View source for East St. Louis and Suburban Railway

{{More sources needed|date=May 2024}}
[[File:Taken_on_Eads_Bridge_May_26,_1896_2014-05-25_10-09.jpg|thumbnail|Taken on Eads Bridge May 26, 1896]]
The '''East St. Louis and Suburban Railway''' was an [[interurban railroad]] that operated in [[Illinois]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-09 |title=East St. Louis & Suburban Railway – Illinois Highlights |url=https://www.library.illinois.edu/idhh-highlights/index.php/tag/east-st-louis-suburban-railway/ |access-date=2024-05-27 |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Route==
It served [[Madison County, Illinois|Madison County]], [[St. Clair County, Illinois|St. Clair County]], and [[Monroe County, Illinois|Monroe County]] as part of the great "East Side Electric Railway System."  It stretched from the [[Eads Bridge]], which crossed the [[Mississippi River]] from [[East St. Louis, Illinois]] to [[St. Louis, Missouri]], east to [[Lebanon, Illinois|Lebanon]], and from [[Alton, Illinois|Alton]], to [[Waterloo, Illinois|Waterloo]].  This railroad moved commuters and express freight among various towns in the East St. Louis area including [[Belleville, Illinois|Belleville]], [[Collinsville, Illinois|Collinsville]], Waterloo, [[Columbia, Illinois|Columbia]], [[Granite City, Illinois|Granite City]], [[National City, Illinois|National City]], [[French Village, Illinois|French Village]], and [[O'Fallon, Illinois|O'Fallon]].
==History==
The system expanded during the industrial growth of St. Louis in the late 19th century, spilling across the Mississippi River to the cheaper land on the Illinois side.  From 1870 to 1910, East St. Louis and the surrounding area attracted industrial development to the transportation hub.  During this period, the population of East St. Louis nearly doubled each decade.  Amidst this growth, the East St. Louis and Suburban grew by acquiring shorter interurban lines.  The [[Illinois Traction System]] reached St. Louis via trackage rights on the East St. Louis and Suburban over the Eads Bridge until the completion of the [[McKinley Bridge]]. The [[Illinois Terminal Railroad]] later purchased the Alton Line.  The East St. Louis and Suburban shared a car barn on Ridge Ave. in East St. Louis with the [[St. Louis and Belleville Electric Railway]], which was also part of the Great East Side Electric Railway System.  The system was abandoned sectionally during the 1930s.
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:East Saint Louis Suburban  Railway}}
[[Category:Defunct Illinois railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct Missouri railroads]]
[[Category:Interurban railways in Illinois]]
[[Category:Interurban railways in Missouri]]
[[Category:Streetcars in Greater St. Louis]]
[[Category:Electric railways in Illinois]]