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Le Havre tramway

tram system in the French city of Le Havre

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 26, 2026
Entity authorityQ22683 ↗
Source-derived summary

Le Havre tramway (French: Tramway du Havre) is a modern two-line tram system in the city of Le Havre in Normandy, France. The modern tramway opened on 12 December 2012.

Le Havre also had a first-generation tramway that was operated by Compagnie des Tramways Électriques du Havre (Electric Tramways Company of Le Havre), which opened in 1894. This historical tramway closed in 1957, and was replaced by trolleybuses as the main mode of public transport in Le Havre.

History

Le Havre's original tramway

It is in 1832 that the first organised collective service began. An omnibus service between the Musée and the Octroi de Rouen (Boulevard de Graville). By 1860, the town was served by two lines.

In 1872, a Belgian businessman presented a tramway project to the municipal council. After authorisation was given, construction began with the first horse-drawn tramway opening on 1 February 1874 between Musée and the Barrière d’Or (Octroi de Rouen). A second line opened on the 15th of the same month between the town hall and the Rond-Point.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Le Havre tramway” as tram system in the French city of Le Havre. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Havre, tramway and tram.

Editorial reviewA strong orientation record where physical form, institutional use and historical geography need to be read together. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2012, 1894, 1957, 1832—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2012-12-12. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Havre, tramway and tram providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Le Havre tramway”, the useful work is to connect “tram system in the French city of Le Havre” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q22683. Authority coordinates are 49.490, 0.100. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2012, 1894, 1957 and 1832.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Le Havre tramway”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Le Havre tramway primary sources, Le Havre tramway archive and Havre research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Le Havre tramway”?
  2. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Le Havre tramway” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.