British Columbia Electric Railway

British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER)
BCER sightseeing trolley car on Granville Street in Vancouver (1910)
Overview
HeadquartersVancouver
Localesouthwestern British Columbia and Vancouver Island
Dates of operation1897–1979
PredecessorNational Electric Tramway and Lighting Company Limited (1890);
Vancouver Electric Railway and Light Company Limited (1890);
Westminster and Vancouver Tramway Company (1891)
SuccessorBC Hydro, Southern Railway of British Columbia, TransLink (British Columbia), BC Transit
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
British Columbia
Electric Railway
city lines
interurban lines

North Vancouver
Vancouver
Burnaby
New Westminster
Surrey
Langley
Abbotsford
Chilliwack
Richmond
Deep Cove
North Saanich
Saanich
Esquimalt
Victoria

The British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) was a historic railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Originally the parent company for, and later a division of, BC Electric Company (now BC Hydro), the BCER assumed control of existing streetcar and interurban lines in southwestern British Columbia in 1897, and operated the electric railway systems in the region until the last interurban service was discontinued in 1958.[1] During and after the streetcar era, BC Electric also ran bus and trolleybus systems in Greater Vancouver and bus service in Greater Victoria; these systems subsequently became part of BC Transit, and the routes in Greater Vancouver eventually came under the control of TransLink. Trolley buses still run in the City of Vancouver with one line extending into Burnaby.

  1. ^ Maiden, Cecil (1948). Lighted journey: the story of B.C. Electric. Vancouver: British Columbia Electric Company. OCLC 2777094. Retrieved 2021-08-29.