Photo: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, 2007.
The streetcar, although sometimes seen as an artifact of transit, is still a prominent form of public transportation in many cities around the world, such as in Lisbon, Portugal. This particular system began to be constructed in 1873 and has been operating with similar technology and fleet since then. The network is servicing the older part of the city and represents an accumulated asset performing a mobility function. In many cases, old streetcar services have been upgraded with light rail transit systems.