Here’s an intriguing historical fact most porteños don’t even know: Buenos Aires used to be called ‘the city of trams.” In its heyday, Buenos Aires’ tramway was the most extensive in the world, the city streets laid with 533 miles of tracks. Streetcars were horsedrawn at the end of the 20th century, then electric from 1897 onward, serving as the main mode of public transportation between the various neighborhoods and little towns of Greater Buenos Aires. By 1920, four companies ran nearly 100 routes, transporting 600,000 passengers per year. There’s little reminder of this spectacular system these days, save for a preserved section of the tramway in Caballito. Go for a ride back in time on one of the old-fashioned European streetcars, free on weekends. The car pictured here was brought over from Belgium: a gift from Brussels to Buenos Aires.
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A streetcar named desire
Here’s an intriguing historical fact most porteños don’t even know: Buenos Aires used to be called ‘the city of trams.” In its heyday, Buenos Aires’ tramway was the most extensive in the world, the city streets laid with 533 miles of tracks. Streetcars were horsedrawn at the end of the 20th century, then electric from 1897 onward, serving as the main mode of public transportation between the various neighborhoods and little towns of Greater Buenos Aires. By 1920, four companies ran nearly 100 routes, transporting 600,000 passengers per year. There’s little reminder of this spectacular system these days, save for a preserved section of the tramway in Caballito. Go for a ride back in time on one of the old-fashioned European streetcars, free on weekends. The car pictured here was brought over from Belgium: a gift from Brussels to Buenos Aires.
