Trams and how best to use them

[Chriss22]

I am new to this game and the one thing I can't finger out how to use properly are Trams. How do you use trams, so that they are are profitable and not a waste of money?

[Chrill]

They're high capacity and therefore useful in city centers. Depending on NewGRF, they might not be very fast so they are not usually brilliant for longer distances.

[kamnet]

2CC Trams offers ja broad set of trams that offer high capacity, good speeds and profitability.

[Morgs]

I am not sure if this is relevant but I normally use Trams to connect a town Rail station with a town that I cannot connect to by rail which is nearby to the town with a rail station

I am not sure if that makes sense or not

[Awesometrains]

Correct use of trams (and road vehicles) is in save-game below :

[Dave]

According to whom?

[Clemo56]

I use the heavy equiptment set and Bob's british trams, I use trams for very-short distance coal services and for connecting larger cities to their railway stations and i tend to get slightly more profit from them than with road vheicles.

[Mikk]

Am I the only one who just lays tram tracks and stations across a city and then sends out trams with no orders?
Works great to quickly build up a city and its population. Once the city grows the trams make very nice profits.
Is this considered cheating?

[kamnet]

Am I the only one who just lays tram tracks and stations across a city and then sends out trams with no orders?
Works great to quickly build up a city and its population. Once the city grows the trams make very nice profits.
Is this considered cheating?

Yes, and we fine you 250 navy beans and 30 lashes with an undercooked strand of pasta!

[bear1]

I've asked a similar question in the past. The response I got was that the general feeling (at the time) was that trams didn't offer anything buses don't, and generally aren't as useful. That was a little while back and new sets are out so things might have changed.
I've tried using them instead of buses-for shipping passengers from bus depots to train stations where they'll start their long distance run.

[Kevo00]

I've asked a similar question in the past. The response I got was that the general feeling (at the time) was that trams didn't offer anything buses don't, and generally aren't as useful. That was a little while back and new sets are out so things might have changed.
I've tried using them instead of buses-for shipping passengers from bus depots to train stations where they'll start their long distance run.

Broadly that's true - but trams do have two distinct advantages over buses in my view:
1. They can turn round on the road piece they are on, instead of having to go 'round the block'.
2. Earlier in the game at least, they generally have a higher capacity. After 1990 they often also have a higher capacity but this might be impeded by their length.

[bear1]

I avoid using double length buses/trams as (obviously) they take two slots in the depots and slow everything down. I prefer a double decker bus (and as a kid I liked to sit at the front and look down the 'chimney' at the driver). So they're more economical and more fun!

[Eddi]

i have the opposite opinion of that. i prefer double length trams, because they behave better at stations, when timetables are involved.