Lisbon’s ‘Electrico 28,’ its iconic old-style tram line that crosses the city, passing through the old Alfama neighborhood and many others, is on everyone’s list of what to do in Lisbon, but it’s also an important cross-city route for local riders as well.
Now Lisbon’s transit operator, Carris, is searching for a way to end the overcrowding of the trams that often keeps people waiting on corners for a space and jams riders so tightly that they can often see little or even get to the exit.
Pedro de Brito Bogas, has acknowledged the need to balance the needs of residents with those of visitors, but also points out that for a good part of the route starting at the beginning, the tram line is also served by Bus 12. “At Martim Moniz, you’ll see no queue for the 12 but a long one for the 28 – it’s the brand that matters,” he said.
He also pointed out that there’s so far no legal way to make separate rules for visitors or locals as long as they have tickets, although there are separate queues for residents and tourists at other facilities, including the Santa Justa lift. For Tram 28, increasing capacity is one way to address it, but the narrow streets of the Alfama mean that only the smaller older trams and the new mini-buses can serve.
