Quote:
Originally Posted by iheartthed
Detroit was one of the largest streetcar networks in the world, if not the absolute largest in the world. At its highwater mark, the system had more than 200 miles of track in the city of Detroit.
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Actually, Los Angeles had the largest in the world in the 1920s; the Pacific Electric interurban streetcar system had nearly 1,100 miles of track at its height. source:
https://www.american-rails.com/pacific.html
Here are the PE routes superimposed over a modern map of the LA area:
wikimedia
Colloquially, these were referred to as the Red Car. This trackage doesn't include the "Yellow Car," which was LA's streetcar system within the city of LA (and immediate surrounding neighborhoods outside the city limits) operated by LAry (Los Angeles Railway).
Just to note, these early systems were all private for-profit companies. I assume New York's subways in the early years were also privately owned?
So it's not like these cities planned and funded these railways to serve its residents; entrepreneurs jumped on money-making ventures to provide transportation to people. And in the case of Los Angeles and SoCal, the Pacific Electric was in cahoots with real estate developers, which contributed to its sprawling built environment.