Galveston-Houston Electric Railway

The Galveston-Houston Electric Railway Company operated the Galveston-Houston Electric Railway, sometimes called the Interurban, from 1911 to 1936. It was recognized as the fastest interurban line in 1925 and 1926.

Route

The Interurban ran the 50 miles (80 km) from downtown Houston to downtown Galveston in as little as 75 minutes. The track roughly followed the current path of Interstate 45 (Gulf Freeway), and is now used as a utility right of way for high tension power lines. The Galveston Bay causeway was considered a great feat of engineering and cost about two million dollars to build in the late 1910s.

While most of the original stations have been demolished to make room for new structures, several artifacts remain. Minute Maid Park was built from Union Station, and features a railway theme. The original causeway can be easily seen to the east from the interstate causeway.

Other stops include Park Place, Clear Creek Crossing (the power station), and the Galveston Terminal on 21st Street, between Church and Post Office streets.

Future

There has been recent talk of re-establishing some form of train service between Houston and Galveston. Several test trips have been made using Amtrak equipment under the Gulfliner name. It has been suggested that some parts of the old Interurban right of way might be used to bypass congested sections of track on the host railroad.

External links

* [http://members.iglou.com/baron/interurban.htm Houston Streetcar History Pages]
* [http://www.galvestonrrmuseum.com/ Galveston Island Railroad Museum]
* [http://www.tamug.edu/rrmuseum/RAILROADS.htm Railroads - Key to Galveston]
*Handbook of Texas|id=EE/eqe12|name=Electric Interurban Railways