Ohio was once the center of innovative public transit—more specifically, electric interurban rail, which had a brief but vibrant life as a transition between main-line railroads and automobiles for short-distance travel.

Interurbans, as their name suggests, are small trains run on electrified lines connecting major cities and small towns, and they were a popular method of transportation throughout the country in the late 19th and early 20th century. The first line in Ohio, by some accounts, was the Newark & Granville, and by 1889 the rapid expansion of the Ohio interurban system had begun—replacing the canal system as the preferred transportation method for the region as investment in railroads through the Ohio Loan Law helped push canals out and railroads in. The state was covered in 2,798 miles of track, the most of any state by around 1,000 miles. Practically every town with a population of 5,000 or more was reachable by the system, which included nearly 100 individual lines run by a handful of major companies.

Ohio’s flat terrain and combination of densely populated cities and smaller agricultural communities made it the perfect candidate to become the interurban center of America, and electric rail’s speed and inexpensiveness when compared with steam rail made it an attractive option for Ohioans. Cities like Toledo were also quite prosperous at the time, due to the trade access and employment opportunities offered by the railroad industry.

The interurban system’s impact reached beyond travel to improve the Ohio landscape in cultural and economic ways, as well. As documented in a 1906 issue of the Journal of Political Economy, Ohio interurbans allowed rural populations easier and cheaper access to cities, which in turn meant improved access to urban social life and better schools. Rural workers, like farmers and merchants, also gained better access to transportation for themselves, their laborers and their merchandise. Although most major environmental movements were decades away, the 1906 piece mentions the improvement of air quality thanks to the preference of electric interurbans over steam rail in most areas. Finally, interurban railroads had a positive effect on the real estate market wherever they went; homes along the tracks increased greatly in value. The cultural impact of the interurban was undeniable, to the point where everybody wanted in on the trend.

Much like the canal system before it, Ohio’s interurban network fell from grace after being replaced by ostensibly superior technology. The automobile was not terribly popular initially, being relatively impractical because of its cost and fragility. The advent of the Model T made cars cheaper, however, and the introduction of paved roads made automobile fragility much less of a deal breaker. The death knell of the interurban industry came along with these changes, and, although some of the companies continued as electric providers, the final train ran in 1938. The tragic history of this seemingly outdated system, however, could be a guide forward for Ohio’s public transit, under the right circumstances.