Carris, a company serving Lisbon
Browse our timeline and follow the most important moments in CARRIS history.
Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa was founded in Rio de Janeiro on 18 September 1872. The intention was to implement an American-type transport system in Lisbon, with horse-drawn carriages running on tracks. The implementation was authorised on 14 November of the same year.
On 23 January 1873, author Luciano Cordeiro de Sousa and his brother Francisco obtained the rights to set up a transport system in Lisbon and called it Viação Carril Vicinal e Urbana a Força Animal. On 17 November of the same year, the first route using “Americans”, horse-drawn carriages, was inaugurated.
In 1874, construction of Santo Amaro Station began, with stables, carriage houses, workshops and barns. At the end of that year, there were 29,500 metres of tracks, 54 carriages and 421 animals.
On 17 April 1882, Arco Cego Station was built in the old Quinta do Poço Caído area, now Saldanha.
The Lavra Funicular is the oldest funicular and was inaugurated on 19 April 1884. It connects Largo da Anunciada with Travessa Forno do Torel, going up Sant’Ana hill.
The Glória Funicular was the second one to be inaugurated, on 24 October 1885. It connects Praça dos Restauradores with the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint in Bairro Alto. It travels up and down the 265 metres of the very steep Calçada da Glória every day.
The Bica Funicular was the last one to be inaugurated, on 28 June 1892. This picturesque funicular connects Rua de São Paulo with Largo do Calhariz, climbing up Santa Catarina hill.
On 5 June 1897, a contract was signed between Lisbon Municipal Council and CARRIS to replace animal traction with an electric traction system with overhead lines.
In 1900, work began on changing and laying the tracks, installing the overhead lines and building the Electrical Plant – Generator – for supplying electricity to the new traction system. The tram service was inaugurated on 31 August 1901.
The Santa Justa Lift, also known as the Carmo Lift, was inaugurated on 10 July 1902. Originally, it was steam-powered, but it was equipped with electric motors in 1907. This vertical lift was designed by Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard.
In 1926, we acquired, the assets, rights and obligations of Nova Companhia dos Ascensores Mecânicos de Lisboa (N.C.A.M.L.), which included the Lisbon funiculars. These vehicles made access to the steeper parts of Lisbon easier.
In 1937, construction began on Amoreiras Station, designed to cater to the tram service. Ten years later, the station was extended with the construction of the bus service station.
The bus service was inaugurated on 9 April 1944, using the vehicles acquired in 1940 for the transport of visitors to the Portuguese World Exposition in Belém. In 1947, the first two double decker buses arrived, going into service on 22 June on the Praça do Chile – Encarnação route.
On 11 December 1958, the Cabo Ruivo bus depot and service station was opened in response to the increase in the fleet of buses.
Pontinha Station was inaugurated on 1 October 1976, designed as a bus depot, service station and for making minor repairs. The opening of this station preceded the closure of Amoreiras Station.
Construction began on the Miraflores Complex in 1979. This complex now has three activity sectors: general garage, service station and administration.
Musgueira Station was inaugurated on 27 February 1981 under the scope of the extension and renewal of the bus fleet. Nowadays the station is called Alta de Lisboa Station.
In 1990, we acquired new, smaller buses, which we call “midibuses”, for routes along winding streets and in less accessible parts of the city. The first articulated buses went into operation in July 1991. Minibuses were acquired in 1993 due to their suitability for narrow streets and adaptability to the different contours of the city.
Ten articulated trams went into operation in 1995 and, in 1996, we completed the remodelling of 45 traditional trams. While preserving their outward appearance, the trams became faster, quieter and safer.
We renewed the company's image through different communication campaigns, particularly the image on the outside of the vehicles, adopting yellow as the dominant colour on all public service vehicles.
The CARRIS Museum was inaugurated on 12 January 1999. Its mission is to preserve and conserve the CARRIS collection and publicise our role in the development of Lisbon City. The museum has several different sections and a traditional tram is used to travel between them.
We acquired our first natural gas buses in 2001 and began installation of video surveillance systems on the vehicles. We began renewing the fleet in 2004 and 2005, new bus lanes were introduced and we reinforced our team of inspectors. We started using Lisboa Viva cards for passes and 7 Colinas cards for occasional travel.
The Lavra, Glória and Bica Funiculars and the Santa Justa Lift were classified as National Monuments.
We launched the first phase of REDE 7 in 2006. This is a global network renewal project with less overlapping and more articulation with Metro lines, aimed also at increasing the service frequency. The second phase of the project was launched in 2008.
In 2017, CARRIS was transferred to the Lisbon City Council. A year marked by several changes, including the launch of the Local Routes - Carreira de Bairro -service, with the aim of strengthening local mobility in the parishes of Lisbon, in addition to the rest of the career network.
In 2018, we began a fleet renewal process. We focused on natural gas-powered buses, but also on new diesel buses and 100% electric buses.
