THE TRAMWAYS OF VALPARAISO. THE FIRST SYSTEM OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT OF THE PORT (1863 – 1953)

Abstract

This article analyses the development of the first public transportation system of Valparaíso, the Chilean port of greatest growth in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The main objective is to give an account of a little studied dimension of the urban history of Valparaiso, and of vital importance for the development of the mobility in the city. Through various sources, and a methodology based on urban history, this research reviews the implementation and development of blood carriages (tram trains) and the subsequent technological change that involved the electrification of the tram network. One of the main conclusions of this article explores the strategic role that the private sector had in the implementation of this new means of transport and its zigzagging management throughout the period studied. On the other hand, it is affirmed that the tram system had important urban impacts, both in the expansion of the urban network and in having constituted a substantial modernization in the mobility of the porteños.