Streetcars in Mexico City

Mexico City once had an extensive network of streetcars. Most streetcar lines in Mexico City radiated from the city's central square, the Zócalo towards many parts of the city. By the 1980s only one streetcar line survived, which itself was converted into the Xochimilco Light Rail line in 1986.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Mexico City was in need of new means of transportation. Since the 1830s efforts had been made to build a railway.

In 1840, 1849, and 1959, various concessions were granted to build a permanent urban railway without any result.

In 1856, an American Texan, George Louis Hammeken, was granted a concession to build an animal-powered street railway from the Zócalo, Mexico City's central square, to Tacubaya, now in the west-central part of the city. The Ferrocarril de Tacubaya opened on January 1, 1858.

July 4, 1858, president Ignacio Comonfort opened the first railway line between Mexico City and Villa Guadalupe (La Villa).

In 1868 the "Ferrocarril de Chalco" opened a second street railway to Tacubaya along Avenida Chapultepec. This network was extended to San Ángel and Tlalpan in 1869; however it never was extended to the line's namesake town of Chalco.

The Ferrocarril de Tacubaya opened a second line to Popotla, near the Calzada México-Tacuba (Tacuba causeway).

After these initial lines, different companies were created for the exploitation of street railways.

The Compañía de Ferrocarriles del Distrito Federal, organized in 1878, began to install lines for animal-powered street railways including one in the Calzada de Tlalpan (Tlalpan Causeway), and controlled street railway lines until 1901. In 1882 it was reorganized and absorbed a large part of the street railway network in the city.

In 1890 that company had 3000 mules, 600 cars, and 200 kilometers (120 mi) of rail line. Lines ran north as far as Tlalnepantla, as far south as Tlalpan, as far east as Peñón de los Baños.

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