The first tramway in Monaco was built by a collaboration between the Compagnie des tramways de Monaco (TM), created in 1897 by Henri Crovetto,[1] a Monegasque entrepreneur who operated a rental car company, and the Thomson-Houston Electric Company.
Prior to the formation of the Compagnie des tramways de Monaco, the Société Nouvelle des Tramways de Nice - later the Tramways de Nice et du Littoral (TNL) - attempted but were unable to build their own line connecting Nice and Menton via Monaco, as Monaco was outside of French jurisdiction.
Despite an accident on 11 April, the inauguration took place three days later, with Prince Albert I and authorities of the Principality attending the ceremony.
[2] The company received permission for several lines: The trams were powered using surface contact, making operating them somewhat unreliable.
On 8 May 1931, following the increase in preference towards automobiles, an agreement was signed between the Monegasque government and the TNL to end the use of the tramways as soon as new buses became available.