{"id":5820,"date":"2026-04-13T08:31:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T07:31:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/birmingham-future.com\/?p=5820"},"modified":"2026-04-13T08:38:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T07:38:21","slug":"birmingham-on-the-move-from-the-tram-to-the-underground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/birmingham-future.com\/en\/eternal-5820-birmingham-on-the-move-from-the-tram-to-the-underground","title":{"rendered":"Birmingham on the move: from the tram to the underground"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Birmingham was like a respectable gentleman trying to make it to a business meeting but constantly getting stuck in the past. The city was entering a new era using rather anachronistic transport\u2014horse-drawn carriages and the \u2018conci\u2019\u2014a \u2019tram carriage on rails pulled by live horses rather than an engine. Consequently, the timetable depended more on the horses\u2019 condition than on the needs of a major industrial centre. The industrial rhythm demanded speed, but, to be honest, hooves didn\u2019t really cope with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But technological progress, as is often the case, did not ask for permission. Electric traction quickly changed the game. The first electric tram set off on its route along Bristol Road in 1901, demonstrating that overhead wires were far more reliable than any previous solutions.  Over the following years, the city actively \u2018switched to rails,\u2019 and by 1904 municipal trams had become an everyday sight. And you can read in detail here about what else the city\u2019s residents managed to ride during the turbulent 20th century: birmingham-future.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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