High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! There have been two separate generations of trams in London, from 1860 to 1952 and from 2000. Between 1952 and 2000 no trams ran in London. Most new rail systems in London have since been built to use light rail, as the steeper gradients, cheaper engines, and more flexible land use inherent in modern designs have led to more affordable and practical systems. The first of these is a light rail system was built to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of East London. Originally conceived by PLA in 1977 as an express ground level tramway both in street and on reserved track, the concept passed to LDDC in 1980 and was upgraded.