A tram is an electric train that runs on rails built into city streets, carrying passengers on short trips around town. Unlike subway trains that run underground or regular trains that travel between cities, trams usually share the road with cars and buses, stopping frequently to let people on and off.

Trams glide smoothly along their tracks, powered by electricity from overhead wires. In San Francisco, the famous cable cars are sometimes compared to trams and are loved by tourists who ride them up and down the city's steep hills. Many European cities like Amsterdam and Prague still use trams as a main form of transportation, and some American cities are building new tram systems today.

The word tram is more common in Britain and Europe. In the United States, people often call them streetcars or trolleys instead. You might have heard the classic song “The Trolley Song” from the movie Meet Me in St. Louis, celebrating the excitement of riding a streetcar through the city. Whether you call it a tram, streetcar, or trolley, it usually means the same kind of vehicle: a rail vehicle that brings the convenience of train travel right to neighborhood streets.