The Turku tramway network was the first—and until the 2021 opening of Tampere Light Rail, second to last—tram system to be operated in Finland. It was operated as horse tramway from 1890 until 1892, and as an electrified tramway from 1908 until 1972. Prior to 1919 the tram system was owned by private interests, and from that year onwards by the City of Turku until closure of the system.
The possible recreation of the tram network and/or a creation of a light rail network have been discussed since the (second) closure of the tram system in 1972. In December 2009 the Turku City Council made the decision that a light rail system (, "fast tramway") system would be realised in the city after an intermediate phase of bus rapid transit.
History
1890–1892: Horse tramway
In 1889 Spårvägsaktiebolaget i Åbo ("Tramway Company in Turku"), led by Count August Armfelt applied for the right to construct a horse-drawn tram line in Turku. The application was positively received in the city council, and already on 4 May 1890 the company opened a tram line between Turku Castle and the city centre. This was the first tram system in Finland, then an autonomous part of Russia. Unusually for a tramway system in Finland, the line was built with a track gauge of , instead of the Russian broad gauge standard of or the gauge used on all subsequent Finnish tramways. Although passenger numbers were relatively high, high maintenance costs led to the horse tramway being unprofitable, and it was closed down already on 31 October 1892. The five tramcars owned by Spårvägsaktiebolaget i Åbo were sold to Stockholms Nya Spårvägsaktiebolag, Sweden in 1894.
1908–1919: Privately owned electric tramway
Due to the city's population increase, the idea of building a tramway in Turku resurfaced during the first years of the 20th century. Building an electrically powered tramway for the city was first proposed in 1905, but due to the lack of local experience in constructing such a system, foreign companies were selected to construct the service. Germany-based AEG, who also owned the electricity plant in Turku, eventually reached an agreement with the city for building a tram network and operating it for forty years, the city having an option to buy the operations after ten years and thereon between five-year intervals.
The new tram network was built to the used on the Helsinki tram network, and it was opened on 22 December 1908. From the start the new network was much more extensive than the horse tram network, with two lines initially operated; a circular line in the centre of the city and a harbour line connecting the city centre to the Port of Turku. In 1909 the two lines were combined into a single one—this rather complex route arrangement was retained until 1932. The first generation of electric trams in Turku were built by the Swedish ASEA. The new traffic form gained high popularity, and passenger numbers grew steadily until the beginning of World War I.
During World War I the Grand Duke of Finland (aka Tsar Nicholas II of Russia) ordered all German-owned possessions within Finland to be confiscated. Therefore, between 18 August 1914 and 15 June 1918 the Turku tramway was under control of the Turku and Pori County under the name Turun Sähkölaitos. The war resulted in unprecedented growth in passenger numbers, to the extent that there was not enough capacity to carry all potential passengers. Following the end of the war and the subsequent Finnish independence, control of the tramway was returned to Electricitätswerk Åbo AG. However, already on 15 April 1919 the City of Turku purchased the highly profitable tram operations for itself.
1919–1943: Expansion
In 1920, soon after the city took over the tram operations, an explosion at the electric plant resulted in the death of seven people, as well as large-scale damage to the plant itself. As a result, the distribution of electricity was disturbed, and the tram network was inoperative due to lack of power for 87 days. Plans were made during the earlier half of the 1920s for expansion of the tram network, but the poor post-war financial situation meant these could not be realised.