All-Time List of Canadian Transit Systems

by David A. Wyatt

Edmonton, Alberta

Principal System

Edmonton Bus Line advertisement (1895)

Edmonton Bus Line (1890's)
Omnibus operation between Edmonton and the railway station at South Edmonton (later Strathcona). Service timed to coordinate with railway arrivals and departures. Probably discontinued when the two communities were linked by the Edmonton, Yukon & Pacific Railway Co. in 1902.

Edmonton Street Railway Company (No Operation)
Incorporated 1894 (Dom.) to operate street railway in Edmonton. Franchise secured from the Town of Edmonton 1903. $10,000.00 performance bond forfeited 1905. (Dorman et al.)

ERR Streetcar Edmonton Radial Railway (30 October 1908 - 16 July 1946)
Municipal operation. Also cited in law as Edmonton Radial Tramway. Municipality authorized 1893 (NWT) to construct and/or operate tramways. Authorized 1908 (Alta) to operate tramways in Edmonton and for 80 miles (128 km) in any direction. This included operation to St. Paul, St. Albert, Morinville, Lacombe, Namao, Athabasca Landing, Fort Saskatchewan, and Daysland. (None of this was ever done). Acquired 26 August 1908 the Strathcona Radial Tramway Company Limited (incorporated 08 October 1904, NWT) which held, from 30 September 1907, an exclusive franchise to operate tramways in the City of Strathcona. In addition to the cities of Edmonton and Strathcona, service was also extended to the villages of North Edmonton and Calder. ERR name changed to ETS 1946. (Photo: DavesRailPix)

Edmonton English Electric Co trolleybus (DavesRailPix) Edmonton ACF-Brill trolleybus (DavesRailPix) Edmonton Radial Railway 5 (1939 Leyland Cub) (David A. Wyatt 2009) Edmonton Pullman trolleybus (DavesRailPix)

Edmonton Transportation ticket (front) Edmonton Transportation System (16 July 1946 - 29 April 1947)
Municipal operation. Name changed again in 1947.

ETS New Flyer Model D40LF bus

Edmonton Transit System (29 April 1947 - present)
ETS took over transit service in the Town of Beverly in 1961, and in the Town of Jasper Place in 1964. Name altered to Edmonton Transit 1977 but "Edmonton Transit System" began appearing on buses again in 1993. (CUTA 1989, CUTA 1991/2, CUTA 1992) (Photos: ETS Photo Gallery, DavesRailPix, William A. Luke)

Edmonton CCF-Brill trolleybus (DavesRailPix) Edmonton CCF-Brill trolleybus (DavesRailPix) Edmonton CCF-Brill trolleybus (DavesRailPix) Edmonton CCF-Brill trolleybus (DavesRailPix) Edmonton CCF-Brill trolleybus (DavesRailPix) Edmonton CCF-Brill trolleybus (DavesRailPix) Edmonton CCF-Brill trolleybus (DavesRailPix) ETS CCF/Brill trolleybus bus Edmonton ETS411 GM old look (William A. Luke) Edmonton CCF-Brill trolleybus (DavesRailPix) Edmonton 989/Winnipeg 689 GM new look (David Wyatt) Edmonton BBC-GM trolleybus (DavesRailPix) ETS 128 (GM/BBC 1982) EB on 102 Av at 124 St (David Wyatt 2009 Apr 24) Edmonton Transit System 04 (Glavel) (David A. Wyatt 2009) Edmonton Transit System 138 (BBC-GM) (David A. Wyatt 2009)

Edmonton Transit System logo circa 1950s
 
circa 1950s
 
Edmonton Transit System logo circa 1960s-1977
 
circa 1960s-1977
 
Edmonton Transit logo 1977-1997
 
1977-1997
 
Edmonton Transit System logo 1997-
 
1997-present
Service area population606,000 (1991)
Vehicle fleet713 buses,
98 trolleybuses,
37 LR cars (2000)
Employees1744 (1991)
Data Source: CUTA 1991/2
CTHF/SSG 2000

Secondary Systems

Edmonton, Yukon & Pacific Railway Company (1902 - 1929)
Between 1902 and 1929 the EY&P operated passenger trains between Strathcona and Edmonton. Schedule was 4 times/day in the 1920s.

Edmonton Incline Railway (20 May 1908 - circa 1913)
Incorporated 1907. A funicular (incline railway) operating at the foot of First Street. Closed when a more convenient river crossing opened.

Beverly Bus Lines Ltd. (1951 or before - 1961)
Serving Beverly (Sullivan). Town annexed by Edmonton 1961.

Jasper Place Diamond Lines Prevost (William A. Luke) Diamond Bus Lines Ltd. (circa 1947 - 1964)
Serving Jasper Place. Town annexed by Edmonton 1964. (Sullivan)

High Level Bridge logo (ERRS)

Edmonton Radial Railway Society (14 June 1997 - present (seasonal May to October))
Heritage trolley operation between downtown Edmonton and the Old Strathcona heritage district. Local service began in June in Old Strathcona. Service to Grandin Station began 15 August 1997. Service also operated over part of the line 06 - 08 October 1979, 14 August - 04 September 1995, and 12 - 14 October 1996. The Society has operated an electric street railway within the Fort Edmonton historical park since 1984.

Modes

Funicular20 May 1908 - circa 1913
Electric railway30 October 1908 - 01 September 1951>
Light rail transit23 April 1978* - present
Electric railway (heritage)14 June 1997 - present (seasonal May to October)
Motor bus1932 - present
Trolley coach24 September 1939 - 02 May 2009
* Edmonton Transit employees were carried on free rides 17 April 1978, and the public was carried free 18-20 April 1978. Formal opening ceremonies were held 22 April 1978.

References


Copyright ©1989-2009 David A. Wyatt. All Rights Reserved.
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The author is always interested in comments, corrections and further information. Please email to:

David_Wyatt@umanitoba.ca
This page last modified: Sunday, 17-May-2009 19:51:27 CDT