The first tram network was built and operated by the Compagnie des Omnibus et tramways de Lyon (OTL), founded in 1879.

It consisted of ten 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (standard gauge), horse-drawn lines with a total length of 44 km serving Lyon, Villeurbanne, La Mulatière et Oullins .

Metre gauge, steam powered lines on the left bank of the Rhône river.

The meter gauge line leading to the east suburb was used on 6 km after being electrified in 1925.

Line T4 opened on 20 April 2009, running from Jet d'Eau–Mendès France to Hôpital Feyzin Vénissieux, and was extended to La Doua on 29 August 2013.

It takes 23 minutes to go from Gare Part-Dieu - Villette to Meyzieu - ZI, and runs at a maximum speed of 70 km/h (60 km/h at intersections, of which 26 are equipped with crossing gates).

[5] A projected extension to Chassieu, which would have added two new stations, Eurexpo 2 and René Cassin, was not approved by the public enquiry and has been postponed (possibly indefinitely) due to lack of support from local councillors.

[9] A subsequent 5.4 kilometres (3.4 mi) extension with 10 new stations from Hôpitaux Est–Pinel to La Doua–Gaston Berger, university campus in Villeurbanne, is under construction since the beginning of 2023 and is expected to open in 2026.

Since its opening, the Parc Olympique Lyonnais is connected to the Lyon tram network with a specially built railway track, but this track was only used by special tram shuttles running on game or event days in the stadium.

Line T7 has been launched as a daily tram service to serve the Parc Olympique Lyonnais and its developing neighborhood named OL Vallée.

Total length of track is 22 kilometres (14 mi)[2] needing approximately 30 minutes to go from Part-Dieu to the airport.

[2] Service runs from morning until last flight arrival, with departures every 15 minutes at peak times.

[11] The Conseil général of the Rhône department franchised the operation rights for 30 years to Rhônexpress, a consortium including Vinci SA (28.2%), Veolia Transport (28.2%), Vossloh Infrastructure Service (4.2%), Cegelec Centre Est (2,8%) and the Caisse des dépôts et consignations.

These will be identical to the fifteen 43-metre trams delivered in 2020 and 2021, which feature a redesigned nose for better visibility and driving comfort.

[16][17][18] In a project named Western Lyon Express Tram (Tramway Express de l'Ouest Lyonnais - TEOL), line T2 is projected to be extended with five new stations from Hôtel de Région–Montrochet to Alaï in western Lyon, including an underground section with two underground stations.

[19] In October 2024, a project is revealed for a new line in the eastern suburbs of Lyon, expected to open by 2030 between Vaulx-en-Velin–La Soie and Gare de Vénissieux via Bron.