| Key System | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | East Bay |
| Transit type | Interurban Streetcar |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1903 |
| Ended operation | (streetcar service) 1948 (commuter train service) 1958 (bus service) 1960 |
| Character | Mixed grade separated and at-grade street running |
| Technical | |
| System length | 66 mi (106 km) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge[1] |
| Electrification | Overhead line, 600 V DC Third rail on Bay Bridge |
The Key System (or Key Route) was a privately owned company that provided mass transit in the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda,[2] Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, Richmond, Albany, and El Cerrito in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area from 1903 until 1960, when it was sold to a newly formed public agency, AC Transit. The Key System consisted of local streetcar and bus lines in the East Bay, and commuter rail and bus lines connecting the East Bay to San Francisco by a ferry pier on San Francisco Bay, later via the lower deck of the Bay Bridge. At its height during the 1940s, the Key System had over 66 miles (106 km) of track. The local streetcars were discontinued in 1948 and the commuter trains to San Francisco were discontinued in 1958. The Key System's territory is today served by BART and AC Transit bus service.
- ^ "San Francisco LRV Specifications" (PDF). Ansaldobreda. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ Old Alameda's transit system was less confusing Archived June 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine