The western section of Line 4 opened in July 2016, thus completing the loop it makes around the city.

Starting on July 18, 1880 until 1883, the Compagnie Générale des Omnibus de Marseille established horse-drawn tram lines to serve the city of Montpellier.

With 39 horses and 20 carriages, a network of six lines served the medieval centre of Écusson and its surroundings, as well as Castelnau-le-Lez.

Other transfer points were the Gare Saint Roch train station and the square in front of the Saint-Denis church.

Due to emerging competition from the automobile and in particular because of the creation of a bus network, the Montpellier tramway was shut down on January 31, 1949.

After expressing its interest in the experimental ARAMIS project (which later contributed to the development of the Meteor and VAL transportation projects) during the 1980s, the administration of mayor Georges Frêche proposed the re-creation of a network of three tram lines in the district of Montpellier.

One of the main members of the right-wing opposition to the municipal council of Montpellier, Bruno Barthez, militated in favor of a tram on tires, following the example of the guided bus project of Caen.

The livery of trams on Line 1 was decorated in blue with white swallows by stylists Élisabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti.

The line travels between Jacou in the northeast and Saint-Jean-de-Védas in the southwest, via Castelnau-le-Lez (on the boundary with Le Crès) and the centre of Montpellier.

Trams on Line 2 are stored at the La Jeune Parque depot, located near the Sabines station.

The rolling stock on Line 2 comprises 24 Citadis 302 trams manufactured by Alstom, with a length of 32.5 m, a width of 2.65 m, and five sections.

Line 4 was put into service on 7 April 2012 but the 9.2 km circular route was only completed in July 2016 with the inauguration of a new section between Louis Blanc and Observatoire.

The livery was inspired from old engravings, with a blaze of gold set off by pearls, stones and jewels forms the backdrop for a series of architectural motifs borrowed from the Château du Peyrou and the Three Graces fountain, two nearby monuments.

The route was determined in late 2012 after a public consultation: the 20.5 km long project was divided up into two phases, the first one consisting of a 15.5 km long light rail between Lavérune, West of Montpellier, and Clapiers, North of town.

The initial cost for the new infrastructure was 350 million euros, with the majority of the funding coming from the Montpellier metropolitan authorities, complemented by subsidies from the State, the Region and the Département of Hérault.

Construction was expected to begin in late 2013-early 2014, but a moratorium was established between 2014 and 2016 due to funding issues and protests along part of the route within the Parc Montcalm.

But in April 2016, the mayor of Montpellier Philippe Saurel announced that the project is envisaged for 2025 with a shorter and cheaper route.