Quebec City tramway (1865–1948)

The Quebec City tramway (1865–1948) was a streetcar system that started operations in 1865 with horsecars, electrified in 1897 and ceased operation in 1948. This former system is distinct from the proposed light-rail line, known as the Quebec City Tramway (French: Tramway de Québec).

Horsecars
In fall 1863, a group of local businessmen and public figures from Quebec City presented a petition at the Parliament of the Province of Canada for the incorporation of a streetcar company. Among them were Pierre Garneau and John Lemesurier, future mayors of Quebec City, entrepreneurs Guillaume-Eugène Chinic and Cérice Têtu and many others. The group was incorporated under the name Quebec Street Railway Company (QSRC) on October 15, 1863. It obtained the right to build a system for the city five neighbourhoods. Nevertheless, it was mainly the commercial and port sector of the Lower Town that interested the company. First, they established a horse-drawn omnibus between Champlain Market and St. Ours Street barrier. Wooden rails were embedded in the roadway in this corridor to create the first horsecar line. The service started on August 18, 1865. The arrival of streetcars disrupted centuries-old practices: a ticket cost 5 cents while a horse-drawn carriage varied between 25 and 50 cents. Coach drivers denounced unfair competition and some vehicles were vandalized, rails removed and drivers brutalized. Also, the city and the company were sometimes inconsistent, regarding for instance who was responsible for road maintenance. Moreover, for financial reasons, the company refused to expand its network to the Upper Town, which would also have benefited from public transport. In 1874, the QSRC proceeded to an extension toward Saint-Sauveur, which was not part of the city at the time, to build its depot and avoid paying taxes to the municipality.

Streecars appeared in the Upper Town from 1878 onwards with the creation of a second company, the St. John Street Railway Company Ltd. It built a line linking the Château Frontenac to De Salaberry Avenue through St. John Street. Stables were situated at the intersection with Philippe-Dorval Street.

Electrification and networking


The desire to create a real electrified city system was felt throughout 1890s, especially with the arrival of the electric streetcars in Montreal in 1892. The Quebec, Montmorency and Charlevoix Railway Company and its president, businessman and engineer Horace Jansen Beemer, got an exclusive franchise from the Quebec City Council to this end. They created the Quebec District Railway Company, a subsidiary responsible for managing the city streetcar system. This branch purchased two existing tram companies. Major works were needed: the Montmorency Electric Power Company had to modernize its facilities to provide the new energy demand from the electric network, a metal structure was essential for tram traffic between the Upper and Lower town with a very smooth slope, St. Jean's Gate was demolished to improve traffic flow with Old Quebec, etc. In the summer of 1897, the four lines of this united and electrified public transport system were opened. Côte Dinan trestle, connecting St. Paul Street to the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, received its first trams in December.

From then on, trams would be pulled by horses only when they broke down.

New streetcars built in New York could accommodate 25 to 27 passengers up to 50 people and are equipped with heaters. This new public transport participated in the rapid expansion of the city toward Ville-Montcalm, which was growing in population and confirming its residential character.

Expansion, apogee and decline


In 1899, railway and power companies merged to form the powerful Quebec Railway Light & Power Company, a trust in the power and transport sectors for the whole Quebec City area. This company, later known under the name Quebec Power, would run the tramway until its closure in 1948.

In 1910, the network was expanded to Sillery and in 1912, to Beauport. The tramway was at its peak and covered almost the entire city. In 1932, the network stretched from Sillery to Montmorency. At the time, 11 lines in total were in service.

From 1937 onwards, buses' popularity was increasing and caused the disappearance of the trams. On May 26, 1948, the last line serving Saint-Sauveur was permanently closed.