When Bogotá Had a Tram and Funicular (Not Just Monserrate's)
Did you know that before TransMilenio's feeder buses existed, Bogotanos moved around on rails that crossed the city from north to south? And no, I'm not talking about the Metro that is still under construction. I'm talking about the tram, a system that operated for over 60 years and left such a deep mark that even today, in September 2026, you can still find original rails peeking out on some streets in the downtown area. That mix of nostalgia and rusted iron is the starting point for a route you'll love if you're the type of traveler who keeps your head looking up, searching for facades, and down, searching for traces.
The history of public transport in Bogotá didn't start with blue buses or trunk lines. It started with a steam whistle, with horses, and with the ambition to connect a city that was just beginning to grow beyond La Candelaria. In this historical journey, I'll tell you how that network worked, where the stations that still exist were located, and how you can put together a heritage plan to see with your own eyes what remains of that golden age.
📌 Transparency
This article contains sponsored/affiliate links. We may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Spanish Bootcamp Online
Origins
To understand the Bogotá tram, you have to go back to the end of the 19th century. The city had about 100,000 inhabitants and people moved around on foot or in horse-drawn carriages that kicked up terrible dust on the unpaved roads. The first attempt at mass transit was a railway, but the real revolution came with urban rails.
December 25, 1884, is a date few remember, but it marked a turning point. That day, a mule-drawn tram began operating between Plaza de Bolívar and the Railway Station, which was located in what we now know as the Estación de la Sabana. Yes, that's how Christmassy the debut was: mules and all. There was no electricity or engines, just patience and animal power.
The service grew, and by 1890 there were already several routes connecting the center with neighborhoods like Las Aguas and San Diego. But the big leap came in 1910, when the city celebrated the centenary of independence and debuted the electric tram. That was the moment Bogotá stopped being a large village and began to resemble a modern capital, with overhead cables, metal poles, and a network that expanded neighborhood by neighborhood.
The company that ran the system was municipal, which meant that profits, when there were any, were reinvested in the city. During the first decades of the 20th century, the tram was the absolute king of mobility. It came to have more than 30 routes and transported millions of passengers a year. Middle-class and working-class Bogotano families depended on it to get to work, the market, or mass.
The boom lasted until the mid-1940s, when private buses began to appear, offering more flexible and faster routes. Furthermore, maintenance of the tram infrastructure was increasingly neglected, and the rails became an obstacle for automobile traffic, which was beginning to be the new status symbol. By 1948, with the Bogotazo and the violence that devastated the downtown area, the system entered a crisis. And in 1951, the then-mayor decided to tear up the lines and sell the rails as scrap metal. The city, in a fit of misguided modernity, preferred the chaos of buses to the efficiency of rails.
Timeline or Historical Milestones
So you have a clearer idea of how this system evolved and died, here is a timeline with the key moments:
- 1884: The mule tram begins operations between Plaza de Bolívar and the Estación de la Sabana.
- 1890: The network is expanded with routes to San Diego, Las Aguas, and Chapinero, still with animal traction.
- 1910: Electricity arrives to the system. The electric tram is inaugurated as part of the centenary celebrations.
- 1920: The network reaches its maximum expansion. There are lines that reach the Restrepo neighborhood and north along carrera Séptima.
- 1929: The Monserrate Funicular is inaugurated, a complementary system that went up from the center to the sanctuary.
- 1948: The Bogotazo destroys part of the infrastructure and many routes temporarily cease operations.
- 1951: The tram is officially dismantled. The rails are torn up and sold as scrap.
- 1955: The Monserrate funicular stops working due to lack of maintenance and is replaced by the cable car.
- 2015: TransMiCable is born in Ciudad Bolívar, a modern tribute to the tradition of aerial cables the city already had with Monserrate.
This chronology is not just a list of dates. It's an X-ray of a city that made hasty decisions and that today, looking back, wonders what would have happened if it had preserved its rails. In September 2026, with the first Metro line under construction, that question resonates more strongly than ever.
Key Figures or Events
Behind this story are names worth remembering, not only for their role in the tram but also for their influence on Bogotá's urban development.
General Francisco de Paula Santander wasn't directly involved with the tram, but his vision of connecting Bogotá with the rest of the country laid the groundwork for thinking, decades later, about a railway and then an urban rail system. The Estación de la Sabana, which was the logistical heart of it all, was built on land that was previously pastureland west of the center.
The Samper brothers, 19th-century businessmen, were among the first to promote infrastructure projects in the city. Although their strength was commerce, their drive helped ensure the idea of a tram didn't stay on paper.
Engineer Juan Nepomuceno González was in charge of leading the transition from animal traction to electric. He was a visionary who understood that Bogotá needed a modern system to avoid falling behind other Latin American capitals. Under his direction, the first electrical substations were installed, and trams were imported from the United States and Europe.
But if there's one event that defines the system's downfall, it was the Bogotazo on April 9, 1948. That day, after the assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, the city erupted in protests and vandalism. Trams were overturned and burned in the streets. Many drivers and passengers were trapped in the fire. The images of those destroyed trams are perhaps the most dramatic in Colombia's urban history. From that moment on, the system never fully recovered.
Another curious fact almost nobody knows: the tram had a funeral car. Yes, you read that right. When someone died in a remote neighborhood and needed to be buried in the Cementerio Central, the family could hire a special tram that carried the coffin with flowers and all. It was a discreet service that operated in the early morning hours so as not to disturb regular passengers. That detail shows that the tram didn't just move the living, but also the dead, and that its role in daily life was much deeper than we imagine.
The Tranvía de la Sabana: Historical Route, Stations That Still Exist, and Its Connection to the Railway
When talking about the Bogotá tram, it's impossible not to mention the Estación de la Sabana. This building, of English style with a red brick facade, was inaugurated in 1917 and became the starting point of the Ferrocarril de la Sabana, which connected Bogotá with nearby municipalities like Facatativá, Zipaquirá, and Nemocón. The urban tram arrived there, and passengers transferred to continue their journey to the towns of the savanna or to the Magdalena River, where they boarded steamships.
The station is located at calle 13 with carrera 18, in the Los Mártires neighborhood. For decades, it was the city's logistical epicenter. Presidents, merchants, peasants, and even international artists arriving in Bogotá by train passed through its platforms. But with the decline of the railway in the 80s and 90s, the building was left abandoned and in ruins. Only a few years ago was it restored, and today it houses offices of the Ministry of Culture and spaces for events.
If you walk along carrera 13 towards the north, you can still find some stretches of original rail embedded in the asphalt. It's not uncommon to see them, especially on the stretch between calle 12 and calle 19. Bus and taxi tires roll over them without anyone noticing, but there they are, like scars from an era when the city moved at a more leisurely and elegant pace.
Another surviving station is Las Aguas, at carrera 3 with calle 19, right next to the Universidad de los Andes. This small building of republican style was built in the 1920s and served as the main stop for those heading up to the Egipto neighborhood or towards the east of the city. Today it functions as a tourist information point and is a perfect example of how architectural heritage can be preserved regardless of its size.
The original tram route also passed through Plaza de Bolívar, Calle Real (today carrera Séptima), and reached the Plaza de Toros de Santamaría, which at that time was on the outskirts of the city. On bullfighting Sundays, the trams were packed with fans who got off at the San Diego station and walked a few blocks to the ring. That custom of taking the tram to go to the bullfighting fair lasted until the end of the system.
The Monserrate Funicular: From Cargo Transport to Tourist Icon
While the tram ran along the flat streets of the center, another fascinating invention climbed Bogotá's most emblematic mountain. The Monserrate Funicular was inaugurated on August 18, 1929, and its original function wasn't tourist-related but for cargo and maintenance. It was used to bring up construction materials, food, and supplies to the sanctuary that had existed at the summit since the 17th century.
The system was simple but ingenious: two counterweighted cabins that went up and down simultaneously on an inclined track. When one went up, the other went down, and the weight of one helped propel the other. This saved energy and made the nearly 800-meter journey in just a few minutes.
The slope is steep, with an average inclination of 41%, making it one of the steepest funiculars in the world. The journey starts at the base station, located at carrera 2 with calle 21, in the La Perseverancia neighborhood, and ascends to 3,152 meters above sea level at the top of Monserrate.
The funicular operated without interruption until 1955, when a landslide damaged the track and the operating company decided not to repair it. Instead, a cable car with larger, more modern cabins was built, which is the one we know today. The funicular was forgotten for over 40 years, until 1996, when, after a complete restoration, it began operating again. Since then, it alternates with the cable car to offer visitors two different ways to go up the mountain.
Today, the funicular is one of the attractions most loved by Bogotanos. On weekends, lines can exceed an hour's wait, especially in the mornings when people go up to attend mass or have breakfast at the restaurants at the top. A curious fact: the funicular not only transports passengers but also has the capacity to carry bicycles, making it a popular option for cyclists who want to ride down the mountain on dirt trails.
As for prices, the ticket to go up on the funicular costs approximately 25,000 COP round trip for adults, but it's recommended to check updated rates on the official page before your visit, as they tend to change during maintenance seasons or holidays. The general schedule is from 6:30 am to 4:45 pm on Sundays and holidays for the funicular, while the cable car operates Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 am. It's important to arrive early, as capacity is limited and the last rides often close earlier than expected.
The Legacy in the Present: Museums and Archives Where Memory Is Preserved
Although the rails were torn up and the trams sold as scrap, not everything was lost. In Bogotá, there are still spaces where the memory of this transport system is kept alive, and visiting them is a perfect plan for those who want to delve deeper into this history.
The Museo de Bogotá, located in the downtown area, has a permanent collection dedicated to urban transport. There you can see photographs, maps, tickets, and even a scale model of what the tram looked like. The museum also organizes guided walking tours that trace the old routes, which is an excellent way to combine history with exploring the city.
Another essential stop is the Archivo de Bogotá, which preserves original documents, plans, and reports from the Tram Company. Researchers and curious visitors can access these files to see firsthand how the system was planned and managed. It's a fascinating window into the administrative workings of the city in the early 20th century.
Additionally, the Estación de la Sabana itself, besides being an architectural monument, occasionally hosts exhibitions related to the history of the railway and the tram. Its restoration has allowed the building to be open to the public, and walking through its platforms is like taking a trip back in time.
For a more immersive experience, you can also visit the Museo Nacional de Colombia, which has pieces related to the Bogotazo, including photographs of the burned trams. This museum offers a broader context of the social and political events that led to the end of the tram system.
Finally, if you're a fan of urban exploration, we recommend walking along carrera Séptima between calles 12 and 19. In addition to finding original rails in the asphalt, you'll see buildings that were constructed during the tram era and that still maintain their original facades. It's a free and accessible plan that allows you to connect with the city's history in a direct and tangible way.
This route through the memory of the tram and the funicular is not just a lesson in history; it's an invitation to reflect on how cities evolve and what we choose to preserve or leave behind. In a Bogotá that is constantly changing, these traces of the past remind us that every street, every corner, has a story to tell.
