Antwerp will bid a final farewell to its iconic PCC trams on Saturday 26 September 2026, bringing 66 years of regular PCC operation in the city to an end.
The farewell event, organised by De Lijn, the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum (VlaTAM), META vzw and Antwerp’s tram enthusiasts, will give passengers one last opportunity to ride the historic vehicles through the city centre.
A total of 166 PCC trams were built for Antwerp between 1960 and 1975. They initially operated for the city’s Tramwegen van Antwerpen en Omgeving (TAO) and Maatschappij voor het Intercommunaal Vervoer te Antwerpen (MIVA) transport companies before becoming part of De Lijn’s fleet. Over the decades, their livery changed from cream to red and white and eventually to De Lijn’s corporate colours.
The first Antwerp PCC, numbered 2000, was delivered on 3 October 1960. The Belgian company BN-ACEC subsequently built 166 cars under licence between 1960 and 1975.
When the first PCCs arrived, their streamlined, futuristic appearance and smooth, rapid acceleration represented a major technological step forward compared with the two-axle trams then operating in Antwerp. Over more than six decades, the PCC became an unmistakable part of the city’s streetscape and carried several generations of Antwerp residents on their daily journeys.
One last ride
On 26 September, 11 PCC trams, comprising 18 vehicles in total, will operate across Antwerp between 10:00 and 18:00. The special services will run through the city centre and stop at regular De Lijn stops, allowing passengers to board and leave wherever they wish.
The trams will operate approximately every 10 minutes from 10:00. Their routes will include the following:
- Line 11: Trammuseum Groenenhoek to Franklin D. Rooseveltplaats.
- Line 1: to Antwerp South and subsequently Noorderplaats.
- Londenstraat and Amsterdamstraat: to the Rijnkaai.
- Line 7: to the Leien.
- Line 4: back to Trammuseum Groenenhoek
Because the historic cars will be operating across the routes of several regular tram lines, organisers say it will not be possible to publish an exact timetable. The PCC services will be operated without disrupting regular De Lijn services, with a large team of volunteers helping to coordinate the event.
From 17:00 onwards, the PCCs will progressively return to the Trammuseum Groenenhoek, with the final rides taking passengers back to the museum.
A special hop-on, hop-off ticket costs €10 for passengers aged 12 and over and €5 for children aged 6 to 12. Children under six travel free. Tickets can be bought on participating trams and at the museum. Regular De Lijn tickets and season tickets will not be valid for the event.
The Trammuseum Groenenhoek, officially the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum, will be open free of charge throughout the day. The museum will host a special exhibition dedicated to the PCC, alongside its collection of historic trams and buses. Visitors will also be able to buy books and souvenirs.
The PCC: an American tram that conquered the world
The Antwerp farewell is also the end of a remarkable chapter in the history of tramway technology. The PCC was not originally an Antwerp or even a European invention. The name stands for Presidents’ Conference Committee, a group established in the United States in 1929 to develop a standardised new generation of streetcars for American cities.
At the time, trams faced growing competition from automobiles and buses. The committee sought to create a vehicle that would be faster, quieter, more comfortable and more attractive to passengers than many of the ageing streetcars then in service.
The result was one of the most influential tram designs ever produced.
The committee undertook extensive research into virtually every aspect of the streetcar, from acceleration and braking to passenger comfort, noise, vibration, seating, lighting, heating, weight and energy consumption. Rather than designing a vehicle from scratch for each operator, it developed a standardised design with a range of options that could be adapted to individual cities.
The first PCCs entered passenger service in the United States in 1936. Production continued in North America until 1952, with almost 5,000 cars built. The design proved so successful that it was subsequently licensed for production overseas.
More than 15,000 PCC-derived trams were eventually built in Europe, making the design far more influential than its original American production figures suggest. One of its most famous descendants was the Tatra T3, which became the standard tram for large parts of Central and Eastern Europe.
The PCC’s success was rooted partly in its engineering. Rubber was extensively used to reduce vibration and noise, including in the wheels and suspension. Specially designed gears further reduced mechanical noise. The result was a much quieter and smoother ride than passengers had generally experienced on older streetcars.
The driver’s controls were equally innovative. Instead of the traditional large vertical controller operated by hand, the PCC used floor-mounted pedals resembling those of an automobile. A sophisticated electrical control system provided much smoother acceleration, while dynamic braking was integrated into the driving system.
The cars could also accelerate remarkably quickly for their era. Depending on how far the accelerator pedal was depressed, acceleration could vary considerably, while magnetic brakes provided additional emergency braking capability.
The PCC design was also adaptable. Different cities ordered cars with different widths, lengths, gauges, door arrangements and electrical equipment. European versions were generally narrower and often had larger windows than their North American counterparts.
That adaptability helped the design spread across Europe after World War II. Manufacturers in several countries produced PCCs under licence, while others developed their own vehicles based heavily on PCC technology and principles.
From American standard to European classic
The PCC’s story illustrates an unusual reversal in transport technology. A design conceived in the United States to help American streetcars compete with the automobile ultimately had a particularly strong legacy in Europe.
While many American cities abandoned their streetcar networks in the post-war decades, European operators continued to develop and operate PCC-based vehicles. In countries such as Belgium, Czechoslovakia (now Czechia and Slovakia), Poland, and the Netherlands, the basic PCC concept influenced generations of trams.
Today, original PCC cars have become heritage vehicles in North America and Europe. Some still operate in regular passenger service, while others are preserved by museums and heritage operators. San Francisco has one of the largest surviving PCC collections in North America, while PCC-derived designs such as the Tatra T3 remain an important part of tramway history.
The original design has therefore survived its intended era by becoming an icon of public transport history.
Antwerp’s PCCs are among the European examples of that legacy. After 66 years, however, their regular career in the city is finally coming to an end.
For one day on 26 September, Antwerp’s streets will once again echo to the sound of the PCC; giving passengers a final chance to experience a tram that was once regarded as the future of urban transport.
Heritage and other special trams and trains in Belgium
- BELGIUM | Stoomtrein Maldegem-Eeklo steam railway announces packed autumn programme ft Lego.
- 100 YEARS OF NMBS / SNCB | Centenary train visits Schaerbeek (29–30 August), Liège (12–13 September) and Antwerp (10–11 October).
- Aachen Christmas Market Trains from Vilvoorde / Antwerp / Lier / Hasselt and Braine-le-Comte / Mons / Charleroi-Central / Namur on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 December 2025.
- Pride Express links Ghent, Brussels and Antwerp to WorldPride Amsterdam on 1 and 2 August 2026.
- BELGIUM | Rollout of The Rolling Tables dinner train experience delayed.
- The Rolling Tables dinner train experience in Belgium from 1 August 2025 and in the Netherlands from 1 November 2025.
- BELGIUM | Le Chemin de Fer du Bocq heritage railway reopens on 14 June 2025.
- BELGIUM | Fête du Rail at Rétrotrain, Saint-Ghislain.
- BELGIUM | Dendermonde – Puurs Steam Railway.
- PHOTOS | AM66 ‘Klassiekje’ / ‘Classique’ Farewell Ride at Antwerp-Central Railway Station.
- Farewell to the NMBS / SNCB AM66 ‘Klassiekje’ or ‘Classique’.
- Plans for a steam train heritage service between Brussels and Mechelen shelved.
- RIDE & DINE | Orient Dining Express by Stoomtrein Maldegem-Eeklo.
- RIDE & DINE | Brussels Tram Experience.
- Riding the Kersttram or Christmas Tram in Antwerp.
