In addition to the Paris Metro and the RATP bus service, the Paris public transit system includes two currently operating tramway lines, with several additional lines planned. The tramways are operated by RATP.

From 1855 to 1938, Paris was served by an extensive tramway network, predating Metro service by nearly a half-century. Elements of this network functioned until 1957, when the last tram to Versailles was taken out of service.

Originally horse-powered, Paris trams evolved with new technologies, using steam-powered and later pneumatic engines, and finally submitting to electrification. With the arrival of the automobile, the network was increasingly seen as poorly adapted to the modern city and was progressively dismantled in favour of fixed rail systems like the Metro and conventional buses.

The funicular that operated in Belleville from 1891 to 1924 is sometimes erroneously thought of as a tramway.

Paris' new tramway system began operating in 1992 with the T1 line. The second line (T2 opened in 1997. The T3, T4 and T8 lines are projected to enter into service in late 2006.

As of February 2006, only two tramway lines are in service, both serving Paris' inner suburbs.

The T1 line connects Saint-Denis to Noisy-le-Sec, parallel to Paris northern city limit. It opened in 1992, and the extension to Noisy-le-Sec was completed in December 2003. An extension west to Asnières and Gennevilliers is expected to open in 2010, and a continuation to Nanterre is planned. An eastwards extension to Montreuil and eventually to the Val de Fontenay RER station is in the works.

The T2 line, called the Trans Val-de-Seine line, connects La Défense to Issy-les-Moulineaux west of Paris. It started service in 1997 along an abandonned SNCF right-of-way.

Because of the success of this line (65,000 people use it daily) the trams were doubled in length in 2005, raising the capacity of each tram to 440 passengers.

Two extension projects are planned for completion in 2009: a northward extension to Bezons and a southward one to Porte de Versailles, a transfer point to and from Metro line 12 and the projected T3 line.

In october 2005, construction started on a new tram line, the first intended to operate in Paris proper. The T3 line (Tramway des Maréchaux because it follows the Boulevard des Maréchaux for much of its route) will connect the Boulevard Victor RER station in the western part of the XVe arrondissement to the Porte d'Ivry metro station in the XIIIe arrondissement.

It is projected to open in December 2006, and is expected to carry roughly 100,000 passengers per day.

Further planned extensions include a link to Porte de Charenton in 2011 and eventually Porte de la Chapelle.

Also under construction, the T4 line is to be a tram-train system, operating in part on SNCF lines, connecting Bondy RER station to Aulnay-sous-Bois station. It is expected to open in 2006.

Finally, the current tramway expansion plans foresee the construction of a fifth line - provisionally numbered T8 - connecting the Châtillon – Montrouge metro station to Viroflay Rive Droite on the Transilien Paris - Saint-Lazare rail line. Construction is expected to begin in late 2006.

The Trans-Val-de-Marne bus line, which runs in designated bus lane and is intended to provide rapid transit southeast of Paris in the département of Val-de-Marne, is operated by RATP. However, despite beginning with a T, it is not a part of the tramway network.

Other prospective lines have been proposed or are under discussion:

• A line connecting Saint-Denis, Épinay-sur-Seine and Villetaneuse, including a connection to the future rue de l'Évangile station in Paris, projected for 2010 on the RER E line. This was proposed as a part of Paris' failed bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.
• A rubber tired tram connecting Saint-Denis, Pierrefitte-sur-Seine and Sarcelles.
• A line connecting Villejuif, Orly, Athis-Mons and Juvisy-sur-Orge.
• A line connecting Sèvres and Boulogne-Billancourt, in order to connect the western and southwestern suburbs to Metro line 9, line 10, and the T2 tram line.

• Tramway

• Tram line routes at the RATP official website (in French)
• T2 Paris official website (in French)
• Boulevards des Maréchaux Tramway (in French)
• RATP official extension information (in French)

The page draws heavily on the corresponding French Wikipedia article "Tramway parisien", accessed 19 February 2006.