| Bakersfield and Kern Electric Railway | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Locale | Bakersfield, California |
| Transit type | Streetcar, Bus |
| Number of lines | 5 streetcar, 3 bus (1915) |
| Annual ridership | 1.4 million (1915) |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | May 1888 |
| Ended operation | February 28, 1942 (Streetcar) |
| Number of vehicles | 23 (Total number of streetcars) |
| Train length | 1 Car |
| Headway | 15–20 minutes |
| Technical | |
| System length | 10.51 mi (16.91 km) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Electrification | Overhead line, 550 V DC |
| Average speed | 25 mph (40 km/h) |
The Bakersfield and Kern Electric Railway was a streetcar company which operated between Bakersfield and Sumner (later Kern City), in California. Later, after Kern City was annexed by Bakersfield, the streetcar company operated completely in Bakersfield. The company was originally formed in 1887, under the name Bakersfield and Sumner Railroad. At its height, in 1915, the company operated five streetcar lines, totaling 10.5 miles (16.9 km). It also operated three feeder bus lines, one of the first companies in the nation to offer that type of service. Also, with the exception of one-way sections, the entire system was double tracked.
The company discontinued streetcar service in 1942, having replaced them with buses. The current provider of mass transit for Bakersfield, Golden Empire Transit, is the latest of an unbroken line of owners of the company.