Tacoma Takes the Reins of Interurban Rail
Consolidation moves the entire Interurban Electric system operations and repair shops from Kent to Tacoma.
The story, cleaned up
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The consolidation of the Interurban electric line and the Tacoma Railway & Power Company took effect today. All of the Interurban trains will now be operated from Tacoma instead of Kent. V.J. Franklin, superintendent of the local street railway company, took charge this morning of the entire system. In addition to all the offices moving to Tacoma, the shops of the road are also being moved here for repairing and car building. One interurban train may lay over in Seattle at night to afford an early train out of that city for Tacoma. The new time schedule will not be announced for several days, the trains meanwhile operating on the old schedule.
“In addition to all the offices coming to Tacoma, the shops of the road are also being moved here for repairing and car building.”
This consolidation marks the era when Tacoma established itself as the regional transit hub for the South Sound. While the interurban lines are long gone, the city's current efforts to centralize regional transit infrastructure reflect this same push to anchor control and economic utility within the city limits.
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