Detroit United Railway
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | December 31, 1900 |
| Fate | Liquidated and restructured as Eastern Michigan Railways in 1928 |
| Headquarters | Detroit , United States |
Area served | Southeast Michigan, Windsor (Ontario) |
| Products | Streetcar and interurban rail transport |
The Detroit United Railway was a transportation enterprise managing multiple streetcar and interurban lines throughout southeast Michigan. Initially constructed by several independent firms, these routes were later unified under the Everett-Moore syndicate, an investment group based in Cleveland. Established on December 31, 1900, the corporation grew by both building new lines and acquiring existing ones into the early 1920s. Following the 1907 acquisition of the Detroit-Jackson route, DUR controlled over of interurban tracks and of urban streetcar routes.
Beginning in 1922, DUR started to liquidate its holdings, transferring Detroit’s local streetcar network to the city’s Department of Street Railways (DSR). Throughout the decade, it progressively sold or discontinued various assets; on September 26, 1928, the remaining operations were restructured as Eastern Michigan Railways (EMR).
Eastern Michigan maintained an interurban connection linking Detroit to Toledo, which connected with Ohio’s interurban systems and offered passenger and freight transport to Dayton and Cincinnati via the Cincinnati and Lake Erie line. This service was discontinued in 1932 due to diminishing demand.
Outside Michigan, DUR owned the Sandwich, Windsor and Amherstburg Railway, an interurban trolley line connecting Windsor, Ontario with Tecumseh, La Salle, and Amherstburg. Acquired in 1901 and sold in 1920, surviving traces include the Ganatchio Trail bike path following former track beds and bridge remnants on Front Road crossing River Canard.
- Electric railway service / Publicity Dept., Detroit United Lines. Detroit, Mich.: 1913–1920, 5 vols. Weekly periodical, accessible via googlebooks.com.
- [Safety bulletin] / Pere Marquette Railway Co. Detroit Mich.: 1918–1920.
- Safety: a magazine for streetcar conductors / Detroit United Lines. Detroit, Mich.: circa 1914–?