Transport Minister Evanthia Tsolaki has described the prospect of a tram system in Limassol as “very promising”, as a multidisciplinary team examining the city’s future transport network studies more than 30 possible options.

Speaking to Entrepreneurial Limassol, a periodical published by the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Evel), Tsolaki said the proposal should nevertheless be assessed carefully, with its financial and environmental sustainability forming a key part of any eventual decision.

“The introduction of a tram in Limassol appears to be a very promising proposal,” Tsolaki said, while stressing that it should be carefully studied “with sustainability in relation to cost as the main criterion”.

The potential for a tram is also being examined by Professor Loukas Demetriou, head of the interdisciplinary team of experts from Cyprus and abroad working on plans for Limassol’s future.

The team, co-ordinated by the University of Cyprus and Frederick University, is examining a broad range of alternatives for the city’s future mobility rather than working towards a predetermined solution.

Speaking to Entrepreneurial Limassol, Demetriou said a tram was one of the options under consideration, but warned that such infrastructure would represent a major intervention in the urban environment and could require investment running into hundreds of millions of euros.

“We need to be very careful and really assess whether investing in such a mode of transport is worthwhile, how it can best be combined with the city’s other initiatives, how the public will embrace it and whether it is genuinely needed,” he said.

The study is not confined to the possibility of placing a tram along Limassol’s coastal road, with researchers examining a much wider range of routes and scenarios.

During the first six months of the study, the team collected a large volume of data, including findings from an extensive questionnaire involving Limassol residents.

Demetriou said the municipalities had given the scientific team freedom to examine different scenarios without prescribing a particular solution or route in advance.

“There is no ‘yes’ or ‘no’ yet. We did not focus solely on the option of placing a tram along the coastal road. We examined many alternatives, more than 30, in order to determine what is best and according to which criteria,” he said.

The study is now at the heart of its technical assessments and calculations, meaning the researchers have yet to reach a conclusion on whether a tram system should ultimately be pursued.

“I would not want to say at this stage that we will or will not have a tram. I can, however, say that there is definitely scope for a tram,” Demetriou stated.

One of the strongest findings so far has concerned public support for the idea among Limassol residents.

“Our fellow Limassol residents view it very positively. We were also impressed by how well such a step has been received. Perhaps people are actually asking for it,” he said.

The researchers consider public acceptance an important factor, although support alone would not be enough to justify an investment of this scale.

The eventual assessment will also have to consider expected passenger demand, construction and operating costs, how the system would connect with other forms of transport and its effect on the urban environment.

The tram discussion was initially raised by Limassol Mayor Yiannis Armeftis, who has argued that the proposal should be considered not only as a transport project but also in terms of its potential contribution to improving public spaces.

According to the report, the Municipality of Limassol is working with the university-based transport experts to assess the available data, with the first results of the preliminary study previously expected in September or October.

Armeftis has also pointed to international examples where cities with populations smaller than Limassol have succeeded in operating sustainable and successful tram systems.

He has argued that a tram could serve as a tool for urban regeneration, particularly if it were incorporated into areas where private cars were removed or restricted.

One example is Aktaias Street, where plans are being advanced through a new architectural competition.

In areas designed primarily around public transport and pedestrians, the mayor has suggested that a tram could be integrated more naturally into the urban environment, including through squares and redesigned public spaces.

The mayor has nevertheless stressed that the final decision would ultimately depend on three central considerations: sustainability, the overall cost and whether the investment could pay for itself.

The current study therefore represents a broader examination of Limassol’s future transport needs rather than a commitment to building a tram.

Its consideration of more than 30 alternatives is intended to establish which transport solutions could best serve the city and according to what criteria, before any major investment decision is taken.