The Zaragoza Tramway project has its origins in the Zaragoza Sustainable Mobility Plan. The objective of the Zaragoza Sustainable Mobility Plan is to meet all transport needs of the city, while respecting the environment, the urban landscape and the cultural heritage of Zaragoza.

It arose from the need to equip the city with a complete transport network in response to its continued development, in addition to supporting the growing population, geographical expansion, and satisfying the needs of the people of Zaragoza in terms of travelling around the city in a safe, comfortable and efficient way.

With its daily service, the tram system is envisaged to meet the objectives of the Sustainable Mobility Plan. The co-existence of various means of transport in Zaragoza and the various links between them has led to a new form of multi-modal transport, which has offered improved comfort and flexibility for the users relying on public transport in their day-to-day activities.

The objectives of the Sustainable Mobility Plan are being achieved owing to the benefits of the project. The objectives are summarised as follows:

•  Making Zaragoza a reference point for sustainability in Spain, thanks to the Sustainability Mobility Plan started by the Zaragoza Municipality.

•  Bringing the city in line with other European cities that have opted to implement sustainable transport plans.

•  Promoting the link between the different forms of transport in the city, thanks to its compatibility and ease of access to other means of urban transport.

•  Improving alignment between different transport links, with concurrent stations or stops.

•  Encouraging public participation in the use of public transport.

•  Respecting the aesthetics, environment and traditional values of Zaragoza despite the changes that may occur on the streets of the city due to the introduction of a new tramway system.

This project has won 13 national and international awards. Municipalities from all around the world have visited this tram network to learn from it. This success comes from a commuter-friendly route design, which runs through the most central and populated areas, and is supported by a robust traffic demand study. Another key element in this success was the support of the shareholders (Zaragoza Municipality, CAF, TUZSA, Grupo Avanza, FCC Construccion, Acciona, Ibercaja y Concessia) and the rest of the stakeholders.