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 SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Birmingham Electric Company Birmingham TransitBirmingham30 April 194722 November 1958

Arkansas

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Little Rock26 December 19471 March 1956

California

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Los Angeles11 September 19101915An 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 Angeles3 August 194730 March 1963Construction 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 Francisco6 October 1935 See note, and see also Trolleybuses in San Francisco.
See note.

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Denver2 June 194010 June 1955

Connecticut

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
GreenwichJuly 1897c. January 1898Demonstration. First passenger-carrying trolleybus on a public road. Operated for two hours a day, for six months.
New Haven1903 Demonstration.

Delaware

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Wilmington24 September 19396 December 1957

Georgia

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Georgia Railway and Power Company, then Atlanta Transit Company Atlanta28 June 193727 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 SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Honolulu Rapid Transit Company LimitedHonolulu1936-Demonstration
Honolulu Rapid Transit Company LimitedHonolulu1 January 193822 June 1957

Illinois

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Chicago Transit AuthorityChicago17 April 193025 March 1973
Peoria13 November 19313 October 1946
Rockford10 December 19306 June 1947

Indiana

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Fort Wayne7 July 194012 June 1960
Indianapolis4 December 193210 May 1957

Iowa

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Des Moines Railway Co./Des Moines Transit Co.Des Moines9 October 193824 January 1964Trolleybuses here were known as "Curbliners". One Des Moines trolleybus is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum.

Kansas

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Topeka27 March 193230 June 1940

Kentucky

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Covington11 September 193712 March 1958System extended across the Ohio River to Cincinnati.
Louisville27 December 19367 May 1951

Louisiana

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
New Orleans2 December 192926 March 1967
Shreveport15 December 193126 May 1965

Maryland

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Baltimore:
Baltimore - Randallstown1 November 192231 August 1931
♦ Urban system6 March 193821 June 1959

Massachusetts

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
BERy, Massachusetts Bay Transportation AuthorityBoston: See Trolleybuses in Greater Boston.
Cambridge11 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 - Arlington8 November 194131 March 1963
Everett - Malden17 September 193331 March 1963
East Boston - Chelsea - Revere5 January 19529 September 1961
Dorchester25 December 19486 April 1962Not connected with remainder of the system.
Arborway29 September 19511 October 1958Not 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.
Fairhaven16 October 19151 December 1915Experimental.
Fitchburg10 May 193230 June 1946System also served Leominster.
Nantasket BeachAugust 1904 .

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Detroit19 June 1930
15 December 1949
11 August 1937
16 November 1962
Also 1921 and 1924 demonstrations.
Flint1936
6 December 1936
-
26 March 1956.
Demonstration.
-

Minnesota

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Duluth15 October 193115 May 1957
Twin City Rapid Transit CompanyMinneapolis5 May 192222 May 1923Experimental. One-wire trolley pole overhead, and a shoe to streetcar rails below to complete the circuit.

Missouri

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Kansas City29 May 19384 January 1959Interstate line to Kansas City, Kansas opened 4 October 1950; closed 14 July 1951 because of flood damage.
Saint Joseph1 August 193222 November 1966

Nevada

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Reno1897 Demonstration,.

New Jersey

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Camden1 September 19351 June 1947"All-Service Vehicle" system.
Newark15 September 193510 November 1948"All-Service Vehicle" system.

The operator conducted a demonstration at Weehawken in 1934 prior to opening of public service with ASVs in 1935. Weehawken was served by the Newark system.
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 SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Buffalo30 December 1949January 1950Demonstration.
Cohoes2 November 192412 December 1937
New York1923 Demonstration.
Brooklyn23 July 193026 July 1960
Staten Island8 October 192116 October 1927
Rochester1 November 192322 March 1932

North Carolina

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Greensboro15 July 19345 June 1956

Ohio

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Akron12 December 19416 June 1959
Cincinnati1 December 193618 June 1965
Cleveland Transit SystemCleveland1 March 193614 June 1963
Columbus3 December 19333 May 1965
Dayton23 April 1933 See note, and see also Trolleybuses in Dayton.
♦ Dayton Street Railway Company 23 April 1933Sold to CRC.
♦ Oakwood Street Railway Company 19 January 1936Sold to CTC.
♦ Peoples Railway Company 11 October 1936Sold to CRC.
♦ The City Railway Company 25 March 1938
♦ Dayton-Xenia Railway Company 1 October 1940Sold to CTC.
Toledo1 February 193528 May 1952
Youngstown11 November 193610 June 1959

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Portland Traction Co.;
Rose City Transit Co.
Portland30 August 193623 October 1958Also demonstration, May 1935 - October 1935.

Pennsylvania

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Johnstown Traction CompanyJohnstown20 November 195111 November 1967
Philadelphia14 October 1923Also demonstration in 1921. Service suspended 1 July 2003 – 14 April 2008.
See also Trolleybuses in Philadelphia.
Pittsburgh28 September 1936
1949
11 October 1936
1949
Demonstration.
Demonstration.
Scranton1903 Demonstration..
Wilkes-Barre15 December 193916 October 1958

Rhode Island

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Pawtucket26 December 193130 May 1953
Providence22 June 193524 June 1955
♦ Providence – Pawtucket9 November 19406 July 1953

South Carolina

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Greenville19 August 193420 February 1956

Tennessee

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Knoxville28 April 19301 July 1945
Memphis8 November 193122 April 1960

Texas

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Dallas25 November 194528 July 1966

Utah

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Salt Lake City9 September 1928September 1946

Virginia

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Norfolk1921
1924
1921
1924
Demonstrations.
Petersburg19 June 192331 December 1926
Portsmouth1923 Demonstration.
Richmond1921 Demonstration.

Washington

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Seattle Transit System ;
Metro
Seattle28 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.

Dual-mode buses operated 15 September 1990 - 24 January 2005 on routes using the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel. The overhead wire system in the tunnel was not connected to that used by surface trolleybus services.

Wisconsin

Name of SystemLocationDate Date Notes
Kenosha15 February 19321 March 1952
Merrill Railway & Lighting Co.MerrillJanuary 1913December 1913Experimental.
Milwaukee8 November 193620 June 1965

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