1. Home
 ›
2. Interurbans
 ›
3. Arizona

Arizona Interurban and Streetcar History

Published: April 7, 2025

By: Adam Burns

Interurbans were not common in most western states and Arizona was no exception.  It contained no systems which could be classified as true interurbans.  However, the state was home to a handful of local streetcar lines where are highlighted below.

Phoenix Street Railway: The Phoenix Street Railway began operations in 1887 originally using horse-powered carts although it switched to electric streetcars in 1893.

The system was one of the larger interurbans in the country reaching as far as Glendale, a distance of nearly 11 miles. It operated until October of 1947 when a fire destroyed most of the streetcar fleet.

Today, light rail is making a return to Phoenix and the Arizona Street Railway Museum keeps alive the memory of the Phoenix Street Railway.

Tucson Street Railway: The Tucson Street Railway began operations in 1898 connecting the Southern Pacific Railroad's station along Toole Avenue with the University of Arizona's campus.

It changed its name to the Tucson Rapid Transit Company in 1905 and reached its final length of 8 1/4 miles in 1904. It operated until December 31, 1930 when the service was converted over to buses. Today the interurban has been partially revived under the direction of the Old Pueblo Trolley project.

Warren-Bisbee Railway: This system was the one true Arizona interurban located in the state. It began operations on March 11, 1908 serving Warren and Bisbee, a distance of 8 miles, in the state's southeastern regions where copper mining was becoming prevalent (very close to the Mexican border).

The building of the line was during the second big boom of construction of the interurban industry, the first occurring during the first few years of the 20th century. The company became profitable enough to also construct a four-mile spur serving an area outside of Warren that was rich in lumber traffic.

Overall the Warren-Bisbee was a poorly built system with 7% or higher grades along much of its main line. As the copper industry played out and automobile use increased the line was abandoned by 1928.