Alabama was home to world’s first electric trolley system
Updated Dec 17, 2020;
In the 1880s, the world relied on horses as the most effective means to get from one place to another. As cities grew, wagons clogged downtown streets and people searched for a more efficient means of travel. When cutting-edge public transportation technology was developed, Montgomery, Ala., would be become the site of the world’s first electric trolley system.
7
World s First Electric Streetcar Route
The technology was developed by Charles Joseph Van Depoele, a Belgian-American inventor. Capital City Street Railway system, known locally as the Lightning Route, debuted in 1886 to much fanfare.