropolitan regions that span national boundaries.

Why Now?

Several forces are driving the tram revival. Climate change makes electric transit essential. Urban density is increasing as people move to cities. Young people are less interested in car ownership. And the pandemic revealed the fragility of car-dependent systems when fuel prices spiked.

But perhaps the most important factor is simply experience. Cities that kept or restored trams can demonstrate their benefits. Strasbourg's success inspired dozens of French cities. German cities that preserved their systems never had to relearn how to operate them.

Professor Hartmut Topp identified three key factors in German tram survival in 1998: pragmatism, strong municipal operators, and public acceptance. These same factors now drive expansion. Cities take pragmatic approaches, adapting systems to local needs. Municipal operators have technical expertise and institutional memory. And the public increasingly accepts that car-dominated cities don't work.

The tram renaissance isn't about nostalgia. Modern systems use low-floor vehicles for easy boarding. Real-time arrival information appears on smartphones. Contactless payment simplifies ticketing. These aren't your great-grandfather's streetcars.

The Post-Car City

The revival of rail transport marks a broader transformation. European cities are redesigning themselves around people rather than vehicles. Trams are both symptom and cause of this shift.

They're symptom because cities only invest in trams when they've decided to prioritize transit. And they're cause because once trams arrive, they reshape everything around them. Streets become public spaces. Development clusters around stations. Car ownership becomes optional rather than essential.

This transformation faces obstacles. Installing trams disrupts streets for years. Costs run high, though less than building metro systems. And car-dependent residents often resist changes that make driving less convenient.

But the momentum seems unstoppable. Twenty-five French cities have revived trams in three decades. Italy is building 250 kilometers of new track. Even car-loving nations are reconsidering their choices.

The funeral procession in Strasbourg in 1960 wasn't the end of the story. It was merely an intermission. The trams are back, and they're redesigning European cities for a post-car future. The question isn't whether other cities will follow, but how quickly they can catch up.