Rochester Railway Company

The Rochester and Suburban Railway was leased in 1905, extending the system's reach to Irondequoit and Sea Breeze.

The first line constructed ran from the railroad's headquarters on State Street to Mount Hope and opened in July 1863.

Horse-drawn enclosed sleighs were substituted for the cars during the winter months, a move that proved unpopular with the public.

Harsh weather continued to plague the company, forcing the suspension of service during the winters of 1865 and 1866 and leading to reduced revenues as a result.

[1] The property was purchased at foreclosure in 1868 by local businessman Chauncey B. Woodworth and was reorganized as the Rochester City and Brighton Railroad.

[2] That same year a ten-week strike by workers crippled the system, and when strike-breakers were brought in from New York to resume service, a riot broke out in the city.

The railway's first foray into bus transportation was made in 1882 with horse-drawn omnibus that ran from Four Corners to the city limits on East Avenue.

In 1893 the RL&O was leased to the Rochester and Irondequoit Railroad, which constructed an electric railway along St. Paul Boulevard north of Ridge Road to the lake at Summerville.

Up until 1912, most lines originated and terminated in the downtown business district along Main Street, which resulted in congestion and delays.

The utility company holdings were sold again in 1929, and New York State Railways entered receivership upon default of its bonds.

The Rochester and Eastern Rapid Railway line to Geneva ran its last car on July 31, 1930, the same day Canandaigua local service ended (which had been provided by a bus since sometime in the 1920s).

Declining ridership followed as a result of the Great Depression and the increased use of private automobiles and the construction of better roads.

With the parent company in receivership, a committee of bondholders and local supporters called for public control of the Rochester Lines.

Rochester Transit Corp. submitted a plan to the Public Service Commission in July 1940 to replace the remaining streetcar lines with buses.

In a show of ceremony to the assembled crowds, the general manager cut the overhead wires down as the last cars rolled down Main Street, with buses following closely behind.

In 1954 the city council voted to use a portion of the Subway route for construction of a new expressway, and that service would continue until December 31, 1955.

[11] However, delays in the design and engineering of the new expressway resulted in the city granting RTC a month-to-month contract for operation of the Subway.

When the last Subway car returned to the carbarn near the General Motors plant after midnight on July 1, the rail transit era in Rochester drew to a close.

The old Rochester Railway transit franchises operated by RTC were transferred to the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority in 1969.