This is a list of interurban railways in North America. Elsewhere, the term was not used or did not have the same meaning. The vast majority of these systems are defunct. All were opened primarily as passenger carriers, although many survived as freight railways after passenger service ceased.
Canada
Provinces not listed did not have interurban systems, which were commonly called radial railways in Canada.
Alberta
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary Municipal Railway |
British Columbia
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia Electric Railway |
Manitoba
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg Electric Company | |||
| Winnipeg, Selkirk and Lake Winnipeg Railway |
Nova Scotia
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Breton Electric Company | earlier Sydney and Glace Bay Railway; later Cape Breton Tramways | ||
| Pictou County Electric Company |
Ontario
Quebec
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hull Electric Company | |||
| Montreal and Southern Counties Railway | 1909 | 1956 | |
| Montreal Tramways Company | 1911 | 1951 | Continued as the Montreal Transportation Commission until 1959 |
| Quebec Railway, Light and Power Company | 1904 | 1959 | Operated under Canadian National Railway 1951 – 1959 |
Cuba
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferrocarril Cubano de Hershey | 1917 | Present |
Mexico
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferrocarril Electrico de Lerdo a Torreon | |||
| Ferrocarril Electrico de Tampico a la Barra | |||
| Ferrocarril Mexicano | Jalapa Branch, not electrified | ||
| Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos |
United States
Alabama
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama Power Company | |||
| Birmingham Railway and Electric Company | |||
| Mobile Light and Railroad Company |
Arizona
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Street Railway | |||
| Phoenix Railway of Arizona | |||
| Warren–Bisbee Railway | March 12, 1908 | May 31, 1928 | Operated by Warren Company |
Arkansas
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Power and Light Company | |||
| Fort Smith Light and Traction Company | |||
| West Helena Consolidated Company | Also Interurban Traction Company |
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington and Philadelphia Traction Company | Used standard streetcar technology |
District of Columbia
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Railway and Electric Company |
Georgia
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Northern Railway | July 17, 1905 | 1947 | |
| Augusta–Aiken Railway and Electric Corporation | 1902 | 1929 | |
| Fairburn and Atlanta Railway and Electric Company | |||
| Georgia Railway and Power Company | |||
| Savannah Electric and Power Company |
Idaho
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boise Valley Traction Company | |||
| Caldwell Traction Company | |||
| Lewiston–Clarkston Transit Company | |||
| Sandpoint and Interurban Railway | |||
| Utah Idaho Central |
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Valley Interurban Railway | 1910 | 1938 | |
| Iola Electric Railway | 1901 | March 1919 | |
| Joplin and Pittsburg Railway | 1907 | 1930's | Freight traffic continued until 1951 |
| Junction City and Fort Riley Railway | |||
| Kansas City, Clay County and St. Joseph Railway | 1913 | 1933 | |
| Kansas City, Kaw Valley and Western Railway | 1914 | 1949 | Later Kansas City, Kaw Valley Railroad. Freight traffic continued until 1963 |
| Kansas City, Lawrence and Topeka Railway | 1903 | 1934 | Earlier Kansas City and Olathe Electric Railway; later Kansas City, Merriam and Shawnee Railroad |
| Kansas City, Leavenworth and Western Railway | |||
| Manhattan City and Interurban Railway | 1914 | 1926 | |
| Missouri and Kansas Interurban Railway | 1906 | July 9, 1940 | |
| Southwestern Interurban Railway | |||
| Union Traction Company | 1904 | 1947 | Later Union Electric Railway |
| Westmoreland Interurban Railroad |
Kentucky
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Traction and Terminal Company | |||
| Louisville and Interurban Railroad | 1901 | 1935 |
Louisiana
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orleans–Kenner Electric Railway | |||
| St. Tammany Railway and Power Company | |||
| Southwestern Traction Company |
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Michigan had 981 miles (1,579 km) of interurban.
Minnesota
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric Short Line Railway | Not electrified | ||
| Mesaba Railway | |||
| Minneapolis, Anoka and Cuyuna Range Railroad | |||
| Minneapolis Municipal Waterworks Railway | While not technically an interurban railway, since it did not connect two cities, it was a freight and passenger hauling electric railway | ||
| Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester and Dubuque Electric Traction Company | Not electrified; later Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway | ||
| Minnesota Northwestern Electric Railway | Not electrified | ||
| St. Paul Southern Electric Railway | November 17, 1914 (1914-11-17) | July 31, 1928 (1928-07-31) | |
| Twin City Rapid Transit Company |
Mississippi
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulfport and Mississippi Coast Traction Company | |||
| Laurel Light and Railway Company |
Missouri
Montana
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anaconda Copper Mining Company | |||
| Gallatin Valley Railway |
Nebraska
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha and Lincoln Railway and Light Company | |||
| Omaha and Southern Interurban Railway | |||
| Omaha, Lincoln and Beatrice Railway |
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piedmont and Northern Railway | |||
| Piedmont Railway and Electric Company | |||
| Tidewater Power Company |
North Dakota
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley City Street and Interurban Railway |
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon Electric Railway | January 1908 | ||
| Portland Traction Company | Earlier Portland Railway, Light and Power Company and Portland Electric Power Company | ||
| Southern Oregon Traction Company | |||
| Southern Pacific Company | January 17, 1914 | October 5, 1929 | Southern Pacific Electric Lines, earlier Portland, Eugene and Eastern Railway |
| United Railways | |||
| Willamette Valley Southern Railway |
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caguas Tramway Company |
Rhode Island
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newport and Providence Railway | |||
| Providence and Fall River Street Railway | |||
| Rhode Island Company | Later United Electric Railways | ||
| Sea View Railroad |
South Carolina
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta–Aiken Railway and Electric Corporation | 1902 | 1929 | |
| Charleston – Isle of Palms Traction Company | |||
| Columbia Railway, Gas and Electric Company | |||
| Piedmont and Northern Railway |
South Dakota
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadwood Central Railroad | 1902 | 1924 | Narrow gauge railroad that hosted interurban service |
Tennessee
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Traction Company | |||
| Chattanooga Traction Company | |||
| Memphis and Lake View Railway | |||
| Nashville–Franklin Railway | Earlier Nashville Interurban Railway | ||
| Nashville–Gallatin Interurban Railway | Later Union Traction Company of Tennessee |
Texas
Utah
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bamberger Electric Railroad | Later Bamberger Railroad | ||
| Emigration Canyon Railroad | |||
| Ogden Rapid Transit Company | |||
| Salt Lake and Utah Railroad | |||
| Salt Lake, Garfield and Western Railway | |||
| Utah–Idaho Central Railroad | |||
| Utah Light and Traction Company | Long suburban lines |
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
| Name | Date (From) | Date (To) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheridan Railway and Light Company |
See also
- List of town tramway systems in North America (covers countries other than U.S. and Canada)
- List of street railways in Canada
- List of town tramway systems in the United States
References
- ^ Middleton, William D. (1961). The Interurban Era. Milwaukee, WI: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89024-003-8. OCLC 4357897 – via Archive.org.
- ^ Hilton, George W.; Due, John Fitzgerald (1960). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-4014-2. OCLC 237973.
- Rice, Walter E.; Echeverria, Emiliano J. "San Francisco's 40-line". The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco. The Museum of the City of San Francisco. Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
- "Streetcars in Altlanta". RailGa.com. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- "Joliet-Aurora Line is Opened". Rock Island Argus. Rock Island, Illinois. October 22, 1904. p. 1. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- Rice, R. H. (March 9, 1907). "Operation and Construction of the Elgin & Belvidere Railway". Electric Railway Review. XVII (10): 322.
- "Elgin". Sterling Daily Gazette. Sterling, Illinois. March 10, 1930. p. 2. Retrieved April 13, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Woodstock-Sycamore Line Quits". Electric Railway Journal. 51 (17): 827. April 27, 1918.
- Indiana Public Service Commission, Re Gary & Hobart Traction Company (No. 4802), October 25, 1919
- ^ "New Track Construction in 1907". Electric Railway Review. XIX (1): 4. January 4, 1908.
- Wright, Henry Andrew (1949). The Story of Western Massachusetts. Vol. II. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc. p. 603, 624.
- Environmental Impact Station and Section 4(f) Evaluation; Route 2- Greenfield, Gill, Erving, Wendell, Orange, Massachusetts. U.S. Department of Transportation. May 10, 1982. p. 30.
- "Chariots of Change - The Holyoke Street Railway". Holyoke, Mass.: Wistariahurst. Archived from the original on April 18, 2016.
- "Surrender of Franchise Stuns 'Hamp; But Officials Hope Bus Service May Be Restored Soon". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. October 31, 1951. p. 7.
- Appleton, John (November 3, 1981). "Springfield Street Railway Co. garage turned over to PVTA". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. p. 4.
- Appleton, John (November 3, 1981). "The Springfield Street Railway Co. — now it's another part of PVTA". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. p. 13.
- Olson, R. L. (1976). The electric railways of minnesota. Hopkins, MN: Minnesota Transportation Museum Inc.
- ^ Thompson, Richard (2008). Willamette Valley Railways. Mount Pleasant, SC (US): Arcadia Publishing. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-7385-5601-7.
- ^ Robert A. Rieder: Electric Interurban Railways from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved August 2009.
- "Interurban rail service between Everett and Seattle ends February 20, 1939". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 2013-04-17.