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 (BCE), 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. During and after the streetcar era, BC Electric also acted as the province's primary electric utility operator and offered gas heating. Power was largely generated via hydroelectricity, which remains the primary source of electricity in the province.
During and after the streetcar era, the company also ran bus and trolleybus systems in Greater Vancouver and bus service in Greater Victoria. In 1944, the company announced their "Rails-to-Rubber" program which saw the existing streetcar systems dismantled and lines converted fully to bus routes.
In 1961, the province took control of BC Electric and these systems came under the control of Crown corporation BC Hydro and Power Authority. BC Hydro continued to operate the existing bus routes for a number of years, until the routes became part of BC Transit, with routes in Greater Vancouver eventually coming under the control of TransLink. Trolley buses continue to run in Vancouver with one line extending into Burnaby.
Predecessors
National Electric Tramway and Lighting Company (1889 - 1895)
On April 6, 1889, the National Electric Tramway and Lighting Company (NETL) was formed by a Legislative Act with construction on the initial line beginning on October 1 of that year. On February 22, 1890, the NETL launched streetcar service in Victoria, beginning the first streetcar service in BC. Two lines were constructed at launch. The Outer Wharf line ran from the intersection of Douglas, Government, and Hillside streets, south on Douglas St. before going west toward the outer wharf area. The Fort Street line ran from the Rock Bay Bridge at the north end of Store St, and ran south before turning east to reach the site of the future Royal Jubilee Hospital. Construction on the company's car barn and power plant began on September 2, and was located west of Store St at the Rock Bay Bridge. Victoria's streetcar system was the first in Canada to operate west of Windsor and St. Catharines, with the system's cars being manufactured in St. Catharines by Patterson & Corbin. At launch, the NETL had an agreement with the city of Victoria to run streetcars at a speed limit of 10 mph.
Prior to the official launch, a test run commenced on February 20 with Mayor John Grant and company president D.W. Higgins in attendance. The initial run went from the company's car barn to James Bay. At the time, the line had 4-miles of track completed and four streetcars had been delivered. The ceremonial launch of service on February 22 was attended by two hundred invited guests, including BC's Premier John Robson, Lieutenant Governor Hugh Nelson, Mayor Grant, president Higgins, Victoria city council members and Members of the Legislative Assembly. The event included champagne toasts and singing of "God Save the Queen". Passengers loaded onto cars 1 through 4 for a ceremonial first trip. The trip went through the entirety of the five-mile system. Regular service started on February 23 with a fare of five-cents. The service proved to be quite popular, with the company announcing on April 8, 1890, plans to expand their power house and machinery.
The company was authorized by the provincial government on April 26, 1890, to further operate in Saanich, Highlands, Esquimalt, Sooke, and Metchosin. On September 13, the Esquimalt extension was completed. The first ceremonial trip to Esquimalt on the line took place on October 9, running from the car barn and back in twenty-five minutes. Regular service began on the line on October 12. Service ran hourly and cost twenty-five cents for a return ticket. After realizing that the Rock Bay Bridge the streetcars ran on to reach Esquimalt could not handle the weight of the vehicles, the bridge was closed to streetcars for reinforcement on October 24. While being reinforced, passengers on the line would disembark upon reaching the bridge and walk across to a streetcar on the other side that would continue along the remainder of the line. The Rock Bay Bridge was re-opened to streetcras on November 14. Cars on the three lines were painted to indicate their lines, with Esquimalt line cars being painted green, Outer Wharf cars blue and white, and Fort Street cars painted red. By the end of 1890, the NETL added five more streetcars to its service, for a total of nine across its three lines.
The NETL continued to expand in 1891, opening new power plants in January and purchasing six more streetcars over the course of the year. The company was hopeful that the power plants would enable them to run twenty streetcars on a ten-minute headway. In March, service on the Esquimalt line increased to every half-hour, and construction began on a new 1.3 mile line in neighbouring Oak Bay, running east toward Oak Bay beach. The line officially opened on July 1 as a shuttle service. On September 26, the Driving Park extension opened in Oak Bay, running from Jubilee Hospital toward the park (now known as Willows Park). The Pandora Avenue extension opened in Victoria on December 23, running east from Douglas Street toward Fernwood Road. The line had a track length of 1.13 miles. 1891 was a financially successful year for the NETL, with profits over $18,000. The company also received a loan of $100,000 from Olive Dunsmuir, widow of Robert Dunsmuir.
1892 saw several new lines constructed. A northern extension of Douglas Street from Hilside to Tolmie Avenue launched as a shuttle service on March 12, but was improved on May 14 when the extension became part of the Outer Wharf line. A new line to Beacon Hill Park launched on June 30, as part of the Pandora-Beacon Hill line. This would be the last line to be constructed in Victoria for eleven years. In June to July service on the Esquimalt line was reduced to shuttle service as rotting wood on the Point Ellice Bridge had caused the structure to sink by several feet. One additional streetcar was purchased in 1892. On August 7, a fire broke out in the company's repair room and destroyed the room along with the NETL's power house. Streetcars in the next door carbarn were undamaged, and work began to construct a new powerhouse began immediately. Before streetcar service resumed in September, the NETL allowed the Jockey Club to borrow two cars for three days for use as horse-drawn vehicles to bring customers to horse track races. After the company borrowed two Edison generators from the Westminster and Vancouver Tramway, service resumed on September 24. Full streetcar service was finally restored months later on December 6.
On April 6, 1894, the company had its name changed by a provincial legislative act to the Victoria Electric Railway and Lighting Company Limited. On June 4, 1895, the company went into receivership.
Vancouver Electric Street Railway and Lighting Company (1889 - 1895)
In 1888, the Vancouver Street Railway company formed and was authorized by Vancouver City Council to construct and operate streetcars. The company began construction on the preliminary lines, which were planned to be horse-drawn. Pressure from city council and the public convinced the company to go with electric rail instead. The decision was announced on August 9, 1889, only six days before the system was set to launch, resulting in a ten-month service delay. When the decision was made, existing streetcars were equipped with motors so they could run on electricity. The system's initial line was ready to handle streetcars on August 15, 1889, but it wasn't until June of the next year that streetcars would begin to operate. Prior to making the decision, a large horse stable was constructed on the south of False Creek. The horses had been purchased and arrived, and the stables stayed in place for nearly fifty years. The electricity to power the system was generated at a steam power plant beside the company's car barn.
On May 21, 1890, the Vancouver Street Railway company merged with the Vancouver Electric Light company to form the Vancouver Electric Street Railway and Lighting Company (VESRL). Also in May, the company received six streetcars purchased from the John Stephenson Car Company. A trial run of streetcar number 14 ran on June 26, 1890, four months after trams launched in Victoria. The car made several trips along Westminster Avenue in the afternoon, before being tested on the rest of the system's tracks in the evening. The first six miles of the line were opened to the public on June 27, 1890. Two lines were in operation at the start of service. The Powell Street line ran west on Powell Street to Granville and Pender streets. The Westminster Avenue line ran north on Main to Powell Street, passing the horse stable, crossing False Creek on a newly built bridge, passing the car barn on Union Street. The line then met the same westward route of the Powell Street line but continued for an additional mile south.The service began in Vancouver's then-commercial district, linking the perimeters of the east and west residential districts. Residents along the route were among the first in the city to receive running water, sewage, and electricity. On July 3, 1890, the VESRL revealed new arc lights, illuminating Vancouver's streets at night for the first time.
At rush hour, six cars operated across the whole system. These cars had the capability to run at speeds up to , but due to an agreement with the city only operated at . The Vancouver Electric Street Railway and Lighting company also gave the city of Vancouver the option to buy the streetcar system after 30 years. On October 11, 1890, crews began constructing a half-mile extension of the railway to reach Mount Pleasant. By February 1891, Vancouver's six streetcars had carried nearly 340,000 total passengers.
On October 22, 1891, the company launched the Fairview line. The VESRL purchased 68 lots of land in the area from the Canadian Pacific Railway in exchange for streetcar service in the area. The line was single-tracked and ran 4.4 km at opening, crossing False Creek to Granville Street, and connecting with the recently opened Mount Pleasant extension. People saw the line as a disappointment due to how few residents lived in the Fairview area at the time. The construction of the Fairview line would exceed 5x its original estimate, as the line needed to cross multiple streams, seven wood bridges were constructed at a cost of $150,000.
In 1892, a smallpox epidemic hit Vancouver and the entire transit system shutdown for nearly two months due to a lack of ridership. At the end of 1892, the Vancouver Electric Street Railway and Lighting Company was losing almost $1,300 a month on both transit and lighting operations. At this time, the Vancouver city council declined two separate offers to buy the company. By February 1893, the company went into liquidation and was taken over by a board of trustees who hoped to make the system profitable by cutting service. They reduced service frequency in Mount Pleasant and completely closed the Fairview line as well as service east of Westminster Avenue. From 1893 to April 1894 transit service was entirely suspended. By 1895 the trustees were able to successfully borrow funds which allowed them to expand Vancouver's streetcar system, adding new lines and double-tracking existing ones. The system continued to expand until the company went into liquidation a few years later.
Westminster and Vancouver Tramway Company (1890 - 1894)