The Ups and Downs of Lisbon's Tram 28E
The yellow 28E tram is a symbol of Lisbon, a must-ride for many first-time visitors. But as tourist numbers swell, this once-essential transport is becoming a frustrating bottleneck for residents, raising questions about sustainable tourism in the city.
On a sweltering Friday afternoon in late June, a long line of tourists waits patiently on the edge of Lisbon’s Martim Moniz Square for the 28E tram. Undeterred by the 100-degree Fahrenheit (37 Celsius) temperature – Southern Europe is in the grip of a blistering heat wave – these 50 or so brave souls are determined to ride the famous electric tram that trundles through some of the city’s most historic neighborhoods.
The bright yellow trams are the most recognizable symbol of Lisbon, and a trip on the 28E is a must for many first-time visitors. But at the same time, this line in particular has become a symptom of modern tourism dynamics. The trams have evolved from a much-needed transport innovation to a nostalgic photo opportunity, with residents recently complaining that they can no longer ride the 28E because it’s so overrun with tourists – a fact most visitors are unaware of.
"We’ve been on it before, but we wanted to come back to take the children," says Swedish mom of two Jenny Skåberg, who is vacationing in the Portuguese capital with her husband and kids. "We’re quite anti-tourism, so we like that it’s public transport."
But today’s excursion is not meant to be for the family of four. "The driver said there’s been an accident on the line, so there’s no 28E tram right now," Skåberg’s husband reports, having wandered up to the front of the line to find out why it wasn’t moving. "He said it would start again in maybe an hour, but he doesn’t know."
The disappointing news ripples through the queue. Some groups start to peel off, while others shuffle forward undeterred. The Swedes decide to come back another day, as do I. The following Wednesday morning, when the heat has mercifully subsided, there are easily 100 people in line at 10 a.m.
Eszter Virt
"You’re going to be here for one hour and a half," a tuk-tuk driver, hoping to lure impatient punters away with the promise of a scenic spin around the winding streets, declares. Another claims it will be two hours. In the end, it’s precisely 60 minutes later when I clamber up the steep steps and take a seat. As the car lurches away, it’s standing room only and the line behind has doubled in size.
The eléctricos, as the trams are known in Portuguese, weren’t always this popular. When they were introduced in 1901 to replace horse-drawn Americano trams, residents feared the high-powered vehicles would cause havoc on the streets.
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"On 1st of September the hospitals will have no beds available and cemeteries will have to expand,” reads an op-ed published in the newspaper O Imparcial shortly before the unveiling of the trams, quoted in a display at the Carris Museum. Carris, which means rails in Portuguese, is the name of the transportation company responsible for running the city’s trams, buses and funiculars.
"People were scared of electricity at first. They thought birds would burn on the aerial lines and they were afraid of the velocity,” says the museum’s head of department Joana Gomes. She tells me how the saying 'the devil is at nine' came about because nine was the highest speed setting on the tram. “They thought the devil would incarnate the body of the driver [if he was at top speed] and they wouldn't actually get on. They would wait for another tram.”
In time, Lisboetas came to appreciate how effective the trams were for navigating the steep streets of the City of Seven Hills. During the 1950s, there were 32 lines crisscrossing the capital, but after the arrival of double-decker buses (which could transport twice as many passengers) and the metro system in 1959, only six lines remained.
Sonia Bonet
It was in the early 2000s, when Lisbon’s popularity as an affordable city break destination began to grow, that the 28E soared in popularity. Carris reports that 4.5 million journeys are now taken each year on the route that runs from Martim Moniz to Campo de Ourique, making it a real moneymaker. However, Lisbonites have recently complained that the hordes of tourists treating the 28E like a theme park attraction are preventing locals from using the service as it was originally intended.
Pedro de Brito Bogas, the president of Carris, has called for measures to balance the needs of tourists and residents on the 28E – which resumed in May after an 11-month closure for maintenance work. He acknowledged there are legal constraints when it comes to offering what could be seen as preferential treatment for certain ticket holders on a public transport service.
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There’s no sign of any locals among the passengers snapping selfies and recording videos as the 28E I’m on rumbles through the narrow streets of Mouraria past souvenir shops selling sardine fridge magnets and fake Ronaldo shirts. Winding its way up to Graça (home to the beautiful Monastery of St. Vincent and the twice-weekly Feira de Ladra flea market) soundtracked by the rattling wooden frame, screeching wheels and occasional “drrriiing” of the bell warning pedestrians to step aside, the tram comes to a standstill outside an apartment building with a colorful tiled facade as the next batch of passengers shuffles on one by one.
“Abra as portas!” (“Open the doors!”) shouts a man as he pushes his way through the throng to the door at the back of the tram, jumps off and strides away. Evidently he hasn’t got time to hang around while tourists fiddle with cash and paper tickets (you can use contactless bank cards across the whole of the Carris network). Shortly after, an elderly lady boards carrying a pair of heavy bags full of groceries, alighting a few stops later in the historic Alfama district. So some locals do use the 28E, it seems, but they’re certainly in the minority.
“I could take the tram at 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. if I really needed it,” says Gonçalo, a Lisbon native who has lived in Graça for the last two years. He recommends taking the 12E, which also starts at Martim Moniz Square, instead of the 28E. “Tourists don't know it, but it goes to almost the same places and it's much less crowded.”
Arsenie Krasnevsky
Joana Gomes from the Carris Museum suggests that anyone wanting to avoid a lengthy wait should take the red Hills Tramcar Tour, operated in partnership with Carris along the 28E line, or the 18E, which starts in Cais do Sodre next to the foodies’ favorite Timeout Market, passes the stunning neoclassical Palace of Ajuda and finishes in Belém, where a host of tourist hot spots – including the bakery where the pastel de nata was born – await.
If you want to be a considerate commuter, however, try to avoid the public trams at peak travel times. “I take the 18E every day to go to the gym and sometimes I can’t get on because it's full, especially during rush hour, around 6 p.m.,” says Ana Landi, a Brazilian who has called Lisbon home for six years, lamenting the delays that tourists cause. “Often they don't have the right tickets, so they have to pay in cash.”
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Gomes admits that the popularity of the trams, particularly the 28E, is something of a double-edged sword. “We could put 10 extra trams there and there would still be a line. There's not much we can do about it, but at the same time, we feel really happy that people still recognize the tram as an icon and still want to take it.”
As for me, an expatriate who has lived in Lisbon for just over a year, I’ve avoided the 28E like the plague until now, precisely because of the long lines, which snake around Martim Moniz Square even in winter. Disembarking at the final stop next to Prazeres Cemetery, I can safely say that I won’t be getting on it again anytime soon – but not because I didn’t enjoy it.
I still get a lovely little I-can’t-believe-I-live-here thrill every time I ride a heritage tram, but I know that plenty of the other routes offer charming views without having to cram onto the car like (appropriately enough) sardines. The 25E, for instance, which I hop on (without queuing) to take me back to the city center, meanders through leafy Campo de Ourique and upmarket Estrela, and is a much more serene experience than the hectic 28E.
As with many ‘essential’ attractions endlessly repeated on city guides, the latter is oversubscribed and overrated. Do yourself – and the city’s residents – a favor and instead add one of the lesser-known lines to your Lisbon bucket list.
