Research · Historic Rome

Rome's Tram 907: The Last “Eight-Window” Tram

A surviving piece of everyday Rome from the 1920s — restored, preserved and currently undergoing the final stages required for a return to the city's tram network.

The 907 is not simply an old vehicle. It is the last surviving example of Rome's two-axle “eight-window” trams, a series that once belonged to the everyday life of the city.

Why it matters

The tram itself is the historical site.

Rome is usually explored through monuments that stayed in place. Tram 907 tells the story of the city through something designed to move.

Built in 1927 by Carminati & Toselli, the 907 belongs to the large family of Roman “otto finestrini” — the eight-window trams.

According to GRAF, these vehicles represented an important stage in the development of Rome's tram fleet and remained a familiar presence on the city's streets for decades.

The 907 survived long after most of its contemporaries disappeared. It remained in ordinary passenger service until 1963 and was then reused by the city's track and works division until 1968.

What survives today is not a replica of an imagined Rome. It is a real Roman tram that once carried the city.
01
1927

Built for a city in motion.

The 907 was constructed by Carminati & Toselli in 1927.

Its series became associated with one of the most recognisable forms of interwar public transport in Rome: compact two-axle cars with eight side windows and the characteristic proportions of Roman tramcars of the period.

The design was created for everyday transport, not preservation. That working life is part of what makes the vehicle important today.

Historical significance GRAF identifies the 907 as the last surviving example of Rome's two-axle “eight-window” tram series.
Historic Tram 907 in Rome
Interior of Rome Tram 907 Historic interior details of Rome Tram 907
02
1963–1979

From ordinary service to survival.

The 907 was withdrawn from normal passenger operation in 1963, after the reduction of Rome's tram network left the city with more rolling stock than it required.

Instead of being scrapped immediately, it was transferred to the “sezione vie e lavori”, where it remained in service until 1968.

It was later left in storage. In 1979 the GRAF — Gruppo Romano Amici della Ferrovia acquired the vehicle, beginning the long process that would eventually save it.

The survival of the 907 was not inevitable. It survived because somebody decided it was worth saving.
03
1997–2005

A restoration built from evidence.

After years outdoors on private land, the 907 returned to the ATAC environment in 1997 and a long restoration began.

The intervention was much more than cosmetic. Mechanical, electrical and structural components were restored or reconstructed, while the wooden interior required careful work based on photographs, surviving samples and historical documentation.

GRAF records that some internal elements survived in original form, including parts of the interior framing and ceilings.

The characteristic two-tone green livery was also reconstructed through historical evidence rather than modern invention.

04
2005–2018

Back on Rome's tracks.

The restoration was completed in 2005 and the tram subsequently returned to use for historical journeys, commemorative services, events and filming.

ATAC documentation also records the use of Tram 907 for corporate-event transport on Rome's historic tram network, including a Porta Maggiore–San Paolo return service.

For more than a decade, the 907 therefore existed not only as a preserved object, but as a functioning piece of Rome's transport history.

The second restoration

Why the 907 stopped again.

The tram was withdrawn again in 2018 for the mandatory technical overhaul required before it could continue to operate safely.

2018

The 907 is taken out of service for the required overhaul.

2025

The vehicle enters ATAC's central workshops for the next stage of restoration and technical work.

2026

Restoration and testing are in their final stages, and Tram 907 is expected to return to private operation shortly. Until the remaining technical process and operational approvals are formally completed, individual dates should not yet be treated as confirmed.

The vehicle

Tram 907 in numbers.

BuilderCarminati & Toselli
Year1927
Length9.6 m
Weight12,000 kg
Maximum speed24 km/h
Passenger seats12
Service seats2
Standing capacity12

Technical specifications follow the GRAF vehicle sheet. Effective guest capacity for any private operation must be reconfirmed at the time of request.

Historic wooden interior of Rome Tram 907
Upcoming private experience

When Tram 907 returns to private service, the tram itself will be the experience.

The 907 should not be confused with Rome's dinner-tram formats.

No food or drinks are served on board. Its value lies in travelling through Rome inside a genuine historic vehicle whose story is part of the city's transport history.

Once private operation resumes, the experience will be closer to moving industrial heritage than to conventional event transport.

Expected operating framework
  • Private hire: expected to resume shortly, subject to final operational confirmation and then to vehicle and network availability for the requested date.
  • Maximum time on board: up to 3 hours.
  • Usual route: Porta Maggiore → Piramide → return.
  • Alternative route: Porta Maggiore → Valle Giulia → return, when works or network conditions require it.
  • Food & beverage: not permitted as part of the on-board experience.
  • Guest capacity: based on the vehicle's authorised seating and standing configuration and reconfirmed for each service.
The route is defined by Rome's tram network. The experience built around it does not have to be.
Route & availability

When the 907 returns to service, it will still depend on a living network.

Unlike a private car, a tram cannot simply choose any street in Rome. Private operation will depend on the tracks that are operational on the requested date.

Usual Route

Porta Maggiore → Piramide → return to the starting point.

Network Alternative

When works or operating conditions affect the normal route, an alternative service towards Valle Giulia may be used before returning to Porta Maggiore.

The routes shown here are the expected operational references once private service resumes. Tram 907 is expected to return shortly, but route, date and operating conditions still require formal confirmation.

How a private event can work

Once private service resumes, the tram can become the first chapter of the evening.

Because Tram 907 is not a dining vehicle, a private journey can be paired with hospitality elsewhere in Rome rather than trying to serve food or drinks on board.

Tram 907 → Aperitivo

A historic tram journey followed by drinks in a suitable private setting.

Tram 907 → Private Dinner

The tram becomes the cultural opening to the evening, followed by dinner in a private venue or historic residence.

Tram 907 → Corporate Event

For a small company group, the journey could become a distinctive first element before hospitality, speeches or a social evening elsewhere. Explore our Corporate Experiences and selected Corporate Case Studies.

05
A different kind of private Rome

Private does not mean pretending the rules disappear.

A historic tram is compelling precisely because it remains tied to the infrastructure and operating conditions of the city that created it.

The important questions are practical: whether the vehicle is available, which route is operational, how long the journey can last and what can — and cannot — happen on board.

Rome Private Experience can build the event around those real conditions rather than turn the tram into something it was never designed to be.

The historical integrity of the 907 is part of the experience, not an obstacle to it.
Sources & editorial note

Documented history, operational information kept separate.

Historical and technical information on this page is based primarily on documentation published by GRAF — Gruppo Romano Amici della Ferrovia and public ATAC material concerning historic-tram hire and previous use of Tram 907.

Current status: Tram 907 is expected to return to private operation shortly. The vehicle is not yet presented as bookable for a specific date until final operational confirmation has been received.

Upcoming corporate & private use

Interested in Tram 907 for an upcoming private or corporate event?

Tell us your preferred date, group size and event brief. Tram 907 is expected to return to private operation shortly; we will confirm its operational status and availability for your requested date before issuing a final proposal.

The return to service is expected shortly, but no date, route or operation is considered confirmed until formally verified.

Check Upcoming Availability