Athens Electric Railway Company

Overview

Athens Electric Railway Company was a street railway and electric utility company in Athens, Georgia, incorporated in 1894 as the successor to the Athens Railway Company. Led by local businessmen, the company operated the city’s electric streetcar system while expanding into the generation and sale of electric power. During its existence, the company extended streetcar lines, modernized equipment, and built or acquired major power facilities. By the early twentieth century, the railway carried more than one million passengers annually and had become an important part of Athens’ transportation network. In 1910, the company’s transportation and utility holdings were reorganized under the newly formed Athens Railway & Electric Company, which assumed its operations and continued both streetcar and power service.