Restoration work on the sidewalks of the historic center has revealed traces of one of the first tram lines in service in São Paulo. It connected Largo São Bento to neighborhoods such as Brás and Penha, passing through Dom Pedro 2 park.THE. The discovery was made between Padre Manoel da Nóbrega Square and 15 de Novembro Street and is currently being monitored by the A Lasca archeology firm.
Electric trams began operating in the city in 1900 at the initiative of the Canadian company São Paulo Tramway, Light & Power, Light. They replace the models pulled by animals, which circulated from 1872.
The first line powered by electricity connected Largo São Bento to Barra Funda, passing through Avenida São João. In the year of its inauguration, eight other lines entered service, including the recently discovered one, with a total of 24 km of tracks and 25 vehicles. Each of them had the capacity to carry 45 seated passengers, but this number reached 70, with people standing and on the running boards.
Trams have left their mark on several generations of São Paulo residents and are part of the city’s emotional memory. They were decisive for the development of São Paulo, connecting the center to the outlying neighborhoods and transporting thousands of people daily. In its first year of operation, it welcomed approximately 3.4 million passengers.
Although buses did not appear, their routes expanded rapidly, reaching 100 miles (160 km) in the first ten years of operation and tripling that number between the 1920s and 1940s, reaching all regions of the city. At its peak, 450 of these electric vehicles were on the road.
For Light, there is a synergy between the supply of electricity and the extension of the tram network. The two services moved forward together. As electricity reached neighborhoods, it was also used to power the transportation system. The Canadian company exercised a monopoly and directly influenced urban expansion and real estate appreciation.
Among the paths discovered on Rua 15 de Novembro, very close to the Pateo do Collegio, there is a rare example of a curve, at the confluence with Padre Manoel da Nóbrega square. The town hall intends to preserve them and keep them exposed, possibly with a certain transparency.
A sign placed at the site defines it as an “area of archaeological interest”. In collaboration with Iphan (Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage) and A Lasca, the municipal administration is studying a solution to promote its discovery.
São Paulo is the fourth Brazilian municipality to adopt electric trams, after Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Manaus. They constituted the main means of transport at a time when the city experienced dizzying expansion. In 1900, its population was 240 thousand inhabitants. In 1941, the year Light’s exclusive contract with the town hall expired, the number of inhabitants rose to 1.32 million.
Starting in 1946, the CMTC (Companhia Municipal de Transportes Coletivos) incorporated electric trams and gradually began to deactivate them on the grounds that they hindered traffic, leaving room for buses.
Important lines were interrupted, such as those leading to neighborhoods like Mooca, Santana, Penha and Pinheiros. But this process lasted more than 20 years. The last tram ran in March 1968 on the route between the Instituto Biológico, in Vila Mariana, and Santo Amaro.
A bit of this history can be recalled in a photographic exhibition at the Energy Museum entitled “Electromemory: Light reveals São Paulo”, open until January 11, in which trams are one of the protagonists. You can see images documenting the company’s works and services that played a crucial role in the city’s transformation.
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