The Kingston upon Hull tramway network was a network of 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge tram lines following the five main roads radially out of the city centre of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

Additionally a short line linked the city centre to the Corporation Pier where a ferry crossed the Humber Estuary to New Holland, Lincolnshire.

Both companies were acquired by the city council in the final years of the 19th century, and the routes electrified and converted to double track, and operated as a municipal concern.

In 1871, soon after the Tramways Act 1870 became law, permission was sought from the board of Kingston upon Hull to construct a tram system in the town.

The scheme was backed by Major Trevenen James Holland and the scheme received the support of the local board, despite problems due to narrow streets in the old town – making double track running difficult as well as causing opposition from the landowning Trinity House.

[11][clarification needed] In 1895 an agreement for the Hull Corporation to purchase the company was reached – the price being £12,500; the undertaking was temporarily leased to W. Nettleton from 18 October of the same year.

[12] The Hull Street Tramways scheme had included a route east from the city centre along Hedon Road, but this did not form part of the final Act.

In 1885 the Drypool and Marfleet Steam Tramways Company was formed by local individuals including F. B. Grotrian.

The tramway was originally intended to extend as far as the outlying village of Marfleet; extension beyond Lee Smith Street were delayed, and in 1892 the company sought to rescind from its original obligations; the maximum extent of the line was to just beyond the Holderness Drain on Hedon Road,[13] a short branch to Drypool Bridge was also later built.

[13] By 1901 only two of the locomotives were still in operation, and the last steam tram ran on 13 January 1901 – the Hedon Road line was served by wagonettes until the electric tramway was opened in 1903.

In 1896 the corporation got permission from Parliament to construct and operated an electric tram system, and to get loans of £300,000 in funding.

Siemens supplied electrical equipment, the rails were from Société Anonyme des Aciéries d'Angleur (Belgium),[12] and were an unusual centre groove profile which was supposed to wear better,[12] and give a smoother ride with rail joints cut at a diagonal angle,[17] additionally only one point blade was required for points with the centre groove system.

[n 12][18][20] In the 1910s the Hedon Road service was extended to Marfleet,[20] and a line along Spring Bank West created as far as Walton Street (the site of the Hull Fair), the Hessle Road route extended on a central reserved track to Pickering Park.

In 1925, the corporation, Ministry of Transport and the NER's successor the London and North Eastern Railway proposed to eliminate the level crossings at a cost of £1¼ million, but no work was done until the 1960s.

All the vehicles were 2 axle bogieless designs with the exception of the original Tram number 101 which had a double bogie.