This is a list of past and present streetcar (tram), interurban, and light rail systems in the United States. System here refers to all streetcar infrastructure and rolling stock in a given metropolitan area; it is not a list of the private companies that operated streetcars.
Like other country-wide lists indexed at List of town tramway systems, this list includes past and present systems. For lists of active systems, see: Light rail in the United States List of United States light rail systems by ridership List of rail transit systems in the United States, which also includes subway/metro and commuter rail systems. In the state-by-state tables below: Names and cities of currently operating systems appear in bold on blue backgrounds. A diamond (♦) symbol denotes a system that operates or operated in the same area as another independent system. The Type column denotes interurban and light rail systems, and is left blank for the far-more-plentiful streetcar systems. (Some pre-1970s systems might have been called light rail if the term had existed at the time.)
Alabama
Name Location Motive power Type Opened Closed Notes Alabama Power Company Anniston Horse ? ? Electric Formerly Anniston Electric and Gas Company Birmingham Railway, Light and Power Company Birmingham Horse Steam Electric ♦ Bessemer Steam Electric City streetcar service absorbed by interurban services. ♦ Birmingham - Bessemer (two lines) Steam Electric South Calera Street Railway Calera Steam ? ? North Alabama Traction Company Decatur Horse ? ? Electric ? Eufaula Steam ? ? Peoples Railroad Fairhope Petrol (gasoline) ? ? Alabama Power Company Gadsden Mule Steam ? Electric Gadsden, Bellevue and Lookout Mountain Railway Gadsden Electric ? Alabama Power Company Huntsville Steam ? ? Electric ? Formerly Huntsville Railway, Light and Power Company Lannett Steam ? ? Connected Lanett with Bleecker, and West Point, Georgia. Mobile Light and Railroad Company Mobile Horse Steam ? Electric Capital City Street Railway Montgomery Horse Electric Opelika & Auburn Electric Railway Opelika Steam ? ? Connected Opelika and Auburn. Selma Electric Railway Selma Horse ? ? Steam ? ? Electric ? 1924 Sheffield Company Sheffield Steam ? ? Electric May 1904 Tuscaloosa Railway and Utilities Company Tuscaloosa Horse ? ? Steam ? ? Electric Union Springs Street Car Company Union Springs Horse ? ?
Peschkes states that a company was organized to build a steam tramway in Blountsville but never started construction, and that other sources tabulate this system among those in operation.
Arizona Name Location Motive power Type Opened Closed Notes Douglas Traction and Light Company Douglas Steam ? Electric Phoenix Street Railway Phoenix (first era) Horse Electric See Phoenix Street Railway. Interurban line to Glendale opened 1911. Planned extensions to Scottsdale, Tempe, and Mesa were never built. Tempe Street Railway Tempe (in Phoenix metropolitan area) Horse Valley Metro Rail Phoenix (second era) Electric Light rail Also serves the Phoenix suburbs of Tempe and MesaTempeElectricMay 20, 2022Planned extension to Mesa Prescott and Mount Union Railway Prescott Electric Temporary service to Chautauqua fair in June 1912. Cars sold to Douglas in March 1915. Tucson Rapid Transit Company Tucson (first era) Horse Electric Old Pueblo Trolley Electric Volunteer-operated heritage streetcar using one mile of original track. Sun Link Tucson (second era) Electric Reintroduction Warren–Bisbee Railway Warren – Bisbee Electric Interurban Connected Warren and Bisbee.
Arkansas
Name Location Motive power Type Opened Closed Notes Bentonville Petrol (gasoline) Eureka Traction Company Eureka Springs Horse Electric by Fort Smith – Oklahoma Light and Traction Company Fort Smith Horse Electric System included interstate line to Arkoma, Oklahoma. See also Fort Smith Trolley Museum, which operates non-transit heritage streetcar service along city streets. ♦ Van Buren Electric ? ? West Helena Consolidated Company Helena Horse Electric Central Arkansas Railway and Light Corporation Hot Springs Horse ? ? Electric ? see also Hot Springs Street Railroad Central Power and Light Company Hoxie – Walnut Ridge Horse Electric Intercity Terminal Railway Little Rock (first era) Horse Steam Electric Also served North Little Rock, which before 1917 was named Argenta. Metro Streetcar Little Rock (second era) Electric Heritage streetcar system. Originally called the River Rail Streetcar; renamed Metro Streetcar in 2015. Also serves North Little Rock. Pine Bluff Company Pine Bluff Horse Electric Searcy & West Point Railroad Searcy Horse ? ? Connected Searcy with West Point. Stuttgart Improvement Company Stuttgart Horse ? ? Sulphur Rock Railway Sulphur Rock Horse Believed to be the last town tramway operated by horse traction in the U.S. Southwestern Gas and Electric Company Texarkana Horse Electric Interstate streetcar system, also served Texarkana, Texas. Central Power and Light Company Walnut Ridge Electric ? ?
California
Name Location Motive power Type Opened Closed Notes Alameda, Oakland and Piedmont Railroad ♦ Alameda Horse Key System Electric See also East Bay Electric Lines ♦ Anaheim Horse Bakersfield and Sumner Railroad Bakersfield Horse Streetcar Bakersfield and Kern Electric Railway Electric ♦ Berkeley Horse Steam Electric Burlingame Electric Railway ♦ Burlingame Accumulator (storage battery) Chico Horse Streetcar ? Sacramento Northern Railroad Electric Streetcar Oroville–Chico–Marysville–Sacramento–Concord–Oakland Electric Interurban Earlier Northern Electric Railway north of Sacramento and Oakland, Antioch and Eastern Railway south of Sacramento Colton & San Bernardino Railway Colton Horse Streetcar ♦ Coronado Horse Steam Electric Eureka Street Railroad Eureka Horse Streetcar Humboldt Transit Company Electric Visalia Electric Railroad Exeter Electric Interurban Diesel Fresno Traction Company Fresno Horse Streetcar Electric Glendale and Montrose Railway ♦ Glendale Electric Interurban ♦ Hayward Horse ♦ Imperial Beach Petrol (gasoline) Accumulator (storage battery) Lake Elsinore Electric (?) ? ? Note for Lake Elsinore: Only one source states that an electric tramway was in operation here. Pacific Electric ♦ Long Beach Electric Streetcar See Streetcars in Long Beach. Reintroduced (LRT) 14 Jul 1990 as part of Metro Rail's Blue Line. Los Angeles Horse Cable See Cable cars and funiculars in Los Angeles Steam Los Angeles Railway Los Angeles Electric Streetcar Name was changed to Los Angeles Transit Lines in 1945 Pacific Electric Los Angeles Electric Interurban and streetcar Los Angeles MTA Los Angeles Electric Angels Flight Los Angeles Funicular 1996 Reopened in 1996 a few blocks away from the original site. Metro Rail (A, E, L and C lines) Los Angeles Electric Light rail Part of Los Angeles' larger Metro Rail network, which also includes the rapid transit B and D lines. Marysville and Yuba City Street Railway Marysville – Yuba City Horse Streetcar Sacramento Northern Railroad Electric 1907 Monrovia Street Railway ♦ Monrovia Horse 1888 1903 Monterey and Pacific Grove Railway Monterey – Pacific Grove Horse Streetcar Electric Streetcar ♦ National City Horse ? ? Nevada County Traction Company Nevada City – Grass Valley Electric Interurban Oakland Horse See List of California street railroads Steam ? Cable Streetcar see Oakland Cable Railway, Piedmont Cable Company Electric Streetcar see also Key System, San Francisco. Oakland, San Leandro and Haywards Electric Railway ♦ Oakland – Hayward Electric Streetcar Later part of the Key System Ontario and San Antonio Heights Railroad Company ♦ Ontario – Upland Horse Streetcar Pacific Electric Electric Interurban Oxnard Petrol (gasoline) Peninsular Railway ♦ Palo Alto Electric Streetcar see also San Jose. ♦ Pasadena Horse Pacific Electric Electric Reintroduced (LRT) 26 Jul 2003 as part of Metro Rail's Gold Line. Paso Robles Street Railway Company Paso Robles Horse ? Petaluma Street Railroad Petaluma Horse Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad Petaluma – Santa Rosa Electric Interurban Ran from Petaluma to Santa Rosa via Sebastopol and Forestville ♦ Pomona Horse Steam Pacific Electric Electric ♦ Redlands Mule See Streetcars in Redlands Electric East Shore and Suburban Railway ♦ Richmond Electric Streetcar Subsidiary of the Key System Shipyard Railway Electric Interurban Operated by the Key System transit company ♦ Riverside Horse Steam Pacific Electric Electric Sacramento City Railway Sacramento (first era) Horse Streetcar Sacramento Electric, Gas and Railway Company Electric Streetcar See Streetcars in Sacramento. Accumulator (storage battery) experiments around 1888. Pacific Gas and Electric Company Electric Streetcar Reintroduced 12 Mar 1987 (see below). SacRT light railSacramento Regional Transit Sacramento (second era) Electric Light rail Southern California Motor Road Company ♦ San Bernardino Steam Pacific Electric Electric ? San Diego (first era) Horse Coronado Beach Railroad Company Steam San Diego Cable Railway Cable San Diego Electric Railway Electric Streetcar September 21, 1892 April 24, 1949 See San Diego Electric Railway. Reintroduced as LRT, 19 July 1981 (see below). San Diego Trolley San Diego (second era) Electric Light rail Operated by MTS, via SDTI. Preceded by the San Diego Electric Railway. ♦ San Diego – National City Electric San Francisco (first era) Steam Market Street Railway, Geary Street, Park and Ocean Railway, Park and Ocean Railroad, Park and Cliff House Railroad, Presidio & Ferries Railway Horse June 1908 June 3, 1913 Clay Street Hill Railroad Cable The world's first cable car line Sutter Street Railway Cable ? California Street Cable Railroad Cable Purchased by the city of San Francisco in 1952, with one line of the system reopened, and still in service. Geary Street, Park and Ocean Railway Cable San Francisco cable car systemSFMTA San Francisco Cable Muni Metro Electric Light rail (after 1980s upgrades) 1917