Palermo's first tramway line was in operation from '88 to '47, was 38 km long and ran through the historic centre (the period was before the sack of Palermo, when the city still lacked a real suburb), the gauge was metric and powered by 600 V direct current.

In 1911, at the height of the Art Nouveau period and in Palermo's international heyday, the Belgian company Les Tramways de Palermeconstructed and operated the tram service as far as Mondello, which at that time was swarming with tourists from all over the world. Another feature worth mentioning was the tramway to Monreale, which, with a funicular section, made it possible to overcome the 300-metre difference in elevation from Palermo.

In the 1930s, as in the rest of Italy, Palermo was also affected by the public transport crisis; 6 of the 12 lines were closed and, following political decisions, the line was converted to a trolleybus line, and two Schuckert electric railcars were sold to the Bisuschio-Viggiù tramway. As if that were not enough, the bombing of the city in 42/43 completely destroyed the tram infrastructure, putting an end to the tram service in 1947.