Christchurch tramway system

You see the trams running now in the inner city of Christchurch, part of a 2.5-kilometer heritage loop that reopened in 1995. That loop was extended in February 2015 with another 1.4-kilometer loop down to High Street.

But the story of trams here goes way back. The earliest proposal for a tramway in Christchurch was on September 26, 1855, at a meeting about how difficult it was for residents to get themselves and their goods to Lyttelton. They talked about wooden and iron tramways and passed a resolution to build either a tramway or a railway.

A month later, on October 16, 1855, the Provincial Council considered a line to Sumner so goods could go to Lyttelton by boat, but that idea was voted down. The issue came up again in 1858, but the Provincial Engineer's estimate of £6,000 stopped progress. The provincial council eventually built a railway instead, with the Christchurch to Ferrymead section opening in 1863 and the Ferrymead to Lyttelton section in 1867.

In 1861, a partnership including William White started building a wooden tramway from Christchurch to Little River to make it cheaper to transport timber and building materials. The plan was for a 38-mile line, starting where Moorhouse Avenue is now, going to Birdlings Flat, then following the present state highway to Little River, and on to Puaha. The gauge was 4 feet, and the estimated cost was £1,023 per mile. White started construction in 1863, building one mile by the end of that year. The project failed due to a lack of capital and issues with neighbors. Work stopped by the end of 1866, but the Christchurch–Halswell Quarry section was completed and used until 1872.

It wasn't until 1876 that the idea of a tramway gained widespread support, after the city had grown and the Tramways Act of 1872 had passed. Trams became a reality on March 9, 1880, with the first services from Cathedral Square to Christchurch Railway Station via Colombo Street. The Canterbury Tramway Company, formed in 1878, ran these. After the first day, track issues suspended services until March 16. That same year, the company opened lines to Christchurch Railway Station via High and Manchester Streets, Papanui Railway Station, the Agricultural Show Grounds, and later to Devon Street. They also ordered more tramcars from local coachbuilders.

Later lines included Addington Railway Station in 1882, the Addington Show Grounds in 1887, Woolston in 1882, then Heathcote in 1882, and finally Sumner in 1888. The lines to Papanui and Sumner were the most profitable. In 1884, the city council started its own line to serve its cemetery and Reserve. Construction began on November 26, 1885, at Latimer Square and was finished by March 1886. It officially opened on April 23, 1886.