Streetcar and Interurban Deployment in the United States: 1894-1926
Recently published:
Li, Hoang, Bahman Lahoorpoor, David Levinson (2026) Streetcar and Interurban Deployment in the United States: 1894-1926. Findings [doi]
We compile operating track lengths for US streetcar and interurban systems from the McGraw American Street Railway Investments Directories for 1894–1926, aggregated by state and by metro area, with a national total. The United States network reaches an observed maximum of 80{,}660 km (50,120 miles) in 1918, with a logistic asymptote of 84,208 km, inflection year 1901, and R2=0.89. We report cities and states by extent and timing, and show that most city and state series follow logistic S-curves.
