Classics Parade
The Classics Parade is an event organised by CARRIS and the Carris Museum, bringing some of CARRIS’s most iconic vehicles back onto the streets of Lisbon, where they have been operating since the beginning of the 20th century.
From the trams imported from the United States in 1901 to the first tram built in the workshops of Santo Amaro Depot, the Classics Parade offers the opportunity to travel on a tram with wicker seats, a double-decker bus, or an orange bus.
CLASSICS PARADE
19 SEPTEMBER | 125 YEARS OF ELECTRIC TRACTION
On 19 September, the Classic Tram Parade returned to the streets of Lisbon, with two journeys between Praça da Figueira and Santo Amaro Station.
As part of the European Mobility Week 2026 programme, under the theme Mobility for Everyone – Intergenerational Justice, organised by Lisbon City Council, this edition celebrated 125 years of electric traction in Lisbon and the 154th anniversary of the founding of Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa.
Ten trams paraded through the streets of the city, representing more than a century of electric traction history in Lisbon.
The classic trams from the Museu da Carris collection included: T1 Tram (1901), “S. Luís” Tram no. 444 (1901), Open Saloon Tram no. 283 (1902), Closed Saloon Tram no. 330 (1906), Tram no. 508 (1924), “Bigodes” Tram no. 535 (1928), “Boi” Tram no. 802 (1939) and “Caixote” Tram no. 741.
They were joined by two themed trams: Tram no. 713, featuring Madeira embroidery inside and out by Bordal – Bordados da Madeira; and Tram no. 745, covered in cork as part of Electri’Cork, a 2015 project by visual artist Nuno Vasa, using cork supplied by Sofalca and Pelcor.
The 19 September edition of the Classic Tram Parade was dedicated exclusively to CARRIS’s iconic yellow trams. It was on 31 August 1901 that the first electric trams departed from Santo Amaro Station.
Among the trams taking part in the parade were T1 and no. 444, two vehicles from the first series of enclosed electric trams to enter service in Lisbon in 1901.
In 1902, Open Saloon Tram no. 283 entered service. The term “Saloon Tram” refers to the size of the vehicle, which was longer and had a greater passenger capacity than the other trams. In 1906, a new series of Saloon Trams was introduced, this time enclosed, including Tram no. 330. All these vehicles were imported from the United States of America.
In 1924, CARRIS began a new chapter in the history of electric traction in Lisbon, introducing its first series of electric trams with bodies built in the CARRIS workshops. Tram no. 508, which retained the appearance of the vehicles imported from the United States of America, was part of this first series. In 1928, the famous Standard Tram left the CARRIS workshops, including Tram no. 535, nicknamed “Bigodes” (“Moustache”) after the black cables used to connect it to a trailer equipped with pneumatic brakes.
In 1939, Tram no. 802 left the CARRIS workshops. Nicknamed “Boi” (“Ox”), it was another higher-capacity vehicle, built to operate on Lisbon’s main radial routes. In 1947, CARRIS built its first “Caixote” (“Box”) trams, with Tram no. 741 belonging to this series.
Until the next parade, all the trams from the Museu da Carris collection are on display in Nucleus 2 of the Museum.
19 SEPTEMBER | CLASSICS PARADE
6 JUNE | CLASSICS PARADE
Participate and come see them pass by
Travel in our Classics or wave at them from the street! Among the various examples, you can ride on Tram 283, which began running on rails in 1902, or Tram 444 (the “São Luís”), dating back to 1901, with its rattan benches and ornate wooden ceiling.