Tram service consumed 45 million kilowatts of electricity per year, all produced from green sources.

It linked Plantage with the Leidseplein, and was operated by AOM (Amsterdamsche Omnibus Maatschappij), which had been founded in 1872 by Karel Herman Schadd, amongst others.

In the last quarter of the 19th century, horse trams ran through the main streets of Amsterdam, linking all neighborhoods inside the Singel with Dam Square, and were extended to newly constructed residential areas.

By the end of the century, about 15 lines led to or from the Vondelstraat, Overtoom, Willemsparkweg, Amsteldijk, Linnaeusstraat, Weesperzijde, Bilderdijkstraat and Ceintuurbaan.

Additionally, the AOM's unusual track gauge of 1,422 mm (4 ft 8 in)[defined metric?]

Tram lines 6 and 23 did not return to regular service, but operated intermittently until 1958 for transportation to the stadium.

Between 1948 and 1950, the GVB acquired sixty motorised trams and fifty trailers, known as the three axles (drieassers).

They were built by Werkspoor in Utrecht-Zuilen, and replaced the then oldest trams in the fleet, which had entered service in 1902.

Also in the early 1970s, two series of new trams were ordered from Linke-Hofmann-Busch in Salzgitter, Germany, to operate the new western extensions.

By the early 1980s, the GVB had 252 bi-articulated trams available for use, at that time the highest number in any city in Europe.

Meanwhile, further western extensions of the network were opened, to Geuzenveld in 1974, Slotervaart-Zuid in 1975, Nieuw Sloten in 1991 and De Aker in 2001.

During the same period came the first withdrawals of the first articulated trams from 1957, apart from a few vehicles that had previously had been damaged by fire or a collision.

In 2022 a Hanning & Kahl 3-way point-setting system was installed to direct trams on routes 4, 14 and 24 to the correct track in stand A at Centraal Station.

In December 2013, tram line 25 between Centraal Station and President Kennedylaan in the Rivierenbuurt neighbourhood was discontinued.

Fewer trams ran on the lines between Centraal Station, the southern part of the city center and Amsterdam-Zuid borough.

In 2017, the line 24 track over a 140-metre (460 ft) section of Ferdinand Bolstraat, between Stadhouderskade and Albert Cuypstraat, was rebuilt from double-track to single-track.

[7][15] In 2018, the GVB replaced the conductor cabins on 151 Combino trams with modern, open service counters, that would give a more welcoming feel.

[16] In March 2018 work started to build an alternative turning circle for tram 26 on the IJ side of Centraal Station, for use when events such as the Dam tot Damloop block Stationsplein.

[18] On 27 May 2019 a rush-hour tram line 6 was introduced between Amsterdam Zuid station and Amstelveen Stadshart.

[21][22] Starting 23 March 2020, tram line 11 (Central Station – Leidseplein – Surinameplein) was suspended due to a drop in ridership, and was definitively cancelled by the end of that year.

[23][24] On February 7, 2021, snow storm Darcy caused the shutdown of the entire Amsterdam tram system.

To help with clearing the rails, the GVB borrowed two preserved work cars and crew from the Electrische Museumtramlijn Amsterdam, a local operating tram museum.

A second museum car was a former streetcar modified to carry a tank to sprinkle brine onto the tracks.

[25][26] On 14 June 2021, the GVB officially retired its remaining 11G (bidirectional) and 12G (unidirectional) trams manufactured by La Brugeoise et Nivelles (BN).

On this day, the GVB donated one tram of each type to the Electrische Museumtramlijn Amsterdam for preservation.

In 1923, the GTA set up a new headquarters in the Amsterdam School style building at the corner of the Overtoom and Stadhouderskade 1.

[39] On 11 November 2016, GVB contracted with the Spanish manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) to build and deliver 63 new trams with an option for 60 more.

In July and August 2017, a full-size mockup of the new tram was displayed at the Lekstraat depot to solicit comments from the public.

In 2020, despite a COVID-19 lockdown for several months of all non-essential businesses in Spain, CAF put in extra effort to deliver the last 15G on schedule.

To solve the problem, the GVB implemented a GPS-controlled greasing mechanism mounted on the tram to apply a thin layer of oil to the wheels.