Interurban was the name used to describe a streetcar line connecting urban areas, primarily during the early 1900s. In the USA, streetcars often competed with conventional passenger rail transportation, being less expensive but slower in speed. For technological and other reasons most interurban systems have now been replaced by bus transport or light rail. In some instances street cars have been reintroduced as a form of retro-transportation to encourage tourism.

Brief history

United States of America

In the late 1890s, electric traction systems called streetcars which had been developed by F. Spraigue , expanded rapidly. By the end of 1904 several thousand miles of track had been laid. From 1906 until 1908 another 15,000 miles of interurban track were layed down.

Most of the interurban track that had been laid was located in Ohio and Indiana. Both states had 3,000 miles of track. In Michigan and Illinois there was another 2,000 miles of track which were interconnected. In Texas and in California thousands of miles of additional track was also laid down by different companies.

In the early 1900s interurban transportation was very popular in both rural areas cities. Although slower in speed than than steam driven passenger trains, the interurban system made up for speed by increased service. After 1910 the popularity of the Ford Model T automobile began to diminish the interurban passenger load and during the 1920s many interurban systems were declared bankrupt. As a result of this shift in transportation methods the small and non-profitable lines were discontinued.

By the 1930s the interurban passenger street cars began to disappear, although some of their rail lines were converted from electric traction to the carriage of freight drawn by steam engines. By the 1960s, the few interurban street car systems that remained in service included the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad , the Northern Indiana Railway , and the Norristown High Speed Line and other Philadelphia suburban lines.

See also:

• Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway - Speed in excess of 65 miles per hour on a regular schedule.
• Ohio Electric Railway
• Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad
• Chicago, South Shore and South Bend Railroad
• Union Traction Company of Indiana
• Indiana Railroad
• Northern Indiana Railway
• Pacific Electric Railway (California)
• Northern Texas Traction Company - linked Dallas and Fort Worth in 1902
• Public Service Railroad (New Jersey)
• New York, Westchester and Boston Railway (part is now the IRT Dyre Avenue Line of the New York City Subway)
• Philadelphia and Western Railroad (now SEPTA's Norristown High Speed Line)
• MBTA Green Line Riverside Branch - a steam railroad converted for streetcar operation

Australia

In Australia, electrified interurban commuter railway systems are used to connect long distances between urban areas:

In Sydney CityRail operates an extensive interurban system from Newcastle to the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands and the South Coast.

In Brisbane CityTrain operates a small interurban commuter network that connects the Gold Coast with the Sunshine Coast of Queensland over its Rosewood railway line.

New non-electric service

In Perth a new interurban rail line will serve Mandurah by 2006. A similar non-electric project is also planned for Victoria.

External links

• Interurbans: The technology of economical local transport in the United States
• Dave's Electric Railroads, a collection of electric railroad, interurban, and streetcar photography from many eras
• Principle (sic) Interurban Car builders of the U.S
• Roster of Preserved North American Electric Railway Cars