List of trolleybus systems in the United States
This is a list of trolleybus systems in the United States by State. It includes all trolleybus systems, past and present. About 65 trolleybus systems have existed in the U.S. at one time or another. In this list, boldface type in the "location" column and blue background colored row indicates one of the five U.S. trolleybus systems still in operation.
Alabama
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Birmingham Electric Company Birmingham Transit | Birmingham | 30 April 1947 | 22 November 1958 |
Arkansas
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Little Rock | 26 December 1947 | 1 March 1956 |
California
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Los Angeles | 11 September 1910 | 1915 | An early commercial trolleybus system in the United States. Later, there were 1922 and 1937 demonstrations of newer vehicles. | |
Los Angeles Transit Lines ; Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority | Los Angeles | 3 August 1947 | 30 March 1963 | Construction of a new system was planned in the early 1990s, but the plans were cancelled in December 1993 because of a severe budget crisis. |
Construction started 1945, not completed. Vehicles built for Oakland were used in Los Angeles. | ||||
San Francisco | 6 October 1935 | See note, and see also Trolleybuses in San Francisco. | ||
See note. |
- Note for Los Angeles: First system connected Sunset Boulevard with a new housing development, "Bungalow Town," in Laurel Canyon. Built and operated by Laurel Canyon Utilities Company.
- Note for San Francisco: The first trolleybus line was opened by the former Market Street Railway Company. The San Francisco Municipal Railway opened the second trolleybus line on 7 September 1941. MSR was absorbed by Muni on 29 September 1944. Most of the current trolleybus system was built to replace MSR tramway lines.
- Note for Wrightwood: Line planned ca. 1911 by Lone Pine Utilities Company, an affiliate of Laurel Canyon Utilities Company. Planned to connect Grava railway station to Wrightwood. A contemporary account in a local newspaper states that construction was started but not completed.
Colorado
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Denver | 2 June 1940 | 10 June 1955 |
Connecticut
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Greenwich | July 1897 | c. January 1898 | Demonstration. First passenger-carrying trolleybus on a public road. Operated for two hours a day, for six months. | |
New Haven | 1903 | Demonstration. |
Delaware
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Wilmington | 24 September 1939 | 6 December 1957 |
Georgia
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Georgia Railway and Power Company, then Atlanta Transit Company | Atlanta | 28 June 1937 | 27 September 1963 | Mass conversion of 20 streetcar lines to trackless trolleys in 1949. In 1950, had 453 coaches and was the largest system in the United States. |
Hawaii
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Honolulu Rapid Transit Company Limited | Honolulu | 1936 | - | Demonstration |
Honolulu Rapid Transit Company Limited | Honolulu | 1 January 1938 | 22 June 1957 |
Illinois
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Chicago Transit Authority | Chicago | 17 April 1930 | 25 March 1973 | |
Peoria | 13 November 1931 | 3 October 1946 | ||
Rockford | 10 December 1930 | 6 June 1947 |
Indiana
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Fort Wayne | 7 July 1940 | 12 June 1960 | ||
Indianapolis | 4 December 1932 | 10 May 1957 |
Iowa
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Des Moines Railway Co./Des Moines Transit Co. | Des Moines | 9 October 1938 | 24 January 1964 | Trolleybuses here were known as "Curbliners". One Des Moines trolleybus is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum. |
Kansas
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Topeka | 27 March 1932 | 30 June 1940 |
Kentucky
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Covington | 11 September 1937 | 12 March 1958 | System extended across the Ohio River to Cincinnati. | |
Louisville | 27 December 1936 | 7 May 1951 |
Louisiana
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
New Orleans | 2 December 1929 | 26 March 1967 | ||
Shreveport | 15 December 1931 | 26 May 1965 |
Maryland
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Baltimore: | ||||
♦ Baltimore - Randallstown | 1 November 1922 | 31 August 1931 | ||
♦ Urban system | 6 March 1938 | 21 June 1959 |
Massachusetts
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
BERy, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | Boston: | See Trolleybuses in Greater Boston. | ||
♦Cambridge | 11 April 1936 | Four lines extend from Harvard station in Cambridge and do not serve the city of Boston proper. However, trolleybuses operate in Boston proper on the Silver Line. | ||
♦ Somerville - Medford - Arlington | 8 November 1941 | 31 March 1963 | ||
♦ Everett - Malden | 17 September 1933 | 31 March 1963 | ||
♦ East Boston - Chelsea - Revere | 5 January 1952 | 9 September 1961 | ||
♦ Dorchester | 25 December 1948 | 6 April 1962 | Not connected with remainder of the system. | |
♦ Arborway | 29 September 1951 | 1 October 1958 | Not connected with remainder of the system. | |
♦ South Boston Waterfront | 17 December 2004 | Dual-mode buses use electric traction in the South Boston Waterfront tunnel and a short surface section, and diesel traction elsewhere. | ||
Fairhaven | 16 October 1915 | 1 December 1915 | Experimental. | |
Fitchburg | 10 May 1932 | 30 June 1946 | System also served Leominster. | |
Nantasket Beach | August 1904 | . |
- Note for Boston: The historic trolleybus system of the Boston metropolitan area had six groups of lines. The Silver Line - Waterfront was added in 2004.
Michigan
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Detroit | 19 June 1930 15 December 1949 | 11 August 1937 16 November 1962 | Also 1921 and 1924 demonstrations. | |
Flint | 1936 6 December 1936 | - 26 March 1956. | Demonstration. - |
Minnesota
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Duluth | 15 October 1931 | 15 May 1957 | ||
Twin City Rapid Transit Company | Minneapolis | 5 May 1922 | 22 May 1923 | Experimental. One-wire trolley pole overhead, and a shoe to streetcar rails below to complete the circuit. |
Missouri
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Kansas City | 29 May 1938 | 4 January 1959 | Interstate line to Kansas City, Kansas opened 4 October 1950; closed 14 July 1951 because of flood damage. | |
Saint Joseph | 1 August 1932 | 22 November 1966 |
Nevada
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Reno | 1897 | Demonstration,. |
New Jersey
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Camden | 1 September 1935 | 1 June 1947 | "All-Service Vehicle" system. | |
Newark | 15 September 1935 | 10 November 1948 | "All-Service Vehicle" system. |
- Notes for Camden and Newark: The "All-Service Vehicle" systems used gasoline-electric motorbuses modified for operation from external power or onboard engine-generator set. The route systems were not fully electrified, and operating depots had no overhead wires.
The Newark ASV system also served many adjacent towns, including the Hudson County towns of Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Union City and West New York, the Passaic County towns of Passaic and Paterson, and the Union County towns of Elizabeth and Plainfield.
New York
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Buffalo | 30 December 1949 | January 1950 | Demonstration. | |
Cohoes | 2 November 1924 | 12 December 1937 | ||
New York | 1923 | Demonstration. | ||
♦ Brooklyn | 23 July 1930 | 26 July 1960 | ||
♦ Staten Island | 8 October 1921 | 16 October 1927 | ||
Rochester | 1 November 1923 | 22 March 1932 |
North Carolina
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Greensboro | 15 July 1934 | 5 June 1956 |
Ohio
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Akron | 12 December 1941 | 6 June 1959 | ||
Cincinnati | 1 December 1936 | 18 June 1965 | ||
Cleveland Transit System | Cleveland | 1 March 1936 | 14 June 1963 | |
Columbus | 3 December 1933 | 3 May 1965 | ||
Dayton | 23 April 1933 | See note, and see also Trolleybuses in Dayton. | ||
♦ Dayton Street Railway Company | 23 April 1933 | Sold to CRC. | ||
♦ Oakwood Street Railway Company | 19 January 1936 | Sold to CTC. | ||
♦ Peoples Railway Company | 11 October 1936 | Sold to CRC. | ||
♦ The City Railway Company | 25 March 1938 | |||
♦ Dayton-Xenia Railway Company | 1 October 1940 | Sold to CTC. | ||
Toledo | 1 February 1935 | 28 May 1952 | ||
Youngstown | 11 November 1936 | 10 June 1959 |
- Note for Dayton: Dayton was a notable exception to the "typical" U.S. trend of consolidation of public transport services. Five companies operated tramway service from 1909 to 1933. All five companies operated trolleybuses for several months in 1940–41, prior to the beginning of consolidations. The largest company, the City Railway Company, became the City Transit Company in 1955 and was taken into public ownership by the Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority in 1972. MVRTA is known today as the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority.
Oregon
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Portland Traction Co.; Rose City Transit Co. | Portland | 30 August 1936 | 23 October 1958 | Also demonstration, May 1935 - October 1935. |
Pennsylvania
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Johnstown Traction Company | Johnstown | 20 November 1951 | 11 November 1967 | |
Philadelphia | 14 October 1923 | Also demonstration in 1921. Service suspended 1 July 2003 – 14 April 2008. See also Trolleybuses in Philadelphia. | ||
Pittsburgh | 28 September 1936 1949 | 11 October 1936 1949 | Demonstration. Demonstration. | |
Scranton | 1903 | Demonstration.. | ||
Wilkes-Barre | 15 December 1939 | 16 October 1958 |
Rhode Island
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Pawtucket | 26 December 1931 | 30 May 1953 | ||
Providence | 22 June 1935 | 24 June 1955 | ||
♦ Providence – Pawtucket | 9 November 1940 | 6 July 1953 |
South Carolina
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Greenville | 19 August 1934 | 20 February 1956 |
Tennessee
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Knoxville | 28 April 1930 | 1 July 1945 | ||
Memphis | 8 November 1931 | 22 April 1960 |
Texas
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Dallas | 25 November 1945 | 28 July 1966 |
Utah
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Salt Lake City | 9 September 1928 | September 1946 |
Virginia
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Norfolk | 1921 1924 | 1921 1924 | Demonstrations. | |
Petersburg | 19 June 1923 | 31 December 1926 | ||
Portsmouth | 1923 | Demonstration. | ||
Richmond | 1921 | Demonstration. |
Washington
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Seattle Transit System ; Metro | Seattle | 28 April 1940 | Also 27 February 1937 - 9 March 1937 demonstration. All service suspended 21 January 1978 – 14 September 1979 for renewal; see note. See also Trolleybuses in Seattle. |
- Note for Seattle: All overhead wires, other infrastructure and vehicles were replaced during the 1978–79 suspension, but the transition is not considered the end of one system and the beginning of a "second" system, because the suspension was only temporary, for upgrading. The current system is widely considered as having opened in 1940.
Wisconsin
Name of System | Location | Date | Date | Notes |
Kenosha | 15 February 1932 | 1 March 1952 | ||
Merrill Railway & Lighting Co. | Merrill | January 1913 | December 1913 | Experimental. |
Milwaukee | 8 November 1936 | 20 June 1965 |
Books and periodicals
- Bruce, Ashley R. Lombard-Gerin and Inventing the Trolleybus. Trolleybooks. .
- Clarke, Bradley H. 1970. "Trackless Trolleys of Boston, The". Cambridge, US: Boston Street Railway Association, Inc..
- Murray, Alan. 2000. "World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia". Reading, Berkshire, UK: Trolleybooks.
- Porter, Harry; and Worris, Stanley F.X. 1979. Trolleybus Bulletin No. 109: Databook II. North American Trackless Trolley Association.
- Sebree, Mac, and Paul Ward. 1974. "The Trolley Coach in North America". Los Angeles, US: Interurbans. LCCN 74-20367.
- Trolleybus Magazine. National Trolleybus Association. Bimonthly.