List of trolleybus systems in the United States

This is a list of trolleybus systems in the United States of America by state. It includes all trolleybus systems, past and present.

flagicon|Alabama Alabama

*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 [http://www.erha.org/laurelcyn.html] .
*Note for San Francisco: The first trolleybus line was opened by the former Market Street Railway Company (MSR). The San Francisco Municipal Railway ("Muni") 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 (q.v., above). Planned to connect Grava railway station (or halt) to Wrightwood. A contemporary account in a local newspaper states that construction was started but not completed.

flagicon|Colorado Colorado

flagicon|Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia

flagicon|Iowa Iowa

flagicon|Louisiana Louisiana

*Notes for Boston: The historic trolleybus ("trackless trolley") system had six groups of lines (Clarke). The Silver Line was added in 2004.

The historic system was built by the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) and its successor, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) between 1936 and 1951 to replace tramway lines.

BERy was owned by private investors but came under public control from 1918. It served 13 municipalities of Greater Boston, including Boston proper (see Boston Elevated Railway). The MTA service area was limited to these municipalities (with the addition of Revere).

Following a change of management, MTA replaced trolleybuses with motorbuses from 1958. Only four trolleybus lines remained after 1963 (Boston-area trackless trolleys). MTA was succeeded by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in 1964. MBTA built the (Silver Line).

flagicon|Michigan Michigan

flagicon|New Jersey New Jersey

flagicon|Ohio Ohio

*Notes for Philadelphia: Philadelphia had three groups of trolleybus ("trackless trolley") lines, which were not connected.

South: The first line (route 80) operated on Oregon Avenue in South Philadelphia, and was based at Southern Depot. The "Southern Division" received a second line (Route 29, Tasker-Morris) in 1947. Route 80 was replaced by motorbus in 1961, but Route 79, serving Snyder Avenue, was converted to trolleybus that same year.

Northwest: The second trolleybus line (Route 61 - Ridge Avenue operated northwestward from the business center (Center City). It was the only trolleybus line to serve Center City.

Northeast: Three lines (Route 59 - Castor Avenue, Route 66 - Frankford Avenue and Route 75 - Wyoming Avenue) were converted to trolleybus in 1948 - 1955. These were based at Frankford Depot.

Temporary closure and restoration: Trolleybuses were replaced "temporarily" by motorbuses on routes 59, 66 and 75 from 16 June 2002 because of reconstruction of Frankford Depot. Motorbuses replaced Route 29 trolleybuses "temporarily" from February 2003.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority board voted on 26 June 2003 to suspend trolleybus operation for one year as part of a cost-reduction program. Route 79 trolleybuses were then replaced by motorbuses, from 30 June 2003.

SEPTA ordered new trolleybuses on order for the three Frankford Division lines, and service was planned to resume in 2007. A second group of vehicles would be required for restoration the two Southern Division trolleybus lines. However, the SEPTA board voted on 26 October 2006 not to exercise an option for additional new vehicles.

flagicon|Rhode Island Rhode Island

flagicon|Texas Texas

flagicon|Washington Washington

*Notes for Seattle: All overhead wires, other infrastructure and vehicles were replaced during 1978 - 1979.

Dual-mode (diesel-trolley) 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 urban trolleybus services.

flagicon|Wisconsin Wisconsin

References

*Books, Periodicals and External Links

ee also

* List of trolleybus systems
* List of town tramway systems
* List of light-rail transit systems
* List of rapid transit systems