For the current rail transit system in Kitchener, see Ion rapid transit.
The Kitchener Public Utilities Commission (KPUC, or PUC) was the municipal public utilities commission for the city of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, as well as the surrounding area. Its former office in downtown Kitchener, constructed in 1931 in Beaux-Arts style, has been designated under the Ontario Heritage Act as both historically and architecturally significant, and is one of the Kitchener's few surviving historic public buildings.[1]
Transit service began with horse cars in 1887 as a private company whose owner was from New York City with day-to-day operations via Thomas M. Burt.
The line was electrified for streetcars a few years later. The city did not renew the charter and the KPUC took over in 1927.
The KPUC operated streetcars until 1946, as bus and trolley bus operations took over.
The electric streetcars were scheduled to be retired on January 1, 1947. An ice storm on December 27, 1946 caused so much damage to the overhead that it was not repaired.
Trolley coach operation began on January 1, 1947, and ended by March 26, 1973.
Transit operations were passed on to the City of Kitchener in 1973 and was operated with all-new bus routes as Kitchener Transit. Utilities operations, for gas, water and sewer services within the City of Kitchener are now run by Kitchener Utilities, a subsidiary of the municipality.
In 2015, during the construction of the new Ion Light Rail system, remnants of the local streetcar system were unearthed.[2]
Roster
Buses
10 Yellow Coach model 733 bus
2 CCF-Brill model C-36 gas bus
2 Brills - ex-Wellesley Bus Lines
1 Ford - ex-Wellesley Bus Lines* 1 Aerocoach - ex-Wellesley Bus Lines
Roster as of December 31, 1972. City of Kitchener took over January 1, 1973. Trolley buses replaced March 26, 1973. Kitchener Transit launched with all new routes on July 3, 1973.
101 - 117 (odd numbers only). Nine, 1946 Canadian Car & Foundry T-44 electric trolley buses. #103, first production T-44, 119 burned in fire and scrapped Dec. 28, 1970.
121 - 129 (odd numbers only). Five, 1947 Canadian Car & Foundry T-44 electric trolley buses.
131 One, 1948 Canadian Car & Foundry T-44 electric trolley buses.
133 - 141 (odd numbers only). Five, 1951 CanCar ex-Ottawa Transportation Commission T-48 electric trolley buses. Purchased in 1959.
641 - 643 Three, 1964 General Motors TGH-3501 gasoline buses.
651 - 654 Four, 1965 General Motors TGH-3501 gasoline buses.
661 - 669 Nine, 1966 General Motors TGH-3501 gasoline buses.
671 - 678 Eight, 1967 General Motors TDH-3501 diesel buses.
680 - 689 Ten, 1968 General Motors TDH-3502 diesel buses.
690 - 691 Two, 1969 GMDD T6H-5305 diesel buses.
700 - 701 Two, 1971 GMDD T6H-5305 diesel buses. Ordered in 1970. Manufacturing started in 1970 and finished in 1971. First two T6H-5305 buses completed in 1971.
720 - 721 Two, 1972 GMDD T6H-5307N diesel buses.
Streetcars
A Kitchener Public Utilities Commission streetcar, c. 1945, identified as KWSR No. 36.
1 single truck double end sweeper from J.G. Brill 1924
1 Birney car 1928 - ex-Peterborough Radial from Cincinnati Car 1920; sold 1946
Routes
Bus routes
Routes as of December 31, 1972:
Route 1 Queen South - Queen North & Frederick
Route 2 North Ward - Highland Road
Route 3 East & South Wards - Westmount
Route 4 Fairfield— Rosemount
Route 5 Waterloo Crosstown
Route 6 Bridgeport
Route 7 Mainline (Trolley Coach)
Route 8 Forest Hill
Route 9 Lakeshore
Route 10 Kingsdale
Route 11 Stanley Park
Route 12 Industrial Park
Route 13 University
Route 14 Columbia
Route 15 Amos Avenue
Route 16 Ottawa South
Streetcar routes
King Street from Cedar Street (Bridgeport Road) in Waterloo to Scott Street in Berlin (Kitchener)
Victoria Street from King Street to Weber Street, Berlin
Facilities
An aerial view of the Rockway area c. 1944, showing Kitchener Junction to the bottom left.
Horsecar barn and stable at Cedar Street (now Bridgeport Road) and King Street - built 1888 for Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway Company
Car barn at King Street and Albert Street 1905 - built to replace original barn from 1888
Car barns at Preston Junction (King Street East and Rogers Road now in Cambridge) and Albert Street in Berlin (now Kitchener) 1904 - for Preston & Berlin Street Railway
Car barn at Kitchener Junction 1923 - replaces Preston & Berlin Street Railway barns in Kitchener
Bridgeport car barn (eastside of Bridgeport Road and King Street) 1923
Swayze, Kevin (March 27, 2015). "Century-old streetcar line found under LRT construction". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved April 25, 2015. Evidence of a century-old streetcar line between Kitchener and Waterloo has been uncovered as work starts on a new light rail transit system along King Street. A path of about 300 metres of rotten wooden ties down the middle of King near Wellington Street marks the old railway route, where the rails were removed in the 1950s.
