Streetcars in Cleveland


Like most large cities in the United States, there existed a large network of streetcars in Cleveland in the first half of the 20th Century. The streetcar lines in Cleveland, Ohio were operated by the Cleveland Railway, which was formed in 1910 with the merger of two companies. The Cleveland Railway converted a few streetcar lines in the 1930s, but the onset of World War II stopped any further conversions.
In 1942, the Cleveland Transit System took over the operation of all streetcar, bus and trackless trolley lines from the Cleveland Railway. Following the war, CTS undertook a program of replacing all existing streetcar lines with either trackless trolleys or buses.
The last CTS streetcar ran on January 24, 1954 with a free ride celebration on the Madison line from Public Square to West 65th and Bridge.

List of streetcar lines

The following table lists the conversion of the Cleveland streetcar lines to trackless trolleys or buses in reverse chronological order, with the last date of streetcar service, the line name, the modern line number, the type of vehicle replacing the streetcar, and the length of time that lasted. Shuttle lines or "dinkeys" are not included.
DateLineNo.Replaced withFromUntilThenNotes
January 25, 1954Madison25BusJanuary 26, 1954Present—
August 15, 1953Clark23BusAugust 16, 1953Present—
August 15, 1953West 25th20BusAugust 16, 1953Present—
March 20, 1953Superior3Trackless trolleyMarch 22, 1953April 12, 1963Bus
March 7, 1953East 55th16BusMarch 8, 1953Present—
June 14, 1952Lorain
22Trackless trolleyJune 15, 1952November 14, 1958BusAlso used by the Cleveland, Southwestern and Columbus Railway
April 26, 1952Euclid

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