Phoenix Street Railway

[1] The service was popular with the locals and was partly responsible for the growth patterns observed in the early history of Phoenix.

[5] A potential competitor, the Salt River Valley Electric Railway, in 1912 hired engineers to build lines east from downtown Phoenix to Mesa via Tempe and Scottsdale, and a Southside line, to run from Phoenix to Tempe on the south side of the Salt River.

[6] The Salt River company later announced its lines would "connect Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Alhambra, Glendale and Peoria.

"[7] However, other than some digging on Van Buren and Monroe Streets, the line never managed to complete any construction, and was abandoned in 1914.

[10] A fleet of new streetcars entered service Christmas Day 1928, although a few of the older cars continued to serve the Grand Avenue line.

The Phoenix area turned its focus to the automobile, suburbs, and highways; and until recently relied solely on buses for public transportation.